Police in Victoria and NSW have reportedly reacted to the heightened terror threat by donning bullet-proof vests and strapping on weaponry more often.

The protective ballistic vests were reportedly mandated state-wide in Victoria on Thursday, while police in NSW were told to carry their weapons at all times.

The measures came after four men were arrested in pre-dawn raids in Melbourne over a plot to run down a police officer and behead them on Anzac Day.

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An email sent to all 13,000 Victoria Police staff ruled that officers will not be allowed to work alone in public places or solo in low security stations, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The email also banned staff from taking marked police vehicles home and instructed officers to wear their bulletproof vests.

Police Association head Ron Iddles welcomed the guidelines, the ABC reported.

“We have to do everything possible to assure that our members are safe and one of the strategies is to cease one-person patrols,” he said.

Nearly 100 police stations have a single officer across the state, and those stations will be exempt from the rule, the ABC reported, but those stations will have reduced operating hours.

“What we’re saying for the single officer police stations, if they receive a call, they’ve got to assess it and many of those calls they shouldn’t go alone and they should wait for back-up,” Mr Iddles said.

“It’s going to impact the community but the cost of that is members’ safety,” he said.