As New South Wales police ramp up patrols to stop any more attacks, ABC News has been given special access to operation shelter. The taskforce was launched in response to community tensions over the October 7 attacks and the war in Gaza. It's now a 24-hour operation targeting and preventing violence in Sydney's vulnerable communities.
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00:00It started with a briefing, outlining the night's mission and what officers should be
00:07looking for.
00:08And be mindful that these people are watching us as well, so it's that stuff that you see
00:13out of the corner of your eye, somebody who ducks into an alleyway when we're not looking
00:17are the people that we want to target.
00:19Police are hunting anyone who may be planning another attack in Sydney's east.
00:23The problem is that we have some total people in the community and our job is to find them.
00:29Then they hit the road, some in marked patrol cars, others in unmarked vehicles.
00:35So what do you look for when you're driving around like this?
00:38Something that's just generally out of place, somebody sitting somewhere they're not supposed
00:41to be.
00:42Like if it's a warmer night, somebody who's got a hoodie on.
00:46Some officers survey an area, while others are given a confidential list of locations
00:51to visit.
00:52On previous patrols, that included mosques and other cultural institutions.
00:57But after this week's anti-Semitic incidents, they're focused on the Jewish community in
01:02Sydney's east.
01:03Because of intelligence and the evidence of the number of attacks we've had here, it's
01:08subsided in different other areas of Sydney, so we've moved our efforts here for the time
01:12being.
01:13Commissioner Karen Webb made a surprise appearance as two of her constables did the rounds.
01:18It's really about engagement and reassurance for this community at the moment and tonight
01:24there's quite a few crews on, given the events of the last few days and weeks.
01:30Since Operation Shelter began following October 7, 2023, 191 people have been arrested for
01:37479 offences.
01:40They're currently conducting around 300 patrols each day.
01:44We're here at Emmanuel Synagogue in Woollahra and these officers are looking for anything
01:48suspicious like a car driving slowly by or idling in front and any signs of forced entry
01:54around the property.
01:56With support from the sky, the crews on the ground made their way through the back streets,
02:02pulling over suspicious cars.
02:04Highway patrol officers used number plate technology to detect any red flags.
02:09Some of the people have arrived on public transport that have been on scooters, e-scooters,
02:16even had some people on e-bikes.
02:21There were no further attacks overnight and no significant arrests.
02:27But police have vowed to continue these patrols 24 hours a day until the attacks stop and
02:33this community can rest easy again.