Australian police increasingly issued patrol rifles

By Chris Eger

New South Wales Public Order and Riot Squad officers with Colt M4 carbines (Photo: AAP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
Citing threats posed by gun-armed criminals and potential terrorists, law enforcement in Australia are getting more rifles.
In Victoria, a spokesman for Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed state police are considering expanding the use of semi-auto rifles for officers, The Age reported. While personnel assigned to Victoria’s Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Team already have access to such firepower, patrol officers will likely have access to rifles when needed.
“To enhance our abilities to respond to a major security incident or terrorism attack, we are currently scoping the potential use of a limited allocation of long-arm firearms to better support frontline police,” said an Ashton spokesman.
Victoria isn’t the only state looking to up-arm. In New South Wales, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller confirmed last December that 47 officers were trained on Colt M4 carbines while another 50 were set to be trained. In Queensland, senior officers for years have had Remington R4 Patrolman rifles, designated as the standard service rifle, available for use in high-threat situations as needed.
Contrary to assertions that Australia has not seen a significant shooting event since 1996 when the

Source: Guns.com