NSW Police will dramatically increase their presence across southwest Sydney — deploying highly visible officers and ramping up aerial surveillance — after two innocent men were fatally shot in separate gangland attacks within 48 hours of each other. Commissioner Mal Lanyon made the announcement on Thursday at a snap afternoon press conference alongside Police Minister Yasmin Catley, as public and political pressure over the deadly violence intensified.
Commissioner orders visible surge and surveillance across southwest Sydney
Commissioner Lanyon said the deployment was designed to reassure residents living in one of the city's most populous regions. "Southwest Sydney is a big area," he said. "I will increase the number of proactive resources we have at the moment, those highly visible police, to provide additional reassurance to the public."
The approach echoes the strategy adopted following last year's Bondi Beach shootings, when a large-scale police presence was deployed to reassure the public in the wake of that tragedy. Alongside the officer surge, authorities confirmed an increased use of aerial surveillance, signalling to would-be offenders that they are being watched from above.
Police Minister Catley pushed back against suggestions that the situation had spiralled beyond the government's control. "I do not accept that this is out of control," she said. "It's challenging and if anybody says it's not then they're kidding themselves."
Two innocent victims: who were Joshua MacDonald and Marco Tapia?
Joshua MacDonald, 40, was the most recent victim, shot dead outside a residential property in Merrylands West on Wednesday afternoon. MacDonald, who ran an electrical installation business, had arrived at the home with another man and two young children when he was ambushed. CCTV footage captured a car waiting in a nearby side street before pulling up to the property as MacDonald arrived. A gunman fired six rounds from the rear window, striking MacDonald in the back of the head. He died at the scene.
Detectives believe the homeowners — who are known to police — were the intended targets. MacDonald himself had no known links to organised crime, and investigators suspect the killers had the wrong man.
The death followed that of Marco Tapia, 23, a university student killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning when armed men stormed his family's home in Glen Alpine. Like MacDonald, Tapia had no connections to organised crime. Police believe that attack also involved a case of mistaken identity — that the group had targeted the wrong address entirely. Tributes for Tapia have continued to flow since his death was confirmed.
Government insists all options remain on the table
Acting Premier Prue Car defended the Minns government's record on law and order, saying additional resources and new legislative powers had already been delivered to police — and that further measures were being considered.
"We have been doing everything possible to bring a stop to this," Car said. "The NSW police are on top of this. All options are on the table for this government because this sort of activity on city streets is unacceptable."
Gangland violence becomes a political flashpoint ahead of state election
The wave of underworld killings has rapidly become a lightning rod issue in state politics, with the violence expected to loom large in next year's NSW election campaign. Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane seized on the shootings, calling them "horrifying" and declaring that Sydney's gangland war had escalated into a public safety crisis.
"The people of Sydney are right to be terrified," Sloane said.
With two innocent men now dead and community alarm growing, the pressure on the government to deliver tangible results — beyond increased patrols and surveillance — is only set to intensify in the weeks ahead.
