The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission’s Operation Almas has criticised the police response to the violent death of Ballina woman Lindy Lucena at the hands of her partner in 2023.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has opposed all recommendations made by the LECC aimed at improving police responses to incidents of domestic violence in future.
The LECC’s report is fiercely critical of the Commissioner’s submissions, describing them as ‘misconceived’, ‘internally inconsistent’, ‘unfortunate’ and engaging in ‘their own form of hindsight bias’.
Every second in police response counts
Greens MP and Justice Spokesperson Sue Higginson said, ‘When a woman is being bashed and facing death at the hands of her violent partner, every second in a police response counts.
‘The independent police watchdog has made important recommendations to improve police responses to domestic violence incidents, and unbelievably the police have rejected every single recommendation.
‘I raised this with the Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and Police Minister Yasmin Catley in a Budget Estimates hearing because I thought the position must have been an error, but police have now maintained their rejection of all recommendations,’ said Ms Higginson.
‘These are recommendations to improve policing and to protect victims of domestic violence, it is nothing less than a disgrace and I am urging the minister and the commissioner to change their position.’
Failure
‘Lindy Lucena was a mother, a sister and a friend,’ said Ms Higginson. ‘An inadequate police response played a role in her death. It is clear from all of the evidence Lindy was failed by every police decision.
‘A police officer made a decision to prioritise attending a minor traffic incident, where there were already police in attendance, above responding to a call that had reported “there’s a man bashing the hell out of his woman at the back of the Salvation Army”.
‘I just know if a police officer thought it was his daughter, sister, wife, or mother who was the woman getting bashed it would have been different. When police finally arrived at the location of the bashing, they didn’t even get out of the police car, Lindy was then further failed.
‘The LECC have rightly found that the police response to Lindy’s death was inadequate, that they failed in their duty. I believe they should have also found misconduct on the part of the officers involved.
‘The question remains whether a quicker police response might have saved Ms Lucena’s life. The LECC has found that is ultimately a question for the Coroner. I have written to the Coroner today calling for that inquest to commence now.’
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