WA’s top cop Col Blanch makes pledge to solve Sarah Spiers, Gerard Ross cold cases

Police Commissioner Col Blanch says he is confident two of WA’s most infamous cold cases could be solved.

Asked if there was a particular unsolved case he would like to see resolved, Mr Blanch said the murder of Newman schoolboy Gerard Ross in 1997 was one of them.

The disappearance and suspected murder of Sarah Spiers in 1996 was another, after Claremont killer Bradley Robert Edwards was acquitted of murdering the 18-year-old.

It has been revealed Edwards has been questioned again about her disappearance in jail but he refused to reveal any information.

Mr Blanch said such cold cases were “very difficult to solve” because of the technology, CCTV and forensic capabilities available at the time of the crimes.

But he said he was confident justice would prevail.

“You have a look at the advancements we’ve made over the years and the cases we’ve solved as a result of that — these things only get better, evidence only gets better and it’s always tragic for families because they have to wait such a long time in some cases,” he said.

But Mr Blanch said he also wanted to ensure that if another serious crime happened in WA, that it is solved “very quickly”.

“That’s something that I’m absolutely passionate about — that we need to make sure that we are focusing on having the best ability to solve crimes when they occur,” he said.