Why armed guards are licensed to protect sacred books, not Jewish lives

11 hours ago 4

Armed security officers at Jewish schools and synagogues are carrying weapons to protect Torah scrolls and candelabras, not human lives, according to their licence conditions.

NSW firearm laws clearly dictate that the protection of people is not a “genuine reason” to hold a weapons permit, industry professionals and academics say.

A guard outside a Jewish school in Sydney in January last year.

But in a work-around practice also used by wealthy individuals outside the Jewish community, gun licences granted to guard property assets are offering protection for people against the threat of deadly violence.

The NSW government has avoided questions about the legal status of the arrangements, as Premier Chris Minns considers whether private guards should now be allowed to carry weapons in public at Jewish events.

The premier said last week that arming the not-for-profit Jewish Community Security Group (CSG) would be the safest way to provide an “extreme deterrent” at events such as the Hanukkah celebration that was targeted in the Bondi mass shooting.

“I think that’s a small price to pay,” Minns said. “It’s important to note that for static locations, like synagogues and Jewish schools, in many cases, the CSG is already armed.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley.

Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a shootout with police at the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach on December 14 and his son Naveed Akram, 24, was charged with the murder of 15 festival-goers and the attempted murder of 40 others.

Long before the Bondi massacre, the presence of CSG members or private contractors at the gates of Jewish premises highlighted the dangers of antisemitic violence, which ASIO last year ranked as the agency’s number one priority when it came to threats to life.

According to Sayeret Security owner Stephen Vogel, who works with a number of Jewish clients, guards are technically licensed to protect precious objects, including ornaments, sacred books and Torah scrolls.

“The way it works is, if you’re a licensed armed guard, you’re protecting an asset,” Vogel said.

“You’re there at the front. You’re armed. So that’s your primary function. But obviously, if somebody comes and tries to infiltrate or attack that asset, you’re allowed to defend yourself or a third party.”

Antisemitic graffiti at Maroubra in January last year.

Vogel said he supported clarifying the law to allow for the protection of human life as a primary purpose of a licence. He also backed a move to allow armed guards in public, as long as they were vetted for marksmanship and weapons handling.

“There is a threat out there, and we need to have the tools to be able to respond,” he said.

Vincent Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University, said there was an implied understanding that armed guards were not only protecting property but allowing Jewish people “to worship freely and go to school freely”.

Expanding the use of armed security to events held in public was “fraught with danger”, the former police officer said. “We’re not a gun culture, like the US. If someone is armed, and it goes wrong, then you can imagine the litigation.”

Police outside the Great Synagogue in Sydney.

Hurley predicted that other vulnerable communities, such as Muslim or Indian Australians, would apply for armed bodyguard licences unless the laws were confined to Jewish events only.

David Dixon, an emeritus professor of law at the University of NSW, said that in the case of armed guards at Jewish institutions,“it’s inevitable that what they are doing is protecting people”.

As for allowing guards to carry weapons in public spaces, Dixon said: “Because of this horrible event [at Bondi], people are rushing to consider things which, in other circumstances, they would be much more cautious about.”

Neither the premier nor Police Minister Yasmin Catley would comment directly when asked about the legal basis for armed guards at schools and synagogues or whether the government would need new laws to introduce armed personal protection in public.

Catley did say that after the Bondi terrorist attack, “more than 450 police officers were deployed as part of Operation Shelter to protect the public and restore confidence in our shared spaces”.

“Decisions regarding licensing and equipping of CSG [Community Security Group] are being carefully considered by the NSW Police Force,” she said.

NSW Police said that armed guards at Jewish institutions were licensed to protect “approved classes of property”.

“The legislation does not provide for the issue of a licence or permit for the possession or use of firearms for personal protection or the protection of another person,” a spokesperson said.

When asked about the number of licensed armed guards, NSW Police said to apply for the information via a formal request under freedom-of-information laws.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, which runs the Community Security Group, declined to answer questions. Last year, the CSG recorded 1044 antisemitic incidents.