The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has defended the police response to the shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach. The attack killed 15 people and injured many others. Some witnesses said police were slow to disarm the two gunmen. Minns rejected this, saying the officers showed "bravery and integrity" and did not run away. "There are two officers in critical care... at the moment," Minns said. "They weren't shot in the back as they were running away. They were shot in the front." Witness Shmulik Scuri said officers "froze" during the attack. Minns called such criticism "disrespectful" and said police engaged the armed men with handguns while the attackers had long-range rifles. "If there's any suggestion that NSW Police didn't live up to their responsibilities to the people of this state, it should be rejected because it's not consistent with the facts," he said. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declined to reveal how many officers were assigned to the event. He said police regularly patrol the area and deploy based on current threats. Australia's security agency had noted one of the alleged gunmen, Naveed Akram, in 2019 but saw no threat of violence. Lanyon added, "Had there been intelligence that there was a particular threat at that location, or to that event, we may have had a different policing response." The police created Operation Shelter after attacks on Israel to monitor antisemitic hate crimes, including in Bondi's eastern suburbs. Another taskforce, Strike Force Pearl, investigates hate crimes in Sydney. The shooting happened at 18:47 on Sunday and lasted about ten minutes. Police shot both gunmen, killing one and critically injuring the other. Dr Vincent Hurley, ex-police and Macquarie University lecturer, told the BBC it is "unrealistic" to expect police to react perfectly to such a chaotic attack. Officers face confusing reports and must choose between helping victims or stopping the shooters amid a crowded scene. He said police must avoid risking bystander harm, making firearm use very complicated. "It's not what you see on Netflix," Hurley added.