Operation Shelter

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Operation Shelter
In December 2025, following the Bondi attack, NSW Police helicopters were increasingly patrolling Sydney's eastern suburbs' skies
TypeCounterterrorism and public safety
Location
Broadly Sydney and to some extent Melbourne, Australia
PlannedOctober 2023
Planned byDeputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon and Assistant Commissioner Scott Whyte
Commanded byAssistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty
ObjectivePrevent antisemitic attacks and hate crimes
DateOctober 2023 – present
Executed byNew South Wales Police, including uniformed officers, counterterrorism units, and aerial support

Operation Shelter is an ongoing public safety and policing initiative led by the New South Wales Police Force in Australia, first established in October 2023 following heightened community tensions after the October 7 attacks in Israel and associated protests.[1][2] Since its establishment, the operation has involved deployments to several locations, including houses of worship, transport centers, and other crowded public areas, with the aim of enhancing community safety and reassurance.[3][4][5][6]

Joint operations later established by the Australian Federal Police to combat antisemitism in Australia include Operation Arques (following the Bondi terrorist attack),[7][8] and Operation Avalite in Melbourne, following the 2024 attack on a synagogue in Melbourne.[9][10]

Background

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NSW Police launched Operation Shelter in light of the October 7 attacks in Israel, after the Sydney Opera House sails were illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag, drawing a crowd of antisemitic pro-Palestinian demonstrators.[1] NSW Police Force Acting Commissioner David Hudson APM stated that public safety is the police's top priority as Operation Shelter was launched. The operation was established to enhance the NSW Police's handling of future protests by creating an operation focused on increasing community safety during such events.[1] Senior officers said at the time that the operation was intended to gather intelligence on and monitor potential protests planned in response to the Israel–Gaza war. Operation Shelter Commander Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty said the operation's priority is to guarantee that the Jewish community and the general public is safe and backed.[3]

The operation is designed to coordinate intelligence gathering, increase visible police presence, and reduce antisemitic and other hate-related incidents, particularly around Jewish community sites and crowded public locations.[2] It has involved proactive patrols, monitoring of protest activity, and targeted interventions to reassure at-risk communities and deter potential hate crimes against Jewish Australians. Police announced that resourcing for Operation Shelter will be returned to its highest level following anti-Israel vandalism at Woollahra in December 2024.[2] The operation was significantly reinforced in December 2025 in response to a terrorist attack at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, focusing on protecting Jewish Australians and preventing further violence.[11]

Operations

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Following an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne in July 2024, "Operation Avalite" was established on 9 December 2024 and featured a squad of counterterrorism investigators who focused on threats, violence, and hatred directed at the Australian Jewish community and parliamentarians.[6] Operation Avalite, now incorporated into the expanded National Security Investigations Teams, continues to monitor the language used by Islamic preachers of the area, and charges under current legislation have not been ruled out. Since the commencement of "Operation Avalite" in December 2024, the operation teams have received crucial training in antisemitism, which has supported investigative efforts. This training is ongoing and will remain a key feature of the expanded National Security Investigations Teams.[12]

On 10 January 2025, a synagogue at Allawah in southern Sydney was defaced with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti, including the phrase “Hitler on top” sprayed across its exterior walls. Premier Chris Minns condemned the incident as a “monstrous” act of hatred, while police launched a hate-crime investigation under Operation Shelter.[6] On 16 January 2025, Operation Avalite secured its first arrest in Sydney, charging a 44-year-old man from Blacktown with allegedly posting death threats against members of a Jewish organisation on social media.[6] In December 2025, the investigation into the Bondi terrorist incident was handed over to the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCCT) under Operation Arques.[13]

Post‑Bondi attack

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After the Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December 2025, Operation Shelter was expanded, with additional resources and operational support deployed. The high-visibility operation currently includes public-place patrols and proactive taskings, supported by officers from the Central Metropolitan, South West Metropolitan and North West Metropolitan Regions, as well as specialist units including the Public Order and Riot Squad, State Protection Group, PolAir, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Marine Area Command, Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, and the Dog Squad.[3] Since the Bondi Beach attack, Operation Shelter had completed 751 taskings.[3] As part of the operation, police conducted regular patrols at locations assessed as high risk – Sydney's eastern suburbs, including Bondi, which has a large Jewish community, are a particular focus of these activities.[11]

Under "Operation Shelter", 328 police officers were deployed on 15 December 2025 across suburbs with significant Jewish populations, with helicopters increasingly patrolling the skies over Sydney's eastern suburbs at the time.[14] Pol-Air had spent the week following the Bondi terrorist attack surveilling the attack site and other areas of the eastern suburbs as part of Operation Shelter.[15] Under Operation Arques, the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team charged the Bondi shooter after his arrest at his hospital bed on 15 December 2025.[16]

Following the attack, police carried out more than 2,600 operational taskings across over 3,200 shifts. Among subsequent incidents, a 20-year-old man was charged after allegedly posting a call to action on social media encouraging protesters to gather at a beach in southern Sydney, with the alleged intent to incite violence. He was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and with publicly threatening violence on the grounds of race or religion. Since the establishment of Operation Shelter, 18 individuals have been charged with a total of 34 offences in connection with the operation.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Operation Shelter launched by NSW Police following criticism over how pro-Palestinian protests were handled". Sky News Australia. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "NSW Police at highest resourcing level for Jewish sites since October 7". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Helen Livingstone (19 December 2025). "Police continue patrols across Sydney's Eastern Suburbs under Operation Shelter". The National Tribune.
  4. ^ "NSW Police deploy Operation Shelter in response to Bondi terror attack, vow to protect Jewish community". The Sydney Times. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  5. ^ "1850 – Safety of Jewish Community In New South Wales". New South Wales Parliament. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "A Timeline of Rising Antisemitism in Australia Since the Gaza War". Time Magazine. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  7. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte; Gelineau, Kristen; McGuirk, Rod (17 December 2025). "Accused gunman in Bondi Beach shooting charged with 15 counts of murder". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Bondi gunman formally charged by NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team". New South Wales Police Force (Press release). 17 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  9. ^ AFP to lead Special Operation Avalite to investigate anti-Semitism. Australian Federal Police. 9 December 2024.
  10. ^ Evans, Jake (9 December 2024). "AFP anti-Semitism taskforce 'Avalite' established after synagogue attack". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  11. ^ a b Helen Livingstone (16 December 2025). "Police 'shot in the front': NSW premier rejects criticism of Bondi response". BBC News. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  12. ^ Krissy Barrett (20 December 2025). "AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett: Op Arques media conference statement". Australian Federal Police. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Bondi gunman formally charged by NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team". NSW Police. New South Wales Government. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  14. ^ Penry Buckley (15 December 2025). "Bondi beach terror attack: PM and premier vow to change gun laws after 'horrifying' weapons used to kill 15". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  15. ^ Joseph Sahyoun (20 December 2025). "Noticing more police helicopters in the sky than usual? Here's why". Nine News Australia. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  16. ^ Krissy Barrett (17 December 2025). "AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett: Op Arques media conference statement". Australian Federal Police. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  17. ^ Joseph Sahyoun (24 December 2025). "Anti-hate crime police crack down after Bondi terror attack". Nine News Australia. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
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