Terror Threat Level in Australia Raised To 'High' For Police

The level of national terrorism threat for all police officers in Australia has been raised from "medium" to "high" for the danger they face as first responders, the country's domestic security agency announced on Tuesday.

Citing intelligence reports and discussions with international partners, the Federal Police admitted that the string of high-profile attacks in Europe and Canada contributed to the decision.

The change in the threat level for police officers now brings it in line with the current threat level against the general public, which was raised to "high" in September last year and has remained so following a hostage crisis in Sydney in December.

"As a result of intelligence information and discussions with our partners, the terrorism threat level against police is assessed as high, which is commensurate with the broader threat level for the community," the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

"Recent events in France, Canada and Australia serve as a sobering reminder of the risks associated with policing," the statement added, according to Reuters.

In December, two hostages and a gunman were killed after police stormed the Lindt Cafe to end a 16-hour standoff with a lone hostage-taker -- a convicted criminal who identified himself with radical Sunni Islamist groups.

Shootings also rocked the Canadian Parliament in October. Just two weeks ago, shootings also rocked France, beginning with the attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by Islamists militants.

"The factors that lead to the elevated terrorism threat level for Australia to high in September 2014 persist and the security environment remains increasingly complex and challenging," the statement said, according to A.B.C. News.

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said while he was not aware of any specific threats against the state's police or the public, he had written to all members of the Commission and their immediate families, informing them of the change to the threat level.

However, he said the public was "very unlikely" to see any tangible changes to how police operated on the beat, Brisbane Times reported.

"In terms of the public, it is very unlikely they will see too much change because in reality we made all those changes back in September in that build-up to G20 and when the national (terror threat) level went up," he said.

"I think it's very important that police provide the confidence to the community that they will still turn up at their jobs, that they will still operate in virtually the same way or respond in the same way...I can absolutely guarantee the public that that is the case," he said. "Having said that, we might be a bit more cautious, we might be more on edge, and I'd ask the public to understand that."