Australia: Ex-NSW Officer Pleads Not Guilty in Sydney Double Murder
Did the police handle these murders with utmost professionalism or badly mishandle a case implicating one of their own?
Above: The New South Wales Police emblem at Wagga Wagga Police Station, Australia, on May 5, 2019. Image credit: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
New South Wales Police is committed to the utmost professionalism. In the aftermath of serious incidents, detectives work around the clock to build a case and find who was responsible, an outcome that speaks louder than any words. Leadership means facilitating this process, not feeding a media circus.
Narrative B
It is difficult to imagine how New South Wales Police could have handled the optics of this case any worse, given that one of its own is implicated in the crime. It's a force that was also found by a special commission to have been dismissive and hostile toward gay hate crime victims. Trust must be earned back, and that starts with accountability.
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.16.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 7.16.0