Police Minister and Police Commissioner in the firing line

Police Minister Yasmin Catley has been criticised by her own colleagues for being absent in the days after Jesse Baird and Luke Davies went missing, and accused of failing to provide ‘leadership’ to uniformed officers.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley has been criticised by her own colleagues for being absent in the days after Jesse Baird and Luke Davies went missing, and accused of failing to provide “leadership” to uniformed officers.

Ms Catley was absent when Police Commissioner Karen Webb addressed the media on Monday after Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with murder. Ms Webb was herself criticised for taking too long to address the media.

But Ms Catley only commented on the issue on Wednesday, after Mr Baird’s and Mr Davies’ bodies had been found.

One senior Labor MP said it was “weird” that Ms Catley left it to her Commissioner to front the issue without political backup.

Another Labor MP said they were “surprised given the enormity and the sensitivity of the issue“ that Ms Catley had not shown “leadership”. “It is extraordinary that the minister wasn’t there,” the Labor MP said.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb (left) and Police Minister Yasmin Catley have both copped criticism for not fronting the media during the past week.

Opposition Police spokesman Paul Toole said Ms Catley should be replaced.

“If Yasmin Catley is not going to roll her sleeves up and support the Commissioner, what is the point of her having the role?” he said.

Ms Catley’s spokeswoman said the criticism was a “a ridiculous assertion”.

“In the last seven days the Police Minister has done a press conference, sat for three hours of questions in budget estimates and eight media interviews,” she said.

The comments come after Ms Webb faced scrutiny over the leadership, after first being accused of going into “hiding” by Upper House MP Rod Roberts on Monday.

Former Premier Dominic Perrottet appointed Ms Webb in 2021.

“I’m not going to be a commentator, but during my time as Premier I always found Karen Webb to be someone of the utmost integrity and character,” Mr Perrottet said on Thursday.

He appointed Ms Webb despite a selection panel of six bureaucrats and senior law enforcement figures not finding her to be the top candidate on a shortlist of three.

Former premier Dominic Perrottet appointed Karen Webb. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The Daily Telegraph can reveal then-deputy commissioner Mick Willing, not Ms Webb or fellow candidate Mal Lanyon, was the highest-ranked candidate for the role.

Sources said the panel presented the candidates in order of preference: Mr Willing, Mr Lanyon, and then Ms Webb.

The panel had found all three candidates suitable for the role.

Mr Perrottet interviewed all three himself before picking Ms Webb.

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