❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister for Police regarding the police response time in the Lynn Cannon FDV case. The Minister expresses condolences and acknowledges the seriousness of FDV but states they haven't been fully briefed on the specifics of the case.
AnsweredQoN 565Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — FAMILY
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
565. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the tragic family and
domestic violence death of Lynn Cannon, which her family says could have been
avoided if 000 calls for help had been responded to sooner.
(1) With regard
to the Western Australia Police Force, what possible explanation can there be
for why it took police more than an hour to respond?
(2) Does the minister think it is acceptable that it
took more than an hour for such an FDV call to be responded to?
(3) Does the minister agree that
this is one part of a system that failed her on that tragic evening?
The SPEAKER : Just before I give
the Minister for Police the call, can I just clarify whether any part of what
you have asked could be sub judice? Are there matters before the court?
Ms L. Mettam : No; this is in
relation to the police call.
The SPEAKER : If there are
matters that are potentially before the court, I ask the minister to keep that
in mind. The matters that relate to police response times, clearly the minister
can respond to.
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
565. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the tragic family and
domestic violence death of Lynn Cannon, which her family says could have been
avoided if 000 calls for help had been responded to sooner.
(1) With regard
to the Western Australia Police Force, what possible explanation can there be
for why it took police more than an hour to respond?
(2) Does the minister think it is acceptable that it
took more than an hour for such an FDV call to be responded to?
(3) Does the minister agree that
this is one part of a system that failed her on that tragic evening?
The SPEAKER : Just before I give
the Minister for Police the call, can I just clarify whether any part of what
you have asked could be sub judice? Are there matters before the court?
Ms L. Mettam : No; this is in
relation to the police call.
The SPEAKER : If there are
matters that are potentially before the court, I ask the minister to keep that
in mind. The matters that relate to police response times, clearly the minister
can respond to.
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for her question.
(1)–(3) At the outset, I express my
deepest condolences to the family over this tragic incident. Every death of
this nature is an absolute tragedy and not
something the police ever accept as being reasonable. I have to say at the
outset that I am sure that the matter in question will be subject to a coronial
inquiry at the very least. If there are matters relating to the nature of what
occurred, they will be subject to investigation. I have to tell the member that
I have not yet received a thorough briefing on the incident itself, so with
regard to timings and the nature of phone calls made and whether they were
responded to in the expected time frames, I cannot tell the member. I can tell
the member that family and domestic violence incidents are treated with the
upmost importance. They are treated absolutely as a serious crime—the
highest priority crime. There is no incident in which police would not respond
as a matter of course to it being serious, but I just do not know. I have not
been briefed on the timings and the nature of the phone calls received and the
detail around the police response.
I
can say that sadly, in the past, Western Australia's community did not
treat domestic violence as a serious crime. That has all changed. Every
police officer is trained to recognise family and domestic violence as a serious
matter and respond appropriately.
thank the member for her question.
(1)–(3) At the outset, I express my
deepest condolences to the family over this tragic incident. Every death of
this nature is an absolute tragedy and not
something the police ever accept as being reasonable. I have to say at the
outset that I am sure that the matter in question will be subject to a coronial
inquiry at the very least. If there are matters relating to the nature of what
occurred, they will be subject to investigation. I have to tell the member that
I have not yet received a thorough briefing on the incident itself, so with
regard to timings and the nature of phone calls made and whether they were
responded to in the expected time frames, I cannot tell the member. I can tell
the member that family and domestic violence incidents are treated with the
upmost importance. They are treated absolutely as a serious crime—the
highest priority crime. There is no incident in which police would not respond
as a matter of course to it being serious, but I just do not know. I have not
been briefed on the timings and the nature of the phone calls received and the
detail around the police response.
I
can say that sadly, in the past, Western Australia's community did not
treat domestic violence as a serious crime. That has all changed. Every
police officer is trained to recognise family and domestic violence as a serious
matter and respond appropriately.
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