Commissioner confirms injured officer burnt by chemicals

Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan confirmed this morning a South West police officer was injured while handling the explosive powder TATP found in Leschenault Estuary.

Speaking at a joint media conference in Perth with Premier Colin Barnett, Mr O’Callaghan said a police officer required medical attention to a finger after being burnt by the chemical while testing it.

He said early testing on the powder indicated it was drug related, but it was later confirmed in Perth to be the volatile explosive TATP which is also called Mother of Satan.

Mr O’Callaghan said there would be a review of procedures after police did not discovering the actual contents of the powder until it left Australind.

“Drugs get cut with all sorts of different chemical compounds so it's not completely unheard of that you could get an injury from something that's mixed up with a drug,” he said.

“It is being treated obviously as a volatile potentially explosive package but as I said before we don't know what's in that.”

Mr O’Callaghan is appealing for anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.