Westfield security guards to be issued body-worn cameras nearly a year after fatal Bondi Junction attack

A new security measure will be issued at Westfield shopping centres across the country nearly a year on from the fatal Bondi Junction attack.

Security guards at Westfield Shopping Centres across the country will be issued body-worn cameras nearly a year after six people were killed in an attack at Bondi Junction in Sydney.

Body-worn cameras, coined team safety cameras, will now be rolled out across 42 Westfields across Australia and New Zealand after additional protective equipment, including vests, were brought in for all Westfield security officers last year.

Yixuan Cheng, Dawn Singleton, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, Ashlee Good, Jade Young, and Pikria Darchia were all killed in the attack on April 13 last year after Joel Cauchi stabbed them.

He was later shot dead by police.

Security guards at Westfield Shopping Centres across the country will be issued body-worn cameras. Picture: Supplied/Scentre Group.

“We heightened security across all Westfield destinations following the events of 7 October 2023 and further enhanced this following the attack at Westfield Bondi on 13 April 2024,” said a spokesperson for Scentre Group, which who owns and operates the Westfield centres.

The body-worn cameras were trialled at Westfield destinations prior to being rolled out across the 42 locations.

“The introduction of the team safety cameras is to enhance the safety and security of our customers, business partners and team members,” the Scentre spokesperson said.

“Our security officers may turn on the recording function on the team safety cameras to capture audio and video recordings of incidents when they have reasonable concern for their safety or welfare or that of others.”

The spokesperson said “safety and security” was Westfield’s highest priority, with security measures created with the guidance of government agencies and law enforcement.

“We invest in our security practices and continuously improve our capability, processes and people’s preparedness to respond to security incidents,” the spokesperson said.

It’s understood the footage can be shared with police to assist with investigations and will be collected and used by Scentre Group when responding to incidents.

Signage regarding CCTV is displayed across Westfield destinations.

Flowers were left on Oxford St outside Westfield, Bondi Junction, following the fatal attack in April last year. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

Six people were killed in the Bondi Junction attack. Picture: NewsWire / Simon Bullard

The news comes just months after 63-year-old Coles worker Claudia Campomayor was allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old boy at Yamanto Central in Ipswich, Queensland.

Police allege the boy had taken the knife used from the supermarket, with Coles swiftly announcing knives would be pulled from shelves nationwide.

The teen was charged with attempted murder and his case remains before the courts.

Crackdowns on knife crime have also been carried out across the country in recent years, including the passing of Jack’s Law in Queensland in 2023.

The law - which allows police to use metal detectors to identify and seize weapons in public spaces - was brought in after the death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley.

Jack was fatally stabbed in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast in 2019.

NSW also moved to bring in wanding powers in December as part of a knife crime crackdown, with new data released on Tuesday revealing more than 90 weapons were seized and 67 people charged following the move.

Meanwhile Victoria is tipped in to ban machetes from September 1 this year, with those found carrying a machete tipped to face up to two years in jail or fines of more than $47,000.

Originally published as Westfield security guards to be issued body-worn cameras nearly a year after fatal Bondi Junction attack