Police chief asks 'did we get it right?' after murder-suicide

South Australia's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has urged his force to frankly examine the circumstances surrounding a recent murder-suicide that claimed the lives of a young mother and her two children. The bodies of Helena Wright and her 23-month-old daughter were recovered from waters off Port MacDonnell on July 27. Her three-month-old son is also presumed dead, though his body has not yet been found.

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did we get it right?

Stevens acknowledged that questions must be answered, particularly after it was revealed that Wright had attended the Mount Gambier Police Station the day before she was discovered. While he could not disclose the specifics of that interaction, he confirmed she "was spoken to by a police officer."

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was spoken to by a police officer

The police chief emphasized that a comprehensive report for the coroner is being prepared. He cautioned against assumptions about how the situation could have been handled differently but stated his intention is to ask, "did we get it right?" The report will examine not only the immediate events but also the broader circumstances leading up to the tragedy, including any prior interactions with police.

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I'm not presuming we could have done things better

Stevens indicated that if the coronial process reveals opportunities for improvement in service delivery, police will swiftly implement changes. "We do our own reflection, and we make changes prior to any coronial inquest," he stated, underscoring a commitment to learning from the event regardless of its specific details.

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We do our own reflection, and we make changes prior to any coronial inquest