Welfare Calls Questioned After Man Dies in 19-hour Wait

Police concede it took officers a long time responding to a welfare call for an ailing elderly man, but say it’s too early to know if the 19-hour wait contributed to his death. The 85-year-old was still breathing when police arrived at his southwest Sydney unit, but he was declared dead after CPR failed to save him. Senior officers on July 12 defended the long wait after a concerned member of the public called with fears for the welfare of the Bankstown resident. Critics have seized on the death as evidence under-resourced police should not be performing welfare checks and mental health call-outs, after a series of concerning incidents involving vulnerable individuals....