Police radio failure delayed storming of Lindt Cafe during 2014 siege

WHEN police at the centre of the Lindt Cafe siege were told to storm the building no-one moved because they never heard the order. A radio network breakdown was to blame, an inquest has heard.

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THE first police radio call authorising police to storm the Lindt Cafe never got through because of network problems, it has been revealed today.

“Murphy’s law,” was how one of the police commanders described it.

As soon as police snipers reported that cafe manager Tori Johnson had been shot dead by gunman Man Monis, the commander of the elite Tactical Operations Unit gave the go ahead to initiate the emergency action plan for his men to enter the cafe.

Police survey the scene of the siege shortly after it ended in December 2014. Picture: Bill Hearne

“Echo Alpha this is Tango Charlie commit the EA”, he broadcast over his police radio but there was no acknowledgment because his radio failed.

None of the TOU teams moved.

The deputy tactical commander, who was also at the police forward command post, told the inquest that he took over as his boss was about to broadcast the message a second time.

“I stopped him and said no, let me, in case his radio wasn’t working the second time, I took the initiative to make the call,” the officer, who cannot be identified, said.

He said that because there had already been a slight delay, he shortened the usual procedure and instead of repeating “Echo Alpha this is Tango Charlie commit the EA”, he broadcast “All teams commit the EA” and repeated the codeword three times.

Police shot dead Monis as they stormed the cafe at 2.13am on December 15, 2014.

Barrister Katrina Dawson died after being hit by seven police bullet fragments.

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Tori Johnson died at the hands of the gunman.

Katrina Dawson died from police bullet fragments.

The inquest has already heard that other problems with the TOU radios meant that no-one heard the reports from one of the three sniper teams that at 2.09am, Monis had fired a second shot.

He had fired his first shot at 2.03am as six hostages escaped.

Radio problems also meant the forward command post did not hear the report from snipers at 2.06am that Mr Johnson was on his knees.

The deputy tactical commander said that if the snipers had not received acknowledgments from those two reports, they should have continued to broadcast them or used mobile phones.

He said they could go days without any problems with the radios, then the network would break down two or three times one after the other, usually at a critical time.

“Murphy’s law,” he said.

The inquest in Sydney continues.