Inspector tells Copeland inquest job will stay with police officers for the rest of their lives

Mr Copeland's body was found three months after disappearing into the Gwydir River during a police incident in the early hours of July 10, 2021. The coronial inquest into his death began in Moree on Monday, July 18.

Inspector Helen McWilliam of Moree Police told the inquest on Tuesday that policing was difficult.

"I think some jobs stay with officers for the rest of their lives and I believe this job will stay with both my young officers and myself for the rest of our lives," Inspector McWilliam said.

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"I just want to say to all the family, how very very sorry I am for your loss. I could not even begin to imagine what life without Gordon is like," she said.

Inspector McWilliam gave evidence about the expectations she had of her officers, and any police.

When questioned about heated conversations and the time the Copeland family spent waiting for information, she said she expected everyone to be treated with respect.

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Inspector McWilliam was asked about the performance of officers including if they should take notes, make accurate event entries and use detailed descriptions.

She said knowing what questions to ask came with maturity and experience, and that notes were continually encouraged and expected.

"A phrase I use a lot is, 'make sure you've written everything down'... times and dates."

The court heard that part of the reason the first search was called off, when Mr Copeland went missing, came from information through covert policing.

Inspector McWilliam said she received a call to say, "You can call the dogs off... there were two people in the car and they have been accounted for".

Detective Sergeant Greg Ryan said the decision to stop the search was made because of information captured during Strikeforce Payphone and as a result of lines of inquiries by another local detective with the owner of the car involved in the incident, Michelle Lahood/Clark, who gave evidence earlier in the week.

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He said it was not detectives who made the final decision.

"Who is responsible for calling off the search in your mind?" he was asked. "The inspector in charge of the search, which was McWilliam in this case," he said.

He told the court that he did not speak with the officers involved in the first event, who saw the person in the river, or attempt to when processing the information, and admitted he possibly should have.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I was relying on information provided to me with people I was under the presumption had spent time speaking to those police officers."

The court heard if information was provided sooner that there was a third person in the vehicle, it would have changed the policing efforts.

A passenger in the vehicle involved in the event, Kowhai Roberts, also gave evidence on Tuesday.

Ms Roberts said she didn't try and call Gordon after the incident to check on him because she didn't know how to.

And when Gordon's partner sent a message to her asking if she had seen Gordon, Ms Roberts replied, no.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" she was asked. "I don't know actually. I should've, I really should've but I was scared of what they were gunna say."

Ms Roberts later gave the information to her mother and sister who contacted Gordon's family, and the next day she attended the police station.

Ms Roberts said she was sorry she didn't provide the information earlier to help keep the search active.

"It is f***ed up what happened out there, like it's nothin' that I want anyone to go through. It's not a good feeling.

"I cant change anything and I wish I could rewind time and go back and change it but I can't."