Lindy "Kimmy" Lucena, 64, died from her injuries after being beaten by her partner of five years, Robert Karl Huber, on January 3, 2023 at Ballina, in northern NSW.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission on Tuesday tabled a report into the police response to the attack, finding there was no evidence of serious misconduct by any officer but the overall response to the incident was inadequate.
On the night of the fatal attack, a triple-zero call at 7pm described a woman being bashed behind the Salvation Army building in Ballina.
While the attack was logged in the dispatch system at 7.03pm, it was not broadcast to officers until 7.10pm.
It was then meant to be re-broadcast every 60 seconds, but was not played again until 7.24pm before a third and final broadcast 10 minutes later.
Officers did not arrive at the scene until 7.55pm due to a combination of factors, including a high volume of emergency call-outs at the time.
The police who attended had been directing traffic at a relatively minor accident earlier that night.
Upon arrival, two officers in separate vehicles slowly drove past the building, spending only around three-and-a-half minutes there before stating they had seen nothing.
"Neither officer got out of their car, although there were no other outstanding priority-two jobs and it would have taken only minutes to have done so," the police watchdog said.
"By not leaving their cars, the officers missed the opportunity to hear or see something that may have led to further information about the reported assault."
The watchdog found this failure contributed to an inadequate police response, but did not amount to serious misconduct on the part of either officer.
Law Enforcement Conduct Commissioner Anina Johnson said the investigation highlighted the difficulty of police work, but would also strengthen future responses.
"One of the challenges of policing is that any one job may mean the difference between life and death," she said.
"But for police on the ground, it may not be clear which job that will be. All jobs need to be done diligently."
Greens MP Sue Higginson condemned the police response detailed in the report.
"Lindy Lucena was a mother, a sister and a friend. An inadequate police response played a role in her death," she said.
Lucena's killer and former partner Huber, 69, was in September jailed for 12 years and nine months after being found guilty of manslaughter.
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