GPS trackers are already installed inside police-issued radios, but are not currently operational due to objections by the police union. New South Wales (NSW) police officers are calling on senior ranks and the Police Association of NSW to approve GPS tracking of officers in the wake of the alleged murder of a young couple by a serving officer. Television presenter Jesse Baird and his flight-attendant boyfriend Luke Davies were allegedly murdered by NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon. The bodies were found inside surfboard bags at a rural property in Bungonia, near Goulburn, about 200 kilometres southwest of Sydney on Feb. 27. Lamarre-Condon is in custody, charged with murdering the couple at Baird’s home in Paddington on Feb. 19.
The radios carried by NSW officers already have GPS trackers installed but they are not switched on due to union objections. Senior officers are now calling for similar trackers to be installed in guns to be aware of officers’ locations when armed in the community. They believe this measure could have helped investigators track the movements of the police-issued glock pistol allegedly used in the killing. Lamarre-Condon checked out the weapon from the Miranda police station the week before the alleged double homicide to work at a “user pay event.”
According to a senior officer, installing and turning on the trackers would improve safety. The officer stated that currently, if police are sent out to a job, there is an estimated response time and managers at the station have no idea where their teammates are or if they are safe unless they radio in for a welfare check. A spokesperson for NSW Police said they were unable to answer questions about GPS capabilities in equipment, while the Police Association of NSW refused to answer, stating they were of an “operational nature.” Premier Chris Minns announced that an independent inquiry would be conducted into NSW Police policies and procedures by Victoria’s Police Commissioner Shane Patton. All findings would be made public to keep the community informed of proposed changes. Minns stated that he would consider all recommendations from the review, including the installation of GPS trackers on police-issued weapons. He emphasized the need to closely examine the recommendations.