ROYAL COMMISSION
Jewish group warned attack ‘likely’ days before massacre
One week before the Bondi massacre the Jewish community told the NSW police that a terrorist attack was likely and requested armed police officers to protect the Chanukah by the Sea event, where 16 people died in a terrorist attack on December 14.
In the days before, a police inspector told a subordinate to “take a car crew or two with you and provide a HVP [high-visibility policing] presence. No need to stay the entire duration, but your presence will ensure the community feel safe.”
Three junior police officers and one supervisor were sent to a park overlooking Bondi Beach, where hundreds fled for their lives when gunmen opened fire on Jews celebrating the Festival of Lights, according to the first report from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The 159-page document published today provides the first detailed account of how the police responded to requests from a Jewish organisation, the Community Security Group, for protection during one of the holiest days on the Jewish religious calendar.