Floreat murders: Police internal report into Mark Bombara killings results in eight officers being disciplined

WA Police have admitted they should have issued a restraining order against Floreat killer Mark Bombara and seized his 13 guns well before he shot dead two women while searching for his estranged wife and daughter. Eight cops failed “to perform their duty … to varying degrees of seriousness” after Ariel Bombara warned them her father was a danger, according to a long-running police internal investigation into the fumbled case. Nobody has been sacked, despite their dismissiveness and inaction allowing Bombara to kill Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyz in their Floreat home in May last year. The inquiry exposed three serious failings in the way police handled the case. Officers did not adequately assess the risk posed by the 63-year-old gun collector, failed to investigate whether he was in a fit state to own firearms and did not properly investigate claims that one of his guns was not stored properly. “A correct risk assessment by the involved officers would have provided sufficient grounds to issue a 72-hour protective police order to Mark Bombara,” the report noted. “This power extended to seizing his firearms.” The report confirmed that Bombara was suffering from a medical issue, believed to be a stroke, in the weeks leading up to his murder rampage and cited that health problem as another reason he should have been stripped of his weapons. “Insufficient action was taken by police to explore whether (he) was a fit and proper person to hold a firearms licence or to continue to possess firearms based on medical grounds, despite police being advised of his deteriorating medical condition by the family,” investigators ruled. “The third key finding is that insufficient action was taken by police to identify and investigate alleged firearms offences, which included a report of an unsecure firearm.” That report was made by Ariel Bombara when she and her mother Rowena went to Mirrabooka police station at 1am on March 31. The gun Ms Bombara warned was missing was the Glock pistol her father used to kill the Petelczyz women. “The investigation found that WA Police were warned on multiple occasions about the risk posed by Mark Bombara and those warnings were legitimate,” the report noted. “Furthermore, the attending officers at the Bombara family home failed to properly recognise and act upon additional risk factors.” A team of police escorted Ariel and her mother to the Mosman Park house on April 1 to protect the women as they retrieved belongings in preparation for a new life away from a man police were told was abusive, controlling and coercive. WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch addressed rumours that one of the cops at the home was rebuffed by a senior officer when he suggested they seize Bombara’s guns, which were held legally under a collector’s licence. “I don’t think the characterisation of that was accurate,” Mr Blanch said after the release of the report. “There was certainly discussion about what their powers were, but it was not a categoric no.” Mr Blanch said the internal inquiry had made 18 recommendations, 11 of which had been completed. He believed the new regime would ensure police properly dealt with the 60,000 domestic violence reports made each year. “Fifteen officers looked at this and not one saw that the risk was higher,” he said. “Sadly, we got this one wrong but we are committed to ensuring this isn’t repeated.” Mr Blanch, who has personally apologised to the Petelczyzs and Bombaras, defended the fact nobody lost their job despite a litany of failures. “I support my officers,” he said. “They made the wrong decisions at various times and with various degrees of seriousness. But I believe in the officers. I think they are good people who made errors.” Ms Bombara, who advised police about the 18 recommendations, delivering a fiery statement at the media conference. “We told you he was going to murder us, did you not believe us or did you not give a shit,” she said. “I can have empathy for human beings making mistakes, but that is a lot of human beings making a lot of mistakes. “Red flags that seemed so obvious to me that it baffles me that actual police officers, whose job it is to protect people, did not take this risk seriously.” Ms Bombara vowed to continue pressuring authorities to take domestic and family violence seriously, “You know I am going to continue being a pain in the arse until I see better outcomes for victims,” she said. “We made history today with this report. Let’s not repeat it.” Police Minister Paul Papalia said he was satisfied with the unspecified disciplinary action that was taken against the eight cops criticised in the report. “None of those officers had malicious intent,” he said. Shadow police minister Peter Collier said he was “not going to pass judgment on the disciplinary procedures”. “I’m sure that each and every one of those officers is facing his or her demons every single day, he said. “Now to the commissioner, please make sure that your words today are turned into action, that it’s not just empty rhetoric,” he said. “And make sure that message permeates right through your agency.” The Corruption and Crime Commission, WA Ombudsman and State Coroner have been provided copies of the report and may choose to take further action. 1800 RESPECT