Josh Zimmerman: Cops failure in Mark Bombara DV case exposes political grandstanding on gun laws

“It is my unwavering belief that even without his guns, my father would have committed a horrific act of violence which likely would have claimed lives.” With those 26 words, Ariel Bombara exposed 48 hours of grandstanding over gun reform for exactly what it was: hollow political point scoring. The focus on overhauling the laws that allowed Ariel’s father, Mark Bombara, to obtain the guns he used to murder Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc has been completely misplaced. Firstly, the mechanism to remove those firearms already exists. It just wasn’t used. And secondly, the more important question — certainly in Ariel’s mind — is why police officers ignored repeated attempts to alert them to the serious threat Bombara posed. According to Ariel’s account, she and her mother fled the Bombara family home on March 28 to remove themselves “from an abusive situation”. They attended Mirrabooka Police Station to — again, in Ariel’s words — “raise the alarm about my father”. Despite warning police about his extensive gun collection, including an “unaccounted for” Glock handgun, a request for a 72-hour temporary restraining order against Bombara was rejected. They then tried calling a different police station but were again turned away. “We were told no and that there was nothing police could do about the situation at that time,” Ariel said. A temporary order can be the first step towards applying for a full family violence restraining order, which brings the automatic removal of any guns in the possession of the alleged offender. On April 2, police agreed to accompany Ariel and her mum as they removed their belongings from the Bombara family home in Mosman Park. It was during that process police were told about Bombara’s potential for violence — and his gun collection — for a third time. Ariel says that the warning prompted an officer at the home to request backup wearing bulletproof vests, but it went no further than that. “We were ignored by five different male officers across three occasions of reporting. By that point, we felt completely helpless,” Ariel said. Deterred perhaps by their treatment to that point, no request for a family violence restraining order was ever made. Bombara kept his guns. Just over seven weeks later, he used the missing Glock to kill two women whose only crime was helping family friends in their hour of greatest need. “My mother and I made clear that lives were at risk, and we were repeatedly ignored,” Ariel said. “Repeatedly failed. Those failures have cost the lives of two incredible women. “There are authorities who should have helped us to stop him, and they failed. I want answers.” Guns make it very easy to take a life. But there is no shortage of men who have killed their former partners without one. Ariel herself makes it clear her father’s access to firearms was not the sole thing that made him dangerous. A murderous rage will find an avenue for expression. That is why listening to and acting on the concerns of victims must lie at the heart of any genuine attempt to stamp out domestic violence. Instead, what now appears to be a major failing on behalf of the support systems for women fleeing DV — which include WA Police but extends to other agencies — has been weaponised as a political tool. Beginning Sunday, Premier Roger Cook and Police Minister Paul Papalia have used Bombara’s horrific actions to argue the case for sweeping gun reforms currently before Parliament. Despite possessing an overwhelming majority in the Legislative Council and the means to legislate whatever they like quickly, Cook and Papalia have condemned the Opposition for “holding up” the passage of the laws. On Monday, Cook went so far as to say failure to support the gun reforms equated to “condoning similar events (to the Bombara murders) potentially taking place into the future”. “It’s time that members of Parliament stop the politics,” the Premier said. Good advice — but misdirected. Rather than kicking an impotent Opposition, Cook and Papalia’s scrutiny would be better applied to the conduct and culture of WA Police when it comes to DV cases. Police Commissioner Col Blanch emerged from COVID isolation on Tuesday to confirm an internal investigation into Ariel’s bombshell allegations was already under way. He made all the right noises, denouncing DV and vowing to get to the bottom of exactly how Ariel and her mum were treated. “Everyone that reports domestic violence… deserves to have the very best response,” Blanch said. “If that’s not what has been experienced or felt here, that’s something that I, as Commissioner, have to work with.” It is also something that Ariel, her mum and the surviving members of the Petelczyc family have to live with. Answers are the very least they deserve.