Heavy police presence in Sydney for New Year’s celebrations after Bondi attack

Thousands of heavily armed police officers are patrolling the streets of Sydney as people mark the new year – a rare and stark sight in Australia, following the Bondi Beach mass shooting.

Some officers were authorised to carry high-grade weapons as part of heightened security measures. The attack on 14 December targeted Australia’s Jewish community and killed 15 people at a Hanukkah festival.

New South Wales (NSW) Police said more than 2,500 officers would be on duty across the city.

Official New Year’s Eve parties were paused at 23:00 local time (12:00 GMT) for a minute’s silence to commemorate the victims of the attack, while the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up by a white light to symbolise peace.

Pictures from Sydney Harbour – where huge crowds gather every year to watch the city’s famous fireworks display – show officers patrolling the crowds with longarm weapons.

In the lead up to the event, Premier Chris Minns had warned that some people may find the sight “confronting”, with police “carrying firearms and weapons that you haven’t seen before”.

“But I don’t make any apology for that. We want people to be safe in our community,” he added.

British tourists Joe and Lucy said the increased police presence reassured them.

The pair – who timed their Australia trip to coincide with the fireworks – were in Melbourne when the shooting occurred.

“We had our worries about coming for New Year’s Eve”, Joe told the BBC, adding, “but we were reading more recently in the news… how more police were going to be here, it would be a bit safer”.

Separately, Minns had urged Sydneysiders to not let the “horrible criminal terrorist event” at Bondi change the way they live, as he called on people to “show defiance” and celebrate the new year.

This sentiment was shared by some of the spectators.

Out among the crowds at Barangaroo’s Observatory Hill, a close spot to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was Hélène from Belgium.

She told the BBC people “cannot live in fear” following the attack.

Hours ahead of the countdown, hundreds of thousands of people flocked towards the harbour, with many official viewing areas filling to capacity by early evening.

On the harbour, sailboats dotted the water – one of the best spots to watch the midnight fireworks display.

Sydney’s celebration – with its iconic fireworks display – kicks off a chain of events, from Dubai, to London and New York.

Additional reporting by Harry Sekulich