Families criticise Queensland police, inquest over Wieambilla failings

The families of two Queensland constables who were fatally shot in a religiously motivated attack have criticised police policies and procedures and how the inquest into their deaths was conducted.

Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were gunned down at a rural property west of Brisbane in December 2022 while responding to a missing person’s report from NSW.

The families of constables Matt Arnold and Rachel McCrow outside the Coroners Court in Brisbane.Credit: Cloe Read

Their killers, Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train, hid in the bushes, firing high-powered rifles and setting fires in a protracted battle with police.

Two officers, constables Randall Kirk and Keely Brough, escaped.

Neighbour Alan Dare was also shot dead by the Trains, before the trio were killed by tactical police hours later.

An inquest before State Coroner Terry Ryan has heard from dozens of witnesses, including evidence that NSW police did not pass on emails that might have alerted Queensland officers to the risks involved in engaging with the Trains.

As the inquest came to a close on Thursday, grieving families spoke of their ongoing pain and the lack of answers to critical questions about the fateful day.

Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were shot dead during the ambush in Wieambilla.Credit: Queensland Police

Arnold’s mother, Sue, said the families had hoped for a transparent inquest but were instead insulted by the parties discussing how time and cost considerations determined how many witnesses were called.

Mrs Arnold said her son had wanted to be a police officer since he was in year 9 at St Laurence’s College in Brisbane.

She questioned the lack of support for young officers in rural stations, describing how her son had attended several code 2 jobs that morning, hours before his shift was due to start.

“This is indicative of the under-resourcing of rural stations. Officers are always on call and always expected to respond,” Mrs Arnold said.

McCrow’s mother, Judy, said her daughter had become a much-loved and respected member of the Tara community, despite her concerns about moving there.

“In fact, she wasn’t keen to go and we weren’t either, because we’d heard stories about the large number of people with guns in that community,” Mrs McCrow said.

The inquest heard how footage from McCrow’s body-worn camera showed the dying officer providing critical information for police – and repeatedly telling her family she loved them.

Mrs Arnold said while the family knew who had pulled the trigger and killed her son, “systemic failings and negligence on behalf of many others sent him to [the Trains’ property in] Wains Road”.

“What could have been done to prevent Matt and Rachel’s deaths? Were policies and procedures adhered to regarding interstate missing person reports?

“We know Matt and Rachel were diligent officers, they did all relevant checks before attending, but you can’t find information when it hasn’t been entered into the system.”

The inquest heard how the officers had issues calling for back-up on their radios, and had incorrect information on which channels to use.

“Trying to find the best radio channel should not be a decision that officers need to make, or having to put up with communication that we have heard is ‘patchy at best’,” Ms Arnold said.

She said while the Queensland Police Service had announced the rollout of new vests in January 2022 for added protection for officers, Matt and Rachel never received theirs.

“We will always wonder – if they had been issued with such equipment, and were wearing it, would it have made a difference?”

The inquest had been told the new vests would not have stopped the bullets used by the Trains, who could fire from a greater distance than the officers could with their handguns.

Ms McCrow said her daughter fired every single bullet – 15 shots – from her police-issued Glock pistol.

She criticised the information transferred between NSW and Queensland police before the incident, and the lack of proper communication on the day.

“Immediate attention must also be paid to ensure training, particularly around firearms, is effective.

“Police officers who are part of an active armed offender situation should not have a ‘fear of missing’ as a reason for not firing their weapon even when other’s lives are in immediate danger.

“Police officers should not only be accountable when use of force options are used, but also accountable when they don’t and others nearby are in immediate danger.”

Alan Dare’s stepson Corey Richards spoke briefly, saying he wished to grieve in peace and be left alone. But he told coroner Ryan changes were needed.

Ryan was scheduled to hand down his findings at a later date.