"Political pressure" was discussed by the two top police managing the Lindt cafe siege after 12 fruitless hours spent trying to contact the gunman, an inquest has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The police forward commander, who cannot be named, spoke with his superior, police commander Mark Jenkins at 11pm, three hours before Man Haron Monis murdered a cafe manager.
He said on Monday he could not recall the conversation with Mr Jenkins.
But the forward commander asked "political pressure?" according to notes taken by his scribe on the night of the December 2014 siege.
The forward commander said he had been referring to the role of government in setting broad policy and strategy, as set out in state and national guidelines.
"Quite the opposite," Mr Jenkins responded to the political pressure question, according to the notes. "Nervous on DA, not sure what's in backpack."
A deliberate action plan, or DA, would have involved a surprise tactical assault on the Lindt cafe. But police worried Monis had a backpack bomb.
Just before the 11pm conversation with his forward commander, Mr Jenkins spoke with Commissioner of Police Andrew Scipione. A police log recorded after the conversation: "DA plan to occur as last resort – COP".
Mr Scipione has indicated through a lawyer he did not provide any guidance, advice, directions or orders through the 17-hour siege. He may yet be called before the inquest as a witness.
The forward commander said "I don't think I was told about that conversation" with Mr Scipione. He disagreed that deliberate action had been a last resort.
He said the formulation and approval of the plan had been one of his two main priorities when he began his shift at 10pm.
"You needed a DA approved?" counsel assisting the inquest, Jeremy Gormly, SC, asked.
"Yes," the forward commander said. But the plan would not pass the first of a two-stage approval process. The forward commander was not briefed on the deliberate action plan until three hours into his shift.
"Contain and negotiate" remained the preferred strategy of police, despite their failure to contact Monis directly.
The forward commander said he had felt a "tug of war" between the negotiations team and the tactical commander, who wanted to mount a surprise assault.
The forward commander also said Monis' demands for contact with the prime minister and an Islamic state flag had already been refused by the police operation centre.
"It excluded you from the decision making, didn't it," Mr Gormly asked. "Yes," the forward commander replied.
He was the one to eventually send in police under an emergency action plan after Monis shot manager Tori Johnson dead.
"It was probably the hardest bloody decision I've made in 35 years of policing," he said, adding he expected all of his officers to die. "I shut my eyes and waited for the shockwave."
Monis, who did not have a bomb, was shot dead by the police who entered at 2.13am. Barrister Katrina Dawson was killed by police bullet fragments that had ricocheted.
The inquest continues before Coroner Michael Barnes.
