Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

CONAGHAN () (): I'm very pleased to be able to rise to speak on this motion, and I thank the member for McPherson for acknowledging the significance of National Police Remembrance Day. It's been 27 years since the murders of senior constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears while they were on duty at Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Both men were only 36 years old, with wives and children waiting for them at home.

Senior Constable Addison had been in the Police Force for eight years, and Senior Constable Spears was a 14-year veteran. On 9 July 1995, the two police officers from Kempsey Police Station—the same police station where I worked—were called to an address on Walker Street in Crescent Head at 12.35 am to investigate a domestic violence report. They arrived at the house just after 1 am, at which time they were targeted by gunfire from a heavily intoxicated offender, crouching in wait in the dark near the property's carport. The gunman, whose name shall not be preserved in this place, was at the time dressed in camouflage gear and carrying a high-powered Ruger rifle, with clear intent to do harm to the attending officers.

Senior Constables Addison and Spears attempted to return fire with their inferior standard-issue weapons and scrambled to find cover behind their police car, at which point Senior Constable Addison attempted to call for backup at a neighbouring property. Unfortunately, that property did not have a functioning telephone. At the same moment, just after 1.20 am, Senior Constable Spears was shot and fatally wounded. In a continued brave attempt to call for help for his fallen colleague, Senior Constable Addison then attempted to run to a second neighbouring property but was shot and killed by the gunman before he could reach it. The offender then turned the gun on himself.

A month after their deaths, in August 1995, the pair were rightfully awarded the police force's highest honour, the Commissioner's Valour Award. These officers died in an attempt to protect and serve. They answered the call, they stood their ground and they defended themselves and their community from a cowardly offender. Together, they made the ultimate sacrifice, and they should not be forgotten for it.

As a direct result of this incident and loss of life, the lives of future police officers would become better protected. Following this tragedy, major reforms to frontline policing in the New South Wales Police Force were introduced, including the transition from revolvers to semiautomatic pistols, the introduction of ballistic vests as standard use and improved radio communications. Tactical training routines were also updated and rolled out across the state to better prepare officers for situations like this.

The families of both senior constables would go on to be bonded together not only by their loss but, remarkably, by the marriage of their children Glen Addison and Jade Spears, who were 16 and 15 at the time of their fathers' deaths. From a truly tragic event came positive changes, and that legacy lives on today. National Police Remembrance Day, observed on 29 September each year, is our opportunity to reflect on and honour the memory of the brave Australian police who have given their lives in service of the community. Sadly, this year, we've added another name, Senior Constable Bria Joyce, who was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident while on duty. Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family, her friends and her colleagues.

I would like to thank all members—sworn and unsworn, past and present—of all our police forces around the nation for your service. Thanks must also go to your families for their own sacrifice in enabling you to do your jobs every single day. Thank you for your service.

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