"It's a dummy spit": Ben Fordham slams Police Commissioner
Ben Fordham has slammed the NSW Police Commissioner for pulling the pin on a radio interview at the last minute, with the radio host claiming she was requesting "favourable coverage".
Karen Webb was set to appear on the 2GB radio show on Monday morning, after facing several months of public scrutiny due to a series of blunders.
“But the commissioner is not coming on our show this morning, (she) called me on Friday to explain this,” Fordham said to his loyal listeners.
He said she was not happy about a “cheeky” question he asked Premier Chris Minns earlier in the day, asking whether he had received her “letter of resignation”.
“It’s a dummy spit and it’s another example of the commissioner taking things personally instead of looking for the lesson,” he said.
Fordham went on to claim that Commissioner Webb had approached media executives to ask for "favourable coverage" before agreeing to be interviewed.
“The NSW Police Commissioner has approached media bosses at Nine Radio and NewsCorp. I know this because one of the conversations was about me,” Fordham said.
Fordham referred to the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland, who was allegedly tasered by Senior Constable Kristian White at a Cooma aged care home in May 2023.
“When I was asking questions about the lack of transparency over the Taser incident, the commissioner complained to my boss,” Fordham said.
“It was clear to me what was going on, Karen Webb wanted me to ease up a bit.”
He added, “Morale in the police force is tanking, and the commissioner has gone into hiding.”
Pressure on the commissioner has increased since serving police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon was charged with the double murder of Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February.
Police allege he used a service weapon to kill the couple, prompting concerns over the force’s weapon handling protocols and leadership.
Ms Webb was noticeably silent in the days that followed Mr Lamarre-Condon being charged, and when she did finally face the cameras, she was slammed for a series of embarrassing blunders, including referring to the alleged murder as a “crime of passion” and quoting Taylor Swift lyrics when asked if she should resign.
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