Acting NSW Police deputy commissioner Peter McKenna told a royal commission into anti-Semitism that police are operating in an environment where the general threat is much more pronounced.
"The world's changed for us since the 14th of December 2025," he said on Tuesday.
The commission is probing the intelligence and law enforcement response leading up to the mass shooting at the famous Sydney beach.
Australia's Jewish community had joined others around the world living with the "real and tangible" threat of terrorist attacks, Mr McKenna noted.
"We've now moved into a position where we're having, for the first time ever, long arms (rifles) out in public," he said.
"It's a different environment we're in now."
At the time of the Bondi attack, ASIO advised the level of terrorist threat to crowded places and religious events was probable, however the intelligence agency noted there were no specific plots identified at the time.
Mr McKenna said if police were to act entirely proactively on the generalised threat level they wouldn't hold religious festivals or community gatherings at all.
"We'd have to shut them all down, because you wouldn't work in an environment that that is likely to happen," he said.
"All we can do is say that we have an awareness of that as police officers."
At the time of the shooting, four NSW Police officers were present at the celebration.
Decisions on what resources to allocate to Chanukah by the Sea, which was targeted by the two gunmen, were made by an operations inspector, who told officers to provide "high-visibility policing" at the event.
"Please take a car crew or two with you, provide a (high-visibility policing) presence, no need to stay the entire duration, but your presence will ensure the community feels safe," an email to officers read.
A senior NSW officer responsible for tasking police on the day and who appeared at the inquiry under a pseudonym was quizzed over the "poorly worded" email, which made it unclear whether officers should remain for the duration of the event.
She understood the intention was for officers to remain at the event the whole time, but that more senior police could come and go as necessary.
"For four years under my command, the importance of community safety, particularly for the Jewish community, is a key priority," the officer told the commission while fighting back tears.
In the lead-up to the attack, NSW Police was warned by Jewish security group CSG that a heightened atmosphere of anti-Semitism made a terror attack on the community likely.
The state's police rate security risks to events on a three-tier system, with tier-one events handled by local police officers, while those on the third and highest tier are managed by counter-terrorism officers.
The Chanukah by the Sea event was given a tier-one rating, while other Jewish celebrations held in September and October were classified as a tier-three risk.
One of the recommendations made by the commission in an interim report released in April was that Jewish community gatherings be earmarked as higher risks.
Commissioner Virginia Bell opened Tuesday's hearing with a warning to those engaging in online harassment and intimidation of witnesses.
In a first block of hearings, witnesses from the Jewish community gave evidence about their experiences of anti-Semitism.
"We have received reports from a number of witnesses concerning a dramatic increase in online hate messages," Ms Bell said.
"The commission is keeping a close eye on these instances and recording these offensive social media posts."
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