Specialist police armed with long-arm semiautomatic rifles will be deployed to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test in an escalation of security measures for the event.
Victoria Police said officers from the Critical Incident Response Team would patrol outside the MCG as an additional safeguard.
Police said the move was a proactive step based on the current threat environment and not related to any specific new threat.
Victoria Police said it had been working with Cricket Australia and the Melbourne Cricket Club, which were supportive of the move.
Victoria Police says there is no specific new threat to the Boxing Day Test. (AAP: James Ross)
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said the increased police presence should reassure attendees that the event was safe.
“This overt presence is about adding another layer of protection to make sure cricket fans feel safe,” he said.
“We know it’s unusual to see police with these weapons outside the MCG, but I want to assure everyone this is about greater safety and providing reassurance to the community.”
The specialist police will patrol around the MCG concourse and approaches to the ground, including Birrarung Marr, Jolimont Railway Station and Yarra Park.
The Critical Incident Response Team is trained to respond to major incidents and was used in the search for Dezi Freeman. (ABC News: Tara Whitchurch)
General duties police and officers from the Mounted Branch and the Public Order Response Team will attend, as is normally the case for the Boxing Day Test.
“These deployments are part of our usual, broader effort which sees police and MCC security working in and outside the ground,” Commissioner Bush said.
“Be it at the cricket or anywhere else people are spending the summer, Victoria Police is here for all Victorians.
“As a modern, forward-thinking police force, we should always be looking for new and different ways to be there for our communities.”