The alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by serving police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon are rapidly evolving from personal tragedy to an issue of widespread public concern, as each passing day brings horrifying revelations and new public policy questions.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, Jesse Baird, Luke Davies and the Paddington home where police allege the double murder took place.Credit: Instagram/Sydney Morning Herald
A week after the two young men vanished, and three days after Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at a police station in Sydney on Friday morning, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb finally fronted the media on Monday to report the progress of the police investigation and to take questions.
A press conference with Deputy Commissioner David Hudson followed mounting criticisms and accusations Webb should have spoken earlier. In defending herself, Webb listed a number of engagements as proof she was focused on her task. “Of course I’m doing my job, but I need to let my detectives do the job that I asked them to do,” she said. Webb on Monday described questions about her leadership as “offensive”.
Webb was not hiding, but she should have spoken earlier, given the rare allegation that a serving officer had allegedly murdered two people with a police-issued gun. That said, Hudson gave an impressive and detailed rundown of the huge police investigation under way that will hopefully offer the families and friends of Baird and Davies some solace in the weeks ahead. Despite Webb’s very regrettable, outdated description of Lamarre-Condon’s alleged actions as a “crime of passion”, the press conference went a long way towards placating public concerns. Detectives are clearly treating this investigation with the utmost seriousness and they deserve our respect and admiration.
But it is clear that the investigation has already raised two big issues for police and the community to grapple with over the coming weeks and months.
First, how on earth was a Glock service pistol allowed to be out of a police station for three days with no alarm bells being raised? Webb’s decision to call in Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton to conduct an “independent review” of the NSW Police storage and access of police firearms is a welcome one.
The second issue of concern is the revelation by police that a triple-zero call had been made four minutes after the first shots were heard fired on the day of the suspected murders. Police say the call abruptly disconnected and was never pursued. When asked if the call was made by one of the victims before he died, Hudson said police had not determined who made the call. “I’d rather investigate than speculate,” he said. The triple-zero revelation opens a can of worms about the service, given the failure to follow up what may have been a desperate call for help.
Webb’s response to this issue has again put her unnecessarily at the centre of a crime that has sparked widespread concern and interest. The last time she took flak was when, in a ham-fisted attempt at media manipulation in June, some senior police were caught attempting to keep from the public full details about the use of a Taser in the fatal stunning of a 95-year-old Cooma aged care resident suffering from dementia.
The alleged crime that has horrified Sydney, and the questions demanding answers
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26.02.2024
The alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies by serving police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon are rapidly evolving from personal tragedy to an issue of widespread public concern, as each passing day brings horrifying revelations and new public policy questions.
Beau Lamarre-Condon, Jesse Baird, Luke Davies and the Paddington home where police allege the double murder took place.Credit: Instagram/Sydney Morning Herald
A week after the two young men vanished, and three days after Lamarre-Condon handed himself in at a police station in Sydney on Friday morning, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb finally fronted the media on Monday to report the progress of the police investigation and to take questions.
A press conference with Deputy Commissioner David Hudson followed mounting criticisms and accusations........
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