Australian Federal Police officers (AFP) are to be armed with short-barrelled rifles (SBRs) and specialised first-response capabilities in Australian airports as part of the crackdown on counter-terrorism announced by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
Mr Morrison said that while there had not been any elevated threat level announced for airports, the rollout would ensure Australia aligned with world’s best practice for counter-terrorism first response.
He said the fficers would be part of a new AFP Protection Operation Response Team (PORT), trained in hostile threat and behaviour assessment, working alongside new teams of firearm and explosive detection dogs.
AFP Commissioner, Reece Kershaw said the boost to resources would ensure a timely response to incidents.
“It is vital we are equipped to respond immediately with the appropriate resources to any situation in the airport environment,” Commissioner Kershaw said.
“This is an additional capacity which will provide greater support for officers responding to high-risk incidents and ensure continuing safety for the travelling public.”
He said AFP PORT members would be equipped with Daniel Defense Mk 18 SBRs in addition to body-worn cameras.
“The SBRs provide a greater strategic scope and accuracy over distance,” Commissioner Kershaw said.
“This capability will allow officers to respond from a greater distance and when combined with rapidly evolving situations, will provide an additional layer of support for first responders.”
He said the PORT teams would begin deploying immediately and over the next 12 months would become a common sight at Australian airports.
