After shoppers had gone for the day, a counter-terrorism training exercise began inside Grand Plaza at Browns Plains, where police were confronted with simulated armed attackers.
In one scenario, the weapon was a knife; in another, a firearm, forcing officers to respond.
The Logan shopping centre was used to rehearse active armed offender attacks as part of a series of counter-terrorism exercises across Queensland.
The exercise, known as Banshee, was conducted after hours at shopping centres and entertainment precincts across Queensland.
Deputy Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon said realistic exercises were designed to make sure officers could respond quickly and decisively.
“Counter-terrorism training is practical, realistic and scenario based, preparing our officers for high-risk event, because, when the unthinkable happens, Queenslanders rely on us to respond quickly and decisively,” she said.
“We train together, challenge assumptions and refine our tactics so that our response is always coordinated, disciplined and effective,” she said.
Grand Plaza was one of seven locations used, alongside centres and precincts in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Mackay, Cairns, Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast.
Ms Scanlon said police rehearsed a variety of scenarios as part of the statewide training program, including the April 2024 Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing, where Joel Cauchi killed six people, stabbing 16 people in just under three minutes.
The coronial inquest later found only 77 seconds passed between the first security radio alert and the stabbing of the last victim to sustain fatal injuries.
The inquest examined the centre’s security response, including calls to Triple Zero, CCTV, public-address announcements, its emergency override system and liaison with police responders.
Police officers were also used as role players in the wider exercise program, which placed responding officers in realistic, high-pressure environments.
A QPS spokesperson said the exercise allowed police and centre management to practise their respective emergency arrangements and identify opportunities for improvement.
“The QPS has a close working relationship with Grand Plaza Shopping Centre which made the complex an ideal location to practise this exercise,” the QPS spokesperson said.
The centre hosts the Browns Plains Police Beat Shopfront and data from centre owner Vicinity shows Grand Plaza records about 7.9 million visits a year across more than 53,000 square metres.
Police maintain that there is no current threat to Queensland and Australia’s National Terrorism Threat Level remains at probable, with authorities warning potential attacks may involve readily available weapons and happen with little or no warning.
Queensland Police Service has urged members of the public to remember the national Escape. Hide. Tell. advice during an armed attack.
People should escape from danger when it is safe to do so, hide behind a substantial physical barrier if they cannot leave and call Triple Zero when it is safe.
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