A Queensland police officer testified at a coronial inquest that insufficient resources led to her colleague missing an email requesting mental health support for Joel Cauchi, approximately a year before he committed a deadly stabbing spree at Sydney’s Bondi Junction.
During the inquest, the officers’ colleague—acting as the sole mental health officer for a district with 220,000 people—received an email from another officer, asking for a follow-up with Cauchi’s family. This followed an incident in January 2023, where Cauchi called the police after his father confiscated his knives because of concerns over his son’s mental health. Although Cauchi’s mother stated to the police that she was unsure how to get him treatment unless he “did something drastic,” this email was overlooked, which the officer found “devastating” and not representative of her usual performance.
The officer who missed the email was so emotionally affected by the oversight that she cried when questioned about it. She emphasized that her colleague’s actions did not reflect his standard work as a mental health officer.
Cauchi, who had schizophrenia, was responsible for the stabbing of six people at Westfield Bondi Junction in April 2024. He was eventually shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott.
Between 2016 and 2020, Queensland saw more than a 50% increase in police responses to mental health-related calls, but officers lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to handle these issues. The officer in charge of mental health intervention for the Darling Downs district, where Cauchi’s parents lived, described her role as “overwhelming,” mentioning that she could receive up to 40 emails daily from other officers regarding mental health cases.
Additionally, evidence presented at the inquest highlighted that she would have checked Cauchi’s history and discovered prior incidents, including erratic driving and suspicious activities, indicating that intervention might have been possible.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/06/bondi-junction-stabbing-inquest-police-mental-health-officer-evidence-ntwnfb
