Internal police probe after woman allegedly murdered but top cop ‘comfortable’ with team’s response

Police will launch an internal investigation following revelations officers did not attend the home of a Perth woman who called for help days before she was allegedly murdered by her son, but the commissioner has already publicly backed his staff.

The body of Joan Mary Drane was found at her Yangebup home, in Perth’s south, on April 29 — two days after she phoned emergency services because her son Andre Lafayette Drane was allegedly acting erratically.

She called police in the early hours of April 27 but they did not attend because there was no violence or threat.

However, paramedics were sent to the home to deal with a mental health situation.

Police now believe Ms Drane was murdered by her son sometime between April 27 and 29, and have come under fire for their response.

WA Premier Roger Cook demanded answers to address the “very confronting situation”.

“I’ve received some initial indicators in terms of the timelines and I’m not satisfied with the detail of that information,” the Premier said.

“I’ll be seeking a full briefing from the Commissioner of Police, but also from the health service provider in the area, just to make sure we understand if something went wrong, or what did go wrong, and how we can address it.”

It was confirmed late on Friday that police were launching an internal probe in addition to the homicide investigation.

A WA Police spokesperson told NCA NewsWire it was standard practice for an internal investigation to be done into such incidents.

“WA Police standard practice is to run an internal investigation when someone we have been in contact with dies within several days of that contact occurring,” they said.

It is understood no police officers have been stood down following the incident.

Speaking on 6PR radio earlier on Friday, Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he had listened to Ms Drane’s April 27 phone call and he was “comfortable” with the decision for police officers to not attend the home.

“The right response was given,” he said.

“I’ve listened to the call and I am comfortable that police made the right decisions and with (an) ambulance there, the right response was given on that night.”

Mr Blanch said it was a case of a person being in “mental distress”.

“I have been very clear as commissioner that police are not the right response where there is no violence or aggression in a mental health environment,” he said.

“Blue shirts with guns and tasers and sprays can often exacerbate the problem.

“But we will always come and support our emergency services, our brothers and sisters when there is an imminent threat or obvious threat or there is violence.

“We do come and we have on many, many occasions.”

The commissioner said police asked the attending paramedics whether they were concerned about violence or offences occurring and they were told “no”.

“Two days earlier, before the alleged murder, (the accused) went to bed and they did a mental health assessment,” Mr Blanch said.

“It was the right care and the right people involved and they did what they thought from a medical perspective was the right job.

“The information I have before me was that there was no violence, there was no aggression, there was no crime.

“I would say that police attending in that instance, the only real outcome might have been that we would have excaberrated and increased the likelihood of that occurring because again, police turning up with weapons in a mental health crisis situation can often go in the wrong direction.”

The Premier told reporters he was not happy about the level of collaboration between the agencies and wanted to know why police did not attend the home with a qualified health practitioner that is funded by the government.

“Can I be frank?” he said.

“We need our agencies to work closely together, particularly in these complex situations where you have an overlay of mental health issues with issues to do with law and order and community safety.

“We need them to work together seamlessly to actually make sure that we provide the care and safety that people need.”

“That’s going to be one of the key questions I’ll be asking of both the police and St John and of course our health service providers.

“I want to get to the bottom of this.”

Mr Drane, 54, appeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with murdering his 78-year-old mother.

He was not required to enter a plea, nor was bail considered.

Mr Drane was remanded in custody to face Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on May 29.