NSW top cop under pressure as an MP makes an impassioned plea for a ‘strong leader’
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has used a Taylor Swift quote to fend off criticism of her handling of an alleged double murder, including standing idle for 30 minutes while her deputy responded to media questions.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb has shaken off backlash with a Taylor Swift reference after her leadership was questioned over her handling of the alleged double murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by one of her own officers.
The commissioner’s leadership was questioned by Sunrise co-hosts Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington on Tuesday morning, following The Daily Telegraph’s coverage.
“There will always be haters. Haters like to hate. Isn’t that what Taylor says?” she said on Sunrise.
“I have a job to do. It is a big job. This is just one of many. We actually had seven murders last week.
“We had a triple murder out at Parramatta and we’ve had others.
“This, though, of course, is a complex matter. All we need to do now is find Jesse and Luke so their families know where they are. That’s my priority.”
On Monday police alleged that Constable Lamarre-Condon and a “female acquaintance” had left the city in a rented white Toyota Hiace van and travelled to a rural property at Bungonia in the Southern Tablelands.
But Commissioner Webb ruled out that the alleged acquaintance was a police officer.
“We have to be a bit careful about identifying witnesses and their role, that will be brought out in court. One is a police officer, a former officer, but that is not the person that he was in the area with,” she clarified.
“I just need to clear that up. There’s been some confusion around which person was in and around which person was in and around that farm or dam and it’s not the police officer.”
It follows earlier news that an independent review will be conducted by Victorian Police on the system around police accessing and storing firearms, which has come into the spotlight after Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon had access to his firearm out of work hours.
“Of course, for a police firearm to be used, even though the officer was off-duty, there’s questions that I’ve asked and I’ve started this internal review,” she said.
“I rang Shane Patton on Sunday to say, “You’re a big organisation. You have a similar policing issue and challenges as we do”, to help us review that to make sure we can make it fail-safe for the future.
“And the actual incident as it relates to the murder, the double murder, will be subject to the homicide and the critical incident investigation.”
Who’s the boss: Pressure builds on ‘invisible’ Commissioner
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has been blasted over an “embarrassing” performance that saw her stand idle for more than half an hour as her deputy answered questions about the alleged double murder of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by one of her own officers.
Ms Webb on Monday lashed out at reporters over questions about her leadership, saying “that’s offensive”.
But The Daily Telegraph understands that for more than six months there has been growing disquiet among officers as well as elements of the powerful NSW Police Association over the lack of visibility of Commissioner Webb.
A breakdown of Monday’s press conference with Ms Webb and Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson shows that Mr Hudson answered 59 questions and spoke for 31 minutes. Ms Webb answered 25 questions and spoke for 12 minutes, many of which involved defending her decision not to front the media until Monday.
Ms Webb explained she had been in a budget estimates parliamentary hearing all day on Friday when Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at Bondi police station.
When asked why she chose not to address the media over the weekend, Ms Webb said she had attended a sunrise service in Bronte on Saturday for victims of gay hate crimes.
She then snapped back when posed a follow-up question by the journalist – who is not a public servant on a $660,000 salary – saying: “Where were you on Saturday?”
But a day after accusing her of “hiding” in the wake of the deaths of Mr Baird and Mr Davies, allegedly by serving officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, NSW upper house MP and former police officer Rod Roberts called on Ms Webb to be a “strong leader” in the “unprecedented” times.
“This is nearly unprecedented – you have a serving police officer who has allegedly committed a double murder with a service firearm. I’m sure that members of the public have a few questions and it’s incumbent on the commissioner to front up and answer them,” Mr Roberts said.
“She was like a deer in the headlights … She spoke for two minutes and then handed it straight over to Dave Hudson to do the heavy lifting.”
Some within the force said they worried Ms Webb was often “invisible” at key moments, such as during last year’s police tapering of 95-year-old Clare Nowland.
“There are more and more cops, from the ground up asking ‘where’s Karen?’ because she seems to be invisible, especially when s..t hits the fan,” one source said.
Premier Chris Minns said he was not going to “second guess” Ms Webb on when she fronts up to speak to the public.
Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Email tips@dailytelegraph.com.au
Childcare centre boost for neighbouring suburbs
Two suburbs in the city’s west will get a boost of more than 240 childcare places after facilities were approved in its industrial and commercial centres.
‘More bums on seats’: Calls for change amid business closures
Times are tough for business owners in a growing western Sydney region, with the head of a major advocacy group calling for a “strong hospitality sector” amid a shift towards a 24-hour economy.