Police lead Buswell probe
The fallout from Troy Buswell's traffic accident shifted to the police investigation yesterday as the Opposition sought to establish whether WA Police had followed standard procedure.
The questions came after it was revealed police had gone back to speak to at least three owners of vehicles that sustained apparent hit-and-run damage in Subiaco on the same night Mr Buswell crashed his ministerial Holden Caprice.
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"What advice have you requested from the Commissioner of Police in respect of residents who lodged reports of hit-and-run accidents were told their complaints would not be followed up despite a report of dangerous driving that night in the same area," shadow police minister Michelle Roberts asked Police Minister Liza Harvey in question time.
"Have you satisfied yourself that this is considered standard operating practice?"
Mrs Harvey replied: "There is an ongoing police investigation into the matters of February 23. Police are doing what they are resourced to do, they are doing what they are trained to do.
"I will leave the police to do their job."
Mrs Roberts then asked: "On the general matter, is it standard operating procedure for reports of hit-and-run accidents not to be linked with (reports of) dangerous driving when they occur in the same area?"
Mrs Harvey said she found it "amazing" that Mrs Roberts was asking the questions before restating that she would not comment on continuing investigations.
A spokeswoman for Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said police used several systems to record and process data and these systems were not necessarily linked.
On Tuesday, The West Australian reported that Mr Buswell's chief of staff Rachael Turnseck had some knowledge of his crash on February 23, but no one in the Premier's office found out until last Sunday.
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