NSW needs better access to consultant psychiatrists with expertise in Islamic State to help deal with any future terrorist incidents, police commissioner Mick Fuller has admitted.
State coroner Michael Barnes' report into the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege reserved some of its harshest criticism for the consultant psychiatrist who assisted police during the attack with his work described as being "sub-optimal".
The doctor not only made "erroneous and unrealistic assessments" of what was happening inside the Martin Place cafe but also strayed into the realm of Islamic terrorism despite having no expertise in that area, Mr Barnes said.
Mr Fuller on Thursday was asked how many psychiatrists Australian authorities had access to with experience covering Islamic State and jihad.
"Not enough, is the answer," he told ABC radio.
"It's less than five."
The inquest found the "undue reliance" placed on the Lindt siege consultant - who Mr Fuller said was no longer engaged in the role - partly contributed to an underestimation by authorities of gunman Man Haron Monis and the threat he posed.
Mr Barnes on Wednesday found police were not to blame for the deaths of hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson in December 2014 despite waiting "too long" when they took 10 minutes to storm the cafe after Monis fired a shot at fleeing hostages.
Comments supportive of the 14 tactical officers who entered the building and shot Monis dead have been welcomed by then-police commissioner Andrew Scipione.
"What I've heard is the coroner has praised their bravery and they deserve that praise," Mr Scipione told the Seven Network.
The coroner recommended NSW Police use a more diverse panel of experts in the future and Mr Fuller said that process was already underway.
"You're talking about trying to find people who have expertise in a number of different fields, not just Islamic State, so it's certainly a challenge for us to get these people," he said.
"The important thing in the future is making sure we use our partner agencies to get access to experts who may be in SA, or WA, and they're the type of relationships we're trying to develop at the moment."
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