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2h ago

NSW Police to Carry Long-Arm Rifles at SCG for Sydney Ashes Test

Police say the visible rifles are a reassurance measure, not a response to a specific threat.

Street artist Jarrod Grech poses for a photo next to his painting of Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-Australian shopkeeper who disarmed one of the attackers of Sydney's Bondi Beach shooting, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Rod McGuirk/AP Photo)
Cricket - Third Test - Australia v South Africa - Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia - January 8, 2023 General view as fans walk past the statute of former player Steve Waugh inside the ground before the start of play REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/ File Photo
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Annie, center, is comforted during the funeral of her son Dan Elkayam, a young French Jewish man who was killed in the mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, in Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Overview

  • A high-visibility operation is planned for Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground with Public Order and Riot Squad officers carrying long-arm rifles.
  • Uniformed and mounted police will patrol the venue to support crowd safety and target antisocial or unsafe behavior.
  • Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker emphasized there is no active or imminent threat behind the deployment.
  • Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the stronger presence is intended to help patrons feel safe, with a capacity crowd expected.
  • The posture extends heightened measures introduced after the December Bondi attack, seen also at the MCG on Boxing Day, and Premier Chris Minns suggested it could signal a longer-term shift in policing.