The police watchdog is set to hand down a report after examining why it took officers almost an hour to respond to a brutal domestic violence attack.
Lindy "Kimmy" Lucena, 64, was beaten to death by her partner of five years, Robert Karl Huber, on January 3, 2023, at Ballina in northern NSW.
"There's a man bashing the hell out of his woman at the back of the Salvation Army," an informant told police during a triple-zero call placed at 7pm.
Arriving on the scene at 7.55pm, an unnamed officer never even got out of his car as he searched for those involved, an inquiry was told in December.
Why it took officers so long to reach the scene and what could have been done better will be the subject of a report by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission due to be made public on Tuesday.
The responding officer admitted he did not look beyond a pool fence where Ms Lucena's body would be found more than four hours later after Huber himself reported her death to police.
While the attack was logged in the dispatch system at 7.03pm, it was not broadcast to officers until 7.10pm - a full seven minutes later.
From there, it was meant to be re-broadcast every 60 seconds, but on the night it was not played again until 7.24pm, before a third and final broadcast 10 minutes later.
The dispatcher who relayed the initial job to officers told the inquiry the system used to track tasks as they were reported was no longer fit for purpose.
"It was designed for smaller areas, so when it is busy you can't see every job," the man, who spoke anonymously, said.
"It's past its use-by date."
Counsel assisting the commission, Emma Sullivan, noted the night of Ms Lucena's death had been particularly busy for officers who responded to a large number of call-outs.
She described the officers as hardworking, professional and having undertaken their jobs to the best of their abilities under significant pressure.
Huber, 69, was sentenced in September to 12 years and nine months behind bars after being found guilty of manslaughter.
During his trial it was revealed he had drunk half a bottle of gin and taken sedatives when he struck Ms Lucena with at least five blows that left her seriously injured.
Huber was acquitted of the more serious charge of murder, with Justice Stephen Rothman finding Ms Lucena died from a combination of factors, not simply the wounds caused by the beating.
They included having coronary heart disease and a small amount of methadone in her system.
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