Nat Barr has grilled the NSW Police Minister over why it took officers an hour to respond to a Triple Zero call where a woman was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend.
Police found mother-of-three Sarah Miles unconscious with head injuries before she died at her Johnston Street home at Casino, in northern NSW, at 2.30am on Saturday.
Her partner, Dwayne John Creighton, 31, has been arrested and charged with her murder.
A neighbour called police about 1.30am after hearing screams, but officers didn’t acknowledge the call until an hour later.
The call was also categorised as priority three, meaning officers didn’t immediately respond, with an investigation launched into why it took so long for police to arrive.
NSW police minister Yasmin Catley appeared on Sunrise on Monday morning and said she wanted to ensure people had the confidence to know that when they call police, they will come.
‘Yeah, but they don’t,’ Barr replied.
Sarah Miles was found with serious head injuries before dying at her Johnston Street home at Casino at 2.30am on Saturday
Nat Barr has grilled the NSW Police Minister over why it took so long for officers to arrive
‘This was logged as a priority three instead of a priority one. How on earth can that happen when we know that a woman is dying at least once a week?’Â
Ms Catley admitted that ‘something had gone wrong’ which the investigation would look into.Â
‘If there’s a glitch in the system, we’ll fix it,’ she said.
Barr replied:Â ‘Yeah, a glitch alright. That’s an understatement.
‘When police arrived, this woman was unconscious but still breathing. It sounds like they could have saved her if they just got there in time.’
The police minister said officers immediately performed CPR on Ms Miles when they arrived.
But Barr pointed out there was a ‘whole hour’ before they got to the home ‘where a woman’s life was lost’.
‘Hopefully the investigation will give us the information that that doesn’t happen again,’ Ms Catley said.
Barr added: ‘Everyone in NSW is demanding that it does.’
Creighton faced Lismore Bail Court on Sunday where he did not apply for Speed and Cash bail and it was formally refused. His case will be heard again on Monday.
Ms Miles’ family thanked the first responders and the public for their messages of support.
Her partner Dwayne John Creighton was arrested and charged with murder
‘This is a tragic and unbelievable loss for her children and family who she loved dearly,’ they said in a statement.
‘Sarah will be missed by many people and we ask that you give the family some privacy in this tragic time.’
NSW Police have launched a critical incident investigation into the handling of the case, with the NSW Coroner to also investigate.
The investigation will be overseen by the independent Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.Â
Read More
Horrifying details emerge after man allegedly stabs his partner to death
Sunrise
If you have just about any concerns relating to in which in addition to the way to make use of Speed and Cash (https://telegra.ph/Speed-and-Cash-08-08-2), you’ll be able to contact us on the webpage.