Queensland police face scrutiny as inquest investigates Joel Cauchi’s mental health

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Queensland police service has faced scrutiny at the coronial inquest investigating the Bondi Junction stabbing attack. The inquest has heard of Joel Cauchi's deteriorating mental health in the lead up to the shopping centre attack.

Transcript

00:01For a second day in a row, this coronial inquest has heavily scrutinised Queensland Police's

00:07multiple interactions with Joel Couchy in the years leading up to the Bondi Junction

00:13Westfield attack where Couchy killed six people and injured ten others in a stabbing rampage

00:20which lasted at least six minutes.

00:22That was before he was shot dead by New South Wales Police Inspector Amy Scott.

00:27Now the incident in particular which has been the main focus of the last two days

00:32is when Queensland Police were called to Couchy's family home in Toowoomba in January 2023

00:39and they were called there by Couchy himself.

00:42He reported his own father for confiscating his collection of large hunting knives.

00:48Now when police officers arrived they realised that they had been called to a mental health situation

00:54and they were trying to help Couchy deal with the fact that his family were concerned

00:59with him having his knives and his deteriorating mental health.

01:03The inquest heard that his mother was concerned that he had been taking off his schizophrenia medication

01:09and wasn't acting like his usual self.

01:12Now today the inquest looked at what could have been done differently in that situation.

01:16We heard from the officers who attended that scene that they didn't believe there was enough evidence

01:21to take Couchy under emergency examination authority which would have seen him go to hospital

01:27or being treated by a mental health clinician.

01:30Because under the legislation in Queensland you need to pose a risk to yourself or others to meet that threshold.

01:38We heard from multiple police officers today who described the wording of that legislation as ambiguous

01:43and they believe it could be changed.

01:46Another issue which arose today was the email that was sent by the police officers who attended the scene

01:53shortly after their return to the police station.

01:56The inquest heard they sent an email to Queensland Police Forces mental health intervention coordinators

02:03and what that recommended was for that team to follow up with Joel Couchy

02:09if this was the start of his decline in his mental health.

02:13We heard that there was a person working in that team on that day by themselves as was usual

02:19but that person was backfilling someone on leave

02:22and because they got caught up in another incident they were unable to follow it up and it got missed.

02:28And therefore no one checked up on Joel Couchy's mental health after that incident.

02:33We heard today from the person who usually is in that position and was on leave that day

02:38who said it was devastating that that oversight had occurred

02:42but said it was no fault of the officer involved

02:44and said it's actually due to significant understaffing in her team

02:49considering she is solely responsible for an area which encapsulates around 220,000 people alone

02:57and while she's here today giving evidence to this inquest

03:00no one is currently backfilling her role

03:03and she says those emails will start to pile up and up

03:06and that's why she believes this oversight has occurred.

03:09Now the inquest is due to hear from members of Westfield's security team tomorrow

03:15and they'll heavily scrutinise what was the response on that day on April 13 in 2024

03:22when Joel Couchy went on his stabbing rampage.

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