An independent investigation into the handling of police pistols will be made public
An independent inquiry into the handling of police firearms by NSW officers will be made public after a constable allegedly used a force-issued pistol to murder two people.
Police allege Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon took home a police-issued weapon through a “user pay service”.
It’s then alleged that Mr Lamarre-Condon used it to murder former flame, TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies in a Paddington terrace.
NSW police protocols surrounding the handling of force pistols have come under fire, with Premier Chris Minns announcing on Sunday the independent investigation into the regulations will be made public.
“I’m just conscious that there is an independent investigation … it will be thorough, we’ll make it public, and I think it’s reasonable to just say ‘let’s see what that says, what the report back to government is,” Mr Minns said.
“Then I’m sure both the NSW Police, as well as the police association and relevant unions will have something to say about it.”The inquiry will be led by Victorian Police Commissioner Shane Patton and focus on how police stored and accessed firearms, with a specific focus on specialist police commands and “user pays” events.
Mr Minns was quizzed on whether he would be supportive of GPS tracking of police issued weapons, should the inquiry find it possible to do so, but the Premier said he would wait to see the findings of the investigation.
“It’s reasonable, given the complexities of the inquiry and the fact it’s running concurrently with a homicide investigation … we should wait for that report back to government.”
The Sunday Telegraph revealed GPS trackers that are currently installed inside police-issued radios are not currently operational due to objections by the police union.
Senior officers are now reportedly calling for the same trackers to be installed in police-issued guns to ensure the whereabouts of armed officers are known.
Speaking to ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday night, Police Commissioner Karen Webb was asked if she could currently account for the whereabouts of all police-issued guns.
“There are more than 18,000 police officers in this state. Do you know where all their guns are?” Ferguson asked of the Commissioner.
Webb dodged the question, instead saying an “audit” into the storage of guns is currently underway at every NSW police command.
The investigation is expected to take six weeks to complete.
Police have alleged the gun used to kill Mr Baird and Mr Davies was taken from Miranda police station on Friday night and was stored at Balmain police station on the Monday night after the alleged murders.
It was then allegedly returned to Miranda police station on Tuesday, with a full magazine.
Ms Webb declined to comment on the allegations, including why Mr Lamarre-Condon was able to keep a gun outside of work hours for so long, instead saying it would form part of the court proceedings.
The announcement of the public investigation follows tributes made to Mr Baird and Mr Davies at Saturday night’s Mardi Gras celebrations, with members and allies of the LGBTQI+ community paying tribute to the pair with a minute’s silence.
Mr Minns welcomed the show of respect for two men who had “bright futures ahead of them”.
“Really appropriate, and an acknowledgment of the real grief that the community has gone through.,” he said, noting he had met with the families of both men late last week.
“They’re obviously devastated, their lives have been turned upside down, the real tragedy of this is that (Mr Davies and Mr Baird) had such bright futures ahead of them, and to have that robbed in such a traumatic way will leave a big impact on those families.
“I don’t think there’s a silver lining here, but I would say, and I think it’s worth acknowledging, that the family and friends of Luke and Jesse loved them, deeply cared about them, and have shown the entire country that over the last week.”
Originally published as An independent investigation into the handling of police pistols will be made public
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