WA Police failed to take adequate actions to prevent the murder of a Floreat mother and daughter, an explosive new internal report reveals.
The inquiry was launched after Ariel Bombara, the daughter of double murderer Mark Bombara, accused WA police of ignoring the threats her father posed.
Bombara, 63, later shot and killed Jennifer Petelczyc and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl in May last year before turning the gun on himself.
He had been searching for his estranged wife and Ariel, who had fled from their Mosman Park home in fear of him, and had sought refuge with friends the Petelczycs.
Bombara legally owned multiple guns and retained them despite Ariel and her mother, on three separate occasions between March 30 and April 2, warning police he was dangerous and may exact revenge on them for leaving.
At a press conference on Friday, WA’s Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the report found eight police officers had failed to perform their duties, with “internal disciplinary action” already taken.
Moreover, Blanch detailed that if a proper risk assessment had been completed, and Bombara’s guns removed, the tragedy could have been prevented.
“The expectation of those people who do find the courage to report [domestic violence] should be that police respond appropriately – each and every time,” he said.
“We have a duty to do that, we are sworn to do that, but sadly, sometimes we don’t get it right.”
Blanch acknowledged Ariel Bombara’s courage in speaking up, prompting the internal investigation.
“It hurts me,” he said.
“This was the perfect storm of apathy and compassion fatigue from officers, combined with shoddy systems, outdated policies and insufficient training and support that resulted in a lethal outcome.”
Ariel Bombara
“I’m the commissioner of police, I built the system, I authorised that system to be in place, [and] it let that family down.
“It let other families down.”
The report also found police took insufficient action to determine if Bombara was a “fit and proper person” to hold a firearm licence, despite them being told of his deteriorating mental condition.
Blanch also said Bombara’s 13 weapons kept at his Mosman Park home should have been seized.
The report made 18 recommendations, Blanch said, to ensure a tragedy such as this “never happened again”.
Ariel Bombara also addressed the press pack at WA police headquarters.
She said the report detailed her and her mother’s pleas that a serious threat to their lives was escalating.
“This report identifies all of the risk factors we communicated to the police; [Bombara’s] history of abuse, access to and incorrect storage of firearms, including concealable handguns; that he was escalating; that he’d had a recent stroke,” she said.
“We told you he was going to murder us. Did you not believe us? Or did you not give a shit?
Ariel Bombara and her mother’s cries for help went ignored by WA police.Credit: 9News Perth
“It baffles me that actual police officers, whose job it is to protect people, did not take this risk seriously, but after receiving countless messages from women sharing their own stories of police not taking them seriously, resulting in real, violent consequences for these women and children, I’m not at all surprised that no action was taken against my father.
“I think this was the perfect storm of apathy and compassion fatigue from officers, combined with shoddy systems, outdated policies and insufficient training and support that resulted in a lethal outcome.”
The Centre for Women’s Safety and Wellbeing said in a statement that while the report focused heavily on changes to the Firearms Act as a mechanism to address failings in the police response, guns weren’t the only weapon of domestic abusers.
“We know that most domestic and family violence victims are killed from knife wounds and blunt force trauma, and being beaten and choked to death,” the statement said.
“While we appreciate that the police have been prepared to shine a light on their failings and areas of weakness, we are conscious that long-term change requires long-term commitment.”
The centre said it was imperative that the community trust police to take domestic violence complaints seriously.
Blanch said the investigation resulted in 18 recommendations covering firearms reform and training in family and domestic violence offences, which police were implementing alongside the government and specialists in the family violence support and services industry.
Eleven recommendations had been completed.
While a summary of the report has been made public, the report in its entirety remains confidential as it contains sensitive and third-party information.
The report has been provided to the Corruption and Crime Commission, the WA Ombudsman and the Deputy State Coroner.
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