NEWS

SHOCK revelations from the police internal review into the fatal shooting of liquor store owner Navtej Singh have left his already furious family with "serious concerns" about the police response to the horrific crime.

Navtej was gunned down during a raid on his liquor store on Riverton Road, Manurewa, on June 7. The 30-year-old died in Middlemore Hospital 27 hours later.

There was widespread outrage when it was later revealed police waited 26 minutes before allowing St John staff to enter the south Auckland store where Navtej lay fatally wounded on the floor.

His traumatised wife, Harjinder Kaur, his business partner and a close friend were in the store with a stricken Navtej, and a family spokesman told of how the terrified onlookers screamed for help.

But police still waited before entering the store and allowing ambulance officers to help Navtej even though customers had time to buy liquor during the wait.

Police and St John staff have defended the delay, saying it was an armed situation and best-practice procedures including waiting at a safe point had to be followed.

Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher said at the time police had to establish the gunman's whereabouts to ensure no one else's life was in danger.

But a source has told Sunday News the police internal review into the tragedy has revealed:

When one police car carrying weapons arrived at the Manurewa, south Auckland, scene, it was discovered the wrong keys had been taken to unlock the weapons cache. Officers had to wait for someone to rush back to the police station to get the correct keys.

An officer who was attending an aggravated robbery at the time of the call-out had to drop off a colleague and offender who were in his car to a police station before going to the fatal shooting scene.

Navtej's father, Nahar Singh, speaking through interpreter and New Zealand Sikh Society spokesman Manpreet Singh, yesterday told Sunday News he was angered by the revelations.

"(The) police really ... should have prepared themselves. If they forgot the key it is a serious concern," Nahar said.

"They shouldn't have forgotten the key, they should have prepared and everything should have been ready to come to the incident."

Tasman District Commander Superintendent Grant O'Fee, who wrote the internal police review, declined to comment on the source's revelations to Sunday News.

"The report has not yet been released publicly, so until such time as the commissioner wishes to do that I'm not really at liberty to discuss it," O'Fee said.

Police National Headquarters also declined to comment, as a review of police conduct and procedures during the incident by the Independent Police Conduct Authority is still not complete.

"Out of courtesy to the authority and their complainants, we would not release an internal debrief document ahead of the authority's deliberations," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

Navtej's family announced last month they had laid an official complaint with the IPCA. The review is expected to be completed in a few weeks.