Siege deaths coroner calls for shake up

A review of the Arms Act has been called for by coroner David Crerar in his report on the deaths of Constable Len Snee and gunman Jan Molenaar.
Mr Crerar said the policy on military-style weapons must be looked at, but also laid blame with those who supplied Molenaar with his arsenal of illegal semi-automatic guns, saying they shared responsibility for Mr Snee's death.
The report also recommended stab-resistant armour be mandatory for police officers, and called for a quicker roll-out of digital radios.
The findings were released yesterday in the final report following an inquest held in Napier in March and April. Mr Crerar said there were deficiencies in Arms Act legislation and enforcement, and at present it was "only complied with by honest people".
Molenaar had an arsenal of weapons, explosives and ammunition, including a Ruger mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, which probably fired the fatal shots.
In total, 17 firearms and a rocket launcher were found at his property, many from "non-legitimate sources".
Mr Crerar said a lack of intelligence about Molenaar was a major failing leading to the deaths, and those who knew the risk he posed should have told police.
Anyone who had supplied him illegal, high-powered firearms "shares a responsibility for the deaths of Constable Snee", he said.
He also reiterated that stab-resistant body armour should be mandatory for police.
Officers carrying out the search warrant in May last year weren't wearing the vests, going against police general instructions.
They wouldn't have protected them from high-powered rifles but Mr Crerar said they may have given police a greater authority and caused Molenaar to hesitate before shooting.
Officers also hadn't radioed their location to police communications, possibly because of reservations about using an open radio channel.
The report said digital radios should be rolled out expediently.
Police Superintendent John Rivers said the coroner's recommendations were already being acted upon.
Policy changes would soon be recommended to the Police Minister concerning the Arms Act.
The rollout of digital radio had already begun, with Wellington and Wairarapa now operating, followed by the rest of the country by 2014.
Mr Rivers said a closer assessment of risks was being made when planning search warrants since the shooting of Mr Snee and Sergeant Don Wilkinson in Auckland.
A spokesman for Police Minister Judith Collins said she wouldn't comment on the recommendations as they were operational matters.