Sen Const Beau Lamarre allegedly used a force-issued firearm to murder Jesse Baird, 26, and Baird’s partner, Luke Davies, 29, in Paddington on the 19th February. On February 16th Lamarre retrieved the firearm from Miranda police station for a protest policing assignment, according to police statements. 

This will be the subject of an internal NSW police review with oversight from the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) and the Victoria police.

Civil liberties advocates are calling for the review of firearm regulation within the NSW police to be independent to ensure transparency, accountability, and impartiality in the investigation process.

The NSW Council of Civil Liberties president, Lydia Shelly, recently wrote to police and the police minister, to call for an inquiry: “NSWCCL … urges that the government call for an immediate independent inquiry into police use of force and access to weapons,” Shelly wrote in the letter, seen by Guardian Australia.

“We cannot understand why general duties police officers are able to gain access to lethal weapons. This practice must end.”

The council’s past president, Josh Pallas, pointed to the UK as an example of a “quite safe jurisdiction” where he said “actually very few police carry firearms”.

Read the full article.