The NSW Police Force has access to the highest-powered handgun available in Australia – the Glock semi-automatic. The Glock is a military-style handgun, with one of the largest magazine capabilities for a weapon of its class.

It is reasonable to expect that if even general duties officers – such as those stationed at the Youth Command – have access to high-powered military-style firearms, the police should have a comprehensive and up-to-date firearm monitoring and tracking system in place.

Glock glitch: the police should have a comprehensive and up-to-date firearm monitoring and tracking system in place.Credit: Edwina Pickles

The devastating events of the past week and the allegations that have followed have starkly revealed the alarming deficiencies within the firearm monitoring system of the NSW Police Force. It is alleged that Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon used his Glock to murder Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. These allegations haven’t been proven in court, but regardless, a close review of police firearms is needed.

Although the law does allow for an off-duty police officer to possess a firearm without a firearm licence or permit when not on duty, this can only occur if the officer complies with guidelines issued by the commissioner of police. Their guidelines are not publicly available, but they should be. It’s also now clear they should be immediately reviewed.

Concerns about the shortcomings of the NSW Police firearms monitoring systems were raised before last week’s tragic events. In its report into police responses to family and domestic violence handed down in June last year, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission noted that, in many cases, where a police officer had been subject to an Apprehended Violence Order there had been no record about the action taken to secure the service firearm of that officer.

The report outlines several recommendations including the requirement that firearms held by police be tracked, recorded, and monitored.

Tracking and monitoring police firearms is also critical to prevent the movement of these powerful weapons into the black market. By the NSW Police Force’s own admission, we have known since at least 2007 that a number of police firearms have been stolen.

Under questioning in budget estimates the then police commissioner Ken Moroney revealed that at least 14 Glocks has been stolen in the previous ten years including from police cars, and only a small number had been recovered.