Just in time for the holidays, riot squad officers in New South Wales will be armed with semi-automatic Colt M-4 Carbine assault rifles.

The first group of 47 elite cops from the Public Order and Riot Squad (PORS) have completed training with the new weapon.  The remaining PORS officers will get similar training before mid-2018.

Commissioner Mick Fuller says the increased firepower is necessary to deal with new threats:  "There's no point in us pretending the environment hasn't changed - the organised crime environment, the terrorism environment," he says, making clear that the new rifles will not be pulled out for daily use.  "I'm not a sensationalist either and we're not going to have police patrolling with long-arms," Fuller added.

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant says, "The community will be comforted by the fact the police have this capability to keep them safe," noting that hundreds of thousands of people will be filling Sydney streets for the Christmas and New Year's holidays.