NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has sacked her top media minder amid criticism of her public handling of a serving officer’s alleged double murder.
Liz Deegan has been told her services are no longer required, bringing her tenure as executive director of public affairs to a close after less than a year in the role.
Deegan, who previously held senior positions at News Corp and the NRL, is the third person to be moved on from the job in the last two years, following intense scrutiny of Webb’s recent media performances.
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The state’s top cop was accused of taking too long to front the public over the disappearance of Luke Davies and his boyfriend Jesse Baird, an investigation that has turned the spotlight on her police force after senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with their murders.
Webb was also accused of using flippant language when she said the alleged murders were a “crime of passion”.
There was backlash too for the Commissioner when she referenced a Taylor Swift song while fending off critics during an appearance on Sunrise last month.
“There will always be haters. Haters like to hate. Isn’t that what Taylor says?” she said.
Swift memes were circulating among police officers shortly after, and Upper House MP Rod Roberts argued the pop star’s lyrics should not have been used during such a serious investigation.
There was also criticism last May for Webb’s apparent delayed response to the taser death of grandmother Clare Nowland.
The 95-year-old was allegedly tasered by Senior Constable Kristian White in an aged care home in Cooma. White has been charged with manslaughter.
NSW Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Wednesday that Webb retained his support.
“She does, absolutely. It’s a difficult job being the police commissioner in NSW,” he said.
“I’ve made it really clear that in terms of the key KPIs for that important position — crime prevention, organising the police force to tackle organised crime, regional crime, institutional problems in the state — I think she does an excellent job.”
– With reporting from Andrew Denney
