Queensland police have been putting officers through realistic counter-terrorism scenarios at shopping centres and Lang Park as part of a statewide effort to strengthen emergency responses to potential attacks.
Read: Police Charge 7 Teens for Theft of Stolen Vehicle Abandoned in Milton
The realistic drills, carried out under Operation Banshee and Exercise Sundown, brought together frontline police, specialist officers, emergency services, venue staff and security personnel to test how they would respond if an attack unfolded in one of Queensland’s busiest public spaces.
The exercises took place after trading hours at shopping centres across Brisbane, Logan, Toowoomba, Cairns, Rockhampton and Mackay, while Lang Park, also known as Suncorp Stadium, hosted scenarios involving crowd management and hostage situations.
Queensland Police Service Deputy Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon said the training was designed to ensure officers were prepared to make critical decisions in fast-moving, high-pressure situations. She said the exercises were practical, realistic and based on scenarios that reflected the types of incidents police could face.
Deputy Commissioner Scanlon said one of the scenarios drew on lessons from the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, where an offender armed with a knife killed several people. She said police had rehearsed similar situations to strengthen operational readiness.
She also emphasised that there was no current terrorist threat to Queensland, but said it was essential to test systems and response capabilities before they were ever needed.
According to the Queensland Police Service, the exercises were intended to strengthen coordination between police, emergency responders, shopping centre operators and stadium management. Officers were challenged with realistic scenarios requiring rapid communication, tactical decision-making and coordinated responses across multiple agencies.
Exercise Sundown at Lang Park focused on the unique challenges of responding to incidents in venues capable of holding tens of thousands of people.
Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris said the exercise gave venue staff the opportunity to work alongside emergency services while reviewing existing emergency procedures. He said that when venues were operating at full capacity, between 40,000 and 50,000 people could be in attendance, making coordinated action between all responding agencies essential.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said that while no venue could ever be completely risk free, planning and preparedness measures could help make venues safer.
The Queensland Police Service said the exercises were designed to test emergency procedures and strengthen coordination between participating agencies.
The training comes as Australia’s national terrorism threat level remains at “Probable”. During the same week, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said the current threat scale may no longer adequately reflect today’s security environment and indicated discussions were underway about introducing a new system to better communicate the level of risk.
Read: Anti-Semitic, Racist Posters Found in Milton, Prompting Police Investigation
Queensland Police said the public also has an important role to play during any terrorist incident. The service continues to promote the national “Escape, Hide, Tell” guidance, which advises people to escape if it is safe, hide if escape is not possible, and tell police or emergency services as soon as it is safe to do so.
The service said regular exercises such as Operation Banshee and Exercise Sundown help ensure emergency responders and venue operators remain prepared for incidents that, while unlikely, require an immediate and coordinated response.
Published 30-June-2026
