Allowing certain groups to carry guns or use body armour would further fracture "tenuous situations" in society, a senior police officer has told an anti-Semitism inquiry.
Appearing before a royal commission into anti-Semitism in Sydney on Monday, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson gave evidence on proposals to protect the Jewish community.
The commission has heard evidence about the possibility of arming a Jewish security organisation, Community Security Group NSW, to bolster security.
"It's our opinion that allowing certain areas of society … to have special privileges in relation to their security would further fracture situations which are fairly tenuous, and relationships that are fairly tenuous between different groups," Mr Hudson said.
It would "certainly be looked upon by others as the police or governments … showing favouritism to that particular group", he said.
Mr Hudson, the head of NSW Police's investigations and counterterrorism operations, said police had a responsibility to protect all community members.
In a statement submitted to the commission, he said police would provide security for the Jewish community through local area police commands, and the new Armed Response Command, which was expected to be operational by November.
Announced in February, the command is a $94.3 million, 24/7 armed rapid-response unit, comprising 225 highly trained officers armed with assault rifles.
During major events for the Jewish community, CSG would be invited to the command centre, "so that intelligence they're gathering at ground level can be fed into the operational blueprint of how we police that particular event," Mr Hudson said.
A large proportion of the command's responsibilities would be the protection of Jewish interests, he said.
The royal commission was called after 15 people were killed and dozens more injured when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on December 14.
Earlier, counterterrorism expert Scott Wilson gave evidence that the speed of the response to the attack by NSW police was "tremendous".
"The primary limitation was they weren't the right officers to be there," the former senior officer with London's Metropolitan Police said.
Their actions were "exemplary and very brave … they should be commended to the highest level".
During the commission's first session on Monday, the chief executive of a conservative Jewish group was asked to offer opinions on why the trajectory of anti-Semitism had worsened since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel.
The Australian Jewish Association's Robert Gregory said that "government policy, some of the statements and actions from people, particularly in the federal government, have egged on the situation".
"Refusing visas disproportionately to Jewish and Israeli people ... you know, the constant statements."
Counsel for the government Peter Melican said Mr Gregory's assertions were "a very broad and somewhat political statement" and not accepted by the federal government.
