It took more than 12 months after the deadly Sydney siege for NSW Police to order a new negotiator truck, considered vital equipment in dealing with hostage situations.
Police will finally be armed with a new truck, with the high-tech vehicle due to be delivered next month.
But it was revealed on Wednesday the truck, which replaces the vehicle out of action since 2011, was not ordered by police until February this year.
The revelation comes as negotiators giving evidence at the inquest into the siege have in recent days detailed how they initially had to work out of a 4WD, and later in cramped conditions at a leagues club near the Lindt Cafe where the siege unfolded.
They had just a single phone line, as they attempted to bring the stand-off to a peaceful end.
NSW Police Minister Troy Grant on Wednesday admitted he only "just recently" had been made aware there was no negotiator truck in place at the time of the December 2014 siege, which left hostages Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson dead, as well as the gunman Man Haron Monis.
Mr Grant was not the police minister at the time of the siege, although was a member of Premier Mike Baird's cabinet.
"I don't have a status report on every bit of equipment that NSW Police Force has in and around NSW," he said on Wednesday morning.
Mr Grant added that decisions about resourcing and equipment purchases for police, including in relation to the negotiator truck, were made by police and Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
"If he makes that ask of government, if that's a need that he can't meet within his budget, then that's a totally appropriate question to ask government and we'll obviously consider it."
The fact that police had already ordered a new truck was confirmed by the deputy premier's office a few hours later.
The development came as it also emerged that it took as least three hours for vital information, including the identity of the gunman inside the cafe, to reach at least some members of the negotiation team.
One team member, identified as "Sasha", said on Wednesday that it was not until about 2.30pm on the day of the siege that she first heard that Monis may be the gunman.
Sasha immediately contacted a colleague, Detective Senior Constable Melanie Staples, who had been in charge of a murder investigation involving Monis.
The details of that telephone conversation, which took place at about 2.35pm, are included in a log kept by Ms Staples, part of which was read out on Wednesday by Michael O'Connell SC, counsel for Ms Dawson.
Mr O'Connell: "Clearly enough Ms Staples was expressing her frustrations to you wasn't she?"
Sasha: "Quite possibly. And if Melanie has recorded things in that way, I wouldn't doubt it."
Mr O'Connell: "I'm not suggesting that she is frustrated but I am suggesting that she said that she had raised her suspicions with senior officers in the homicide squad three hours earlier, and she made that claim to you didn't she?"
Sasha: "Yes, she did."
The inquest continues.
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