Floreat murders: Top cops says internal review into dealings with Mark Bombara will be released in weeks

WA’s top cop says the findings of an internal review into the how police handled double murderer Mark Bombara in the lead-up to his heinous crimes will be publicly released in a matter of weeks. Police Commissioner Col Blanch ordered the internal investigation after Bombara murdered Jennifer Petelczyc and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl at their Floreat home. The 63-year-old was hunting his estranged wife and daughter Ariel when he forced his way into the home on May 24, shooting them dead before turning the gun on himself. In the days after the murders, Ariel claimed that she and her mother had explicitly and repeatedly warned police officers that her father was dangerous and owned many guns, one of which was missing. “We were ignored by five different male officers across three occasions of reporting,” she said at the time. “My father should always be considered accountable for his actions. “They were his and his alone, however, there are authorities who should have helped us to stop him, and they failed.” Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Blanch confirmed the report was finalised and that WA Police were working with the Bombara family on “timeframes and what they would like to see in the report”. Mr Blanch said the recommendations and findings would be made public. “We’ll release it publicly through the media but remembering there is an ongoing coronial investigation, so the State Coroner can make a determination to hold an inquest, which I suspect is likely,” he said. Mr Blanch said the police report would be released in “less than weeks”. Mr Blanch said the Corruption and Crime Commission and ombudsman would play an “oversight” role in the report. “The CCC also do an oversight investigation into our own internal investigation ... they will also release a report on what their thoughts were about our investigation,” he said. “The Ombudsman looks at family violence deaths and will also have an oversight role, so there are three oversight bodies to look at what police did in the lead up to those tragedies in WA. “So there are still three oversight bodies to look at what led to those tragedies.” In 2024, Mr Blanch conceded police may well have made “errors” in dealings with the Bombara family. “I don’t have all the information, so I don’t know how anyone else has got a report because I don’t have a report,” Mr Blanch told 6PR on August 27. “But I’ve got no doubt that as part of that entire sequence, police made errors, there will be mistakes made. “But I can give everyone this assurance. No one, no one in the police force wanted this outcome. It is a tragedy that has happened in our community.” The comments came after The West Australian revealed that the internal investigation found one officer was “dismissive” of Ariel’s repeated warnings. The West also reported at the time that another officer had back-filled notes about their interactions prior to the murders. 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732