The families of the two police officers who were fatally shot in Wieambilla in 2022 have described the “excruciating” 12-month wait for inquest recommendations.
Queensland Police constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot dead alongside neighbour Alan Dare on December 12, 2022, while attending a remote bush property about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane.
The three were gunned down by conspiracy theorists Gareth and Stacey Train and Gareth’s brother Nathaniel. The trio were later killed by officers following an hours-long siege.
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An inquest had its final public hearing on August 29 last year and McCrow and Arnold’s grieving families say the deadly circumstances that led to their murder could “still occur today”.
“What will it take for the Queensland government, [the Queensland Police Service] and police union to actually do something about this disturbing situation?” Rachel’s mother, Judy McCrow, and Matthew’s parents, Sue and Terry Arnold, said in a joint statement.
“We are being told that police officers are still being forced to use their personal mobile phones because of poor reception on their radios.”
Last year’s inquest examined key issues such as a lack of effective communication in regional issues and concerns around how interstate information was shared between police.
The families have also called for aerial drones to be used so officers could scope out the dangers of a property before attending. A drone strategy is in place within Queensland Police, however is limited to specialist teams.
Nine News
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