NSW Commissioner Says Police Willing To Cooperate With Sydney Anti-Gay Hate Crimes Inquiry

The NSW Police Commissioner has said that there was no intention to put pressure on or offend the special commission of inquiry into historical anti-LGBTQI hate crimes in Sydney. 

In a statement, NSW police commissioner Karen Webb assured Supreme Court judge Justice John Sackar that the police force was willing to cooperate with the first-of-its-kind inquiry into unsolved anti-LGBTQI hate crimes. 

Justice Sackar had last week rejected as “offensive” and “unacceptable”, the NSW Police’s claims that the inquiry had resulted in its day-to-day operations and investigations into 12 homicides being stalled.

The inquiry had in its December 6 judgment, dismissed the police’s objections to the judicial inquiry analysing or reviewing the sufficiency or adequacy of earlier reports, including the landmark Strike Force Parabell report.

‘Police Will Comply With Requests’ 

The special commission is inquiring into unsolved anti-LGBTQI hate crime deaths that occurred in Sydney and NSW between 1970 and 2010. 

“The New South Wales Commissioner of Police and her General Counsel, have asked me to convey to you the support for this inquiry that you are conducting and their ongoing willingness to assist and cooperate with your inquiry to the greatest extent that they can” Barrister Mark Tedeschi, who is representing the police, told the inquiry on Tuesday. 

The police commissioner said that “every effort has been and will be made to comply as completely and efficiently as possible with any requests for information, persistence, or summonses” by the inquiry.

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First Of Its Kind Inquiry

The commissioner said that the police force understood the importance of the inquiry and the significance of its report to the LGBTQI community.

“So far as we can make out this inquiry is the first of its kind in the world and its importance is that it has the potential to reassure the community at large and the LGBTI communities in particular, that everything that could be done has been done to solve the alarming number of historical bias hate crimes against LGBTQI persons,” Tedeschi read from the statement. 

Tedeschi said that the commissioner had been made aware of Justice Sackar’s comments and judgement.  “It was not anyone’s intention to cause any offence to you, and certainly not to place any pressure on your inquiry,” Tedeschi conveyed.

The commissioner added that the Sydney WorldPride celebrations in February 2023 and the inquiry report, scheduled to be delivered on June 30, 2023, “highlights the fact that Australia and its leaders are determined that our country be an accepting and tolerant society and that crimes against any section of society are investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

If you feel distressed reading the story, you can reach out to support services.

For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14

For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.