The NSW Labor government says it is creating a ‘rapid response’ unit of approximately 250 dedicated police officers, 28 civilian staff and a ‘fleet of specifically modified rapid-response vehicles’.
The permanent new unit is described by NSW Labor as one that can ‘quickly respond to threats, patrol high-risk areas, protect places of worship and major events, and provide a visible presence to keep communities safe’.
The announcement comes in the wake of police oversight body, the The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) investigating alleged misconduct by NSW police at recent Sydney protests, following Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s visit.
Video footage from the protest appears to show police aggressively beating members of the public without provocation.
The LECC is inviting the public to contact them with evidence from the Sydney Town Hall Protest on 9 February 2026: https://www.lecc.nsw.gov.au/publications/lecc-investigation-into-the-police-operation-at-the-sydney-town-hall-protest-on-9-february-2026
$5b budget
The cost to taxpayers of this new unit were not mentioned in the media release, however, the NSW Police Force’s total expense budget is around $5.2–5.3 billion dollars per year, according to the most recent published state budget figures.
Greens MLC Sue Higginson described it as a ‘dedicated, heavily armed police unit to target peaceful protest’.
She says, ‘Premier Chris Minns is making a habit of deploying state violence against political opponents and the community at large – this is dangerous to our democracy’.
‘Creating dedicated police forces who will be rapidly deployed in the community with high calibre and rapid fire weapons will not prevent people from engaging in protest, all it will do is put everyone at far greater risk of violence, harm, and death’.
Social cohesion claims
NSW Labor says, ‘This builds on a suite of reforms to improve community safety and protect social cohesion including:
- Tough new firearms laws, stricter licensing and storage requirements, and a national gun buyback building on the Minns Labor Government’s work to keep dangerous weapons off our streets and communities safe.
- New offences banning the public display of terrorist organisation symbols and further action to address hateful speech reinforce efforts to reduce division, intimidation and hate in NSW.
- Updated powers around public assemblies following terrorism events support police to prevent inflammatory behaviour while protecting peaceful gatherings and community harmony’.
‘Incited police to attack community’
Ms Higginson said, ‘Seeking to arrest your way to some twisted vision of social cohesion is frankly fascist, and yet this NSW Labor Government seem determined to take every bad step when it comes to caring for and healing our communities’.
‘Just a few weeks ago, I was standing with Jewish People, Muslim People, First Nations People, Queer People and tens of thousands of caring and compassionate people in the community. This wonderful gathering for peace was socially cohesive, non-threatening, and determined to express their political views.
‘Chris Minns incited police to attack, and assault that community, and he has now announced that he wants this to be a permanent fixture of our democracy, he should be ashamed.
‘Premier Chris Minns is escalating the conflicts between the community, and he is signing the guns that will be deployed in response to peaceful gatherings. It’s time for NSW Labor to reign in their authoritarian leader, and take responsibility for the damage he is doing to their movement and our community,’ Ms Higginson said.
Will this prevent further attacks?
Academic website, The Conversation, says the research is mixed around expanding police powers in the form of a rapid response unit prevent further terror attacks.
Author and academic ‘Recent policing violence in US cities – such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action in New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles – testifies to these dangers. These recent conflicts highlight the ways in which expanded police powers can be the source of pandemonium, rather than peace’.
‘Closer examination of the proposal for NSW’s rapid response unit highlights further threats to public safety, including changes to weapons use and technology.
‘Much current research highlights how changes in technology escalate police power and police violence.
‘The expansion of police power cannot always be rewound, making it difficult to always hold police accountable to the law’.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
