Police officers will patrol Jewish schools during pick-up and drop-off after community leader’s requestplot revealed
Police officers will be on patrol at Jewish schools at pick-up and drop-off times, with security bolstered in the wake of a potential “mass casualty” attack being foiled. It comes as PolAir helicopters have been sweeping across Sydney’s eastern suburbs during late-night patrols.
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Police officers will be on patrol at Jewish schools at pick up and drop off times, with security bolstered in the wake of a potential “mass casualty” attack being foiled.
The agreement came after the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies requested around-the-clock police protection for Jewish learning centres, as revealed by The Daily Telegraph.
The extra policing commitment came during a meeting between Police Commissioner Karen Webb, NSW JBD President David Ossip and Premier’s Department Secretary Simon Draper on Friday.
The trio agreed to put “high visibility” policing in place for Jewish schools and preschools, particularly during peak times like drop-off and pick up.
The Minns government will also beef-up security at key Jewish community sites, potentially including the Great Synagogue and the Sydney Jewish Museum, addresses of which were located in an explosive-laden caravan discovered on the side of a road in Dural earlier this month.
NSW Police engagement officers will start visiting Jewish schools to assure kids and the community that they are being kept safe.
Mr Ossip described the meeting as “productive,” and welcomed the “additional Police resources” that will be committed to the Jewish community.
“We continue to work with the NSW Government in relation to further enhancements to Jewish communal security,” he said.
In a statement, the Premier’s Department also described the meeting as “productive,” and leading to agreement on a “number of measures”.
“These include restoring high visibility policing at key times outside schools, in particular at drop off and pick up times. This is
a return to the high-visibility policing measures introduced following 7 October attacks in 2023.”
The extra police patrols come after Mr Ossip wrote to Ms Webb requesting permanent static police patrols at Jewish schools until the current threat subsides.
“We do not make this request lightly but believe that these unprecedented times require the presence of visible police resources to restore deterrence and ensure the safety and security of all who attend Jewish schools and preschools,” he wrote in his letter sent on Thursday.
In response, NSW Police said that patrols – including PolAir helicopters – had ramped up near significant sites.
“Every night, officers tasked to Strike Force Pearl and Operation Shelter conduct regular patrols of religious and other significant establishments, like schools, to ensure the safety of the wider community,” a spokeswoman said.
Jewish leaders were blindsided by the January 21 discovery of the caravan in Dural, revealed only when the Telegraph broke the news on Wednesday.
Deputy Commissioner David Hudson on Thursday confirmed the NSW JBD had not been told of the explosives until after the Telegraph’s revelations.
The Great Synagogue’s Chief Rabbi was also unaware.
Back to school on Friday
On Friday morning, young Jewish students returned to their classrooms amid tight police security as the alleged intended targets of an anti-Semitic terror plot were revealed.
Pupils at Mount Sinai College passed through the front gates on Friday morning with significant police and security personnel present.
A property adjacent to the Jewish primary school in Maroubra was targeted with anti-Semitic vandalism on Thursday.
The property is just metres from the Only About Children childcare centre, which was firebombed in an anti-Semitic incident earlier this month.
PolAir helicopters have been sweeping across Sydney’s eastern suburbs during late-night patrols, with their searchlights cutting through the night and drawing the attention of dozens of residents.
“Every night, officers tasked to Strike Force Pearl and Operation Shelter conduct regular patrols of religious and other significant establishments like schools to ensure the safety of the wider community,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
The NSW Police spokeswoman also confirmed officers would continue their school patrols.
“We continue to work closely with the Jewish community and will do everything we can to ensure the community feels safe and prevent further incidents from occurring,” she said.
The spokeswoman said NSW Police would meet with the Jewish Board of Deputies tomorrow to discuss their concerns.
The 3400 students who attend one of Sydney’s five Jewish private schools are also receiving support from the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, which has condemned the “appalling” anti-Semitic attack on Mount Sinai.
“All schools, regardless of their faith or non-faith basis, should be safe places for children and school staff, both physically and emotionally,” acting CEO David Buley said.
The representative body is “in regular contact” with its Jewish member schools to provide support including “helpful information” and other resources.
Meanwhile, the alleged intended targets of a foiled anti-Semitic terror plot have been revealed, after a caravan full of explosives was discovered in Sydney almost two weeks ago.
The caravan was parked on the side of Derriwong Rd at Dural on December 7, which sat for more than a month until a local found it loaded with explosives and notes containing the addresses of Jewish synagogues and buildings.
It’s now been revealed the addresses listed were for that of the Great Synagogue in Sydney’s CBD and the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst.
The notes also stated anti-Semitic phrases like “f**k the Jews”.
The Great Synagogue issued a statement on Friday: “We were distressed to hear the recent reports of another intended anti-Semitic attack involving a caravan filled with explosives that was found in Dural.
“We were even more distressed when additional reporting noted that one of the intended targets was The Great Synagogue; the spiritual home of generations of Australian Jews for more than 150 years.”
Sydney Jewish Museum CEO Kevin Sumption emailed supporters on Friday, writing: “As you may be aware, some press are reporting that the Sydney Jewish Museum was a possible target relating to explosives found in a caravan in Dural some days ago.
“The NSW Police have been in contact with us today and assured the Museum that there is no immediate threat.”
“To target our historic synagogue, a place of peace, beauty, worship and sanctuary, with a violent act of terror would have, even two years ago, been unthinkable.
“Since the events of October 7, this behaviour has sadly been normalised in Australia. While we thank NSW Police and other agencies for their efforts and ongoing support to protect The Great Synagogue and our community, we have to ask; how is it acceptable in Australia that synagogues and Jews are now deemed regular targets for violence, vandalism and hatred?
“The Great Synagogue remains open for worship and we have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to our synagogue or our community from this particular event. As the oldest synagogue in Sydney, we will continue to open our doors to our members, community and guests.
“We will not be intimidated, we will not be fearful and we will continue to gather and pray as free Australians.
“We call on every single Australian to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters and loudly reject the violence which has been threatened against their fellow citizens.
The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday afternoon broke the news of the shocking discovery at Dural, which has now seen more than 100 police deployed as part of a joint counter terror investigation.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said the incident was being treated as a credible terror plot which he said was an “escalation” on other anti-Semitic attacks in recent weeks.
Investigations are now under way to find the “masterminds” who are behind the plot to target the synagogue and museum.
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