Australian police boost security for Sydney Ashes test after Bondi Beach attack

SYDNEY: Australian police said they would bolster staffing at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the fifth Ashes test starting on Sunday, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city.

The father-and-son gunmen are alleged to have carried out the attack at a Hanukkah event at the famed Bondi Beach on December 14. Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades shocked the nation and stoked fears of rising antisemitism in the country.

The massacre has sparked more active policing in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city and the capital of New South Wales state.

Authorities on Saturday announced a “high-visibility” police presence for the marquee cricket series between Australia and England, which is held every two years. Measures at the cricket ground, some 5 km (3 miles) from Bondi Beach, would include the riot patrol unit, officers on horseback and officers carrying rifles.

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“The difference will be in the visibility of long arms and a stronger presence,“ New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said in a statement.

Police said they expected a capacity crowd for day one of the fixture, the final encounter in the five-match series already claimed by Australia.

“Many people may not be used to seeing police carrying rifles at sporting events, but our objective here is to help the public feel safe,” Lanyon said.

Cricket Australia said first responders to the attack and “community members who bravely acted” would be honoured before the start of play on Sunday.

There will be a guard of honour on the field and a round of applause for “emergency response agencies and members of the community in the face of extreme danger”, the governing body said in a statement.

On Wednesday, around 3,000 police, some carrying long arms, were deployed in the city during New Year celebrations, which typically attract over a million revellers.

Several New Year events planned at Bondi were cancelled, while traditional Christmas celebrations there were muted, following the attack that authorities believe was inspired by Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State.