NSW police deputy commissioner says letting Jewish security group carry guns could be seen as ‘favouritism’

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has been examining security arrangements for the Jewish community in this block of hearings, with some witnesses lobbying for the Community Security Group (CSG) to be armed in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

CSG, led by security professionals and supported by trained volunteers, monitors threats to the community and provides security for Jewish events.

Its security guards can carry weapons at schools and synagogues and attended the Hanukah celebration in December, but were unarmed.

In the days after the Bondi beach terror attack, the NSW premier, Chris Minns, said his government was “actively” considering expanding access to guns for CSG.

Appearing before the royal commission on Monday, David Hudson said the “protection of all members of the community is the responsibility of the police”, not other individuals or groups.

He said it was his “strong preference” that a “user pays” model be adopted rather than arming private security guards, which would allow organisers or venues to pay for police presence as occurred at Westfield in the aftermath of a 2024 knife attack .

Hudson said the police force was generally opposed to individual communities, including the Jewish community, being able to carry arms or use body armour.

“It’s our opinion that allowing certain areas of society, no matter what those areas are, to have special privileges in relation to their security, would further fracture … relationships that are fairly tenuous between different groups,” Hudson said.

Get the most important news as it breaks Its president, Robert Gregory, said the Jewish community wouldn’t feel safe to attend open-air events “unless there is armed protection” and called for a government review of the protective capabilities of licensed security guards.

“If the police can be there, that’s great, but they can’t be all the time,” he said.