A senior police officer has cried at an inquest while apologising to the family of an Aboriginal man who died while running from officers in north west NSW.
WARNING: This story contains images and details of an Aboriginal person who has died and have been used with the permission of his family.
Senior Constable Crystal Manusu was in charge of the initial police search for Gordon Copeland, 22, who ultimately drowned in the flooded Gwydir River near Moree in July last year.
The Gomeroi man's body was found three months later after the NSW coroner ordered a final search, amid protests from the family.
On day two of the inquest in Moree, the senior officer was again questioned by counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer in relation to the time spent searching along the river for the the missing man.
Senior Constable Manusu agreed reports from fellow officers of a splash, groaning, and someone falling over an embankment meant they could have been hurt.
She told the inquest police should have spent longer than 13 minutes searching for the missing man.
"I can see with hindsight I should've spent more time at the river," Senior Constable Manusu said.
Aboriginal Legal Service public defender Bill Neild also questioned the officer as to whether or not her following the vehicle containing the victim on the night he died constituted a pursuit.
Senior Constable Manusu said that while she was speeding, it was not a pursuit as she did not use lights or sirens.
The officer told the court she was trying to catch up to the vehicle to check her suspicions the car may have been stolen.
Mr Neild questioned her evidence.
"You didn't know who was in the vehicle, and you didn't know if the car was stolen," he said.
"I put to you you had no reason to believe on reasonable grounds an offence had been committed by the people driving that vehicle."
Senior Contsable Manusu responded that she "suspected it could've been a stolen vehicle".
She shed tears as she told Mr Copeland's family she would be "devastated" if something happened to her own family.
"I joined this job to help others and to protect the community, and with the benefit of hindsight if there was anything I could have done differently that would have changed the outcome I would do it without hesitation," she said, reading from a prepared statement.
"I am truly and sincerely sorry for your loss."
The hearing continues.
