| Queensland Police Service | |
| Logo of the Queensland Police Service. | |
| Motto | With Honour We Serve |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 January 1864 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Queensland, Australia |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 200 Roma Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 |
| Police Officers | Approximately 11,000 as of July 2011 |
| General Employees | 515 (30 June 2010) |
| Police Commissioner responsible | Robert Atkinson APM |
| Units |
List
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| Website | |
| www.police.qld.gov.au/ | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve". The headquarters of the Queensland Police Service is located at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contents |
Queensland as a state did not exist until 6 June 1859.[1] The area now called Queensland was known as North Eastern New South Wales. The colony would have been under the jurisdiction of the New South Wales Police Force up until Queensland established its own police force.
The Queensland Police was established on 1 January 1864 and started operations with approximately 143 employees, including the first Commissioner of Police D.T. Seymour. The service had four divisions: Metropolitan Police, Rural Police, Water Police, and Native Police. Bicycles were introduced in 1895. At the turn of the century there were 845 men and 135 Aboriginal trackers at 256 stations in Queensland.
In 1904 the Queensland Police started to use fingerprinting in investigations. In 1912 Brisbane general strike the Queensland Police were used to suppress striking workers. The first female police officers were inducted in 1931 to assist in inquiries involving female suspects and prisoners. Following World War II a number of technological innovations were adopted including radio for communication within Queensland and between state departments. By 1950 the Service was staffed by 2,030 sworn personnel, 10 women police and 30 trackers.
In 1965 female officers were given the same powers as male officers. The Queensland Police Academy at Oxley, Brisbane, was completed in 1972. Bicycles were phased out in 1975 and more cars and motorcycles were put into service. The Air Wing also became operational in 1975 following the purchase of two single-engine aircraft.
A new computerised message switching system was put into use throughout Queensland in 1980. At the time it was one of the most effective police communication systems in Australia.
The decade was a turbulent period in Queensland's political history. Allegations of high-level corruption in both the Queensland Police and State Government led to a judicial inquiry presided by Tony Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald Inquiry which ran from July 1987 to July 1989 led to charges being laid against many long serving police, including Jack Herbert, Licensing Branch Sergeant Harry Burgess, Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker[2] and Commissioner Terry Lewis. Lewis was jailed and served ten and a half years.
The Fitzgerald Inquiry also led to a perjury trial against former Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen, which ended with a hung jury. The Director of Public Prosecutions elected not to pursue a retrial due to Bjelke-Petersen's age and health. It was later revealed that the jury foreman for the trial was a member of the Young Nationals and identified with the "friends of Joh" movement.
The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act was passed by the Queensland Government on 1 July 1997. Law enforcement equipment introduced in the 1990s include Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) Spray, the Glock semi-automatic pistol, extendable batons and hinged handcuffs in 1998 and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser-based detection devices and an Integrated Traffic Camera System in 1999 to enforce traffic speed limits.
The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 came into force in July 2000 which consolidated the majority of police powers into one Act. The Queensland Police contributed to the national CrimTrac system and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), established in 2000. The Crime and Misconduct Act 2001 commenced 1 January 2002 and redefined the responsibilities of the Service and the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) with respect to the management of complaints.
In 2002 there were 8,367 sworn officers (20.2% female) and 2,925 staff members at 321 stations, 40 Police Beat shopfronts and 21 Neighbourhood Police Beats throughout the state. By 2004 the service grown to 9,003 sworn officers (21.8% female) and 2,994 other staff members. As at 30 June 2008 there were 10,237 sworn officers (25% female) and 2,929 other staff members.[3]
The Taser electroshock weapon was trialled by some officers in 2006 and was eventually issued in 2009. In mid-2007, approximately 5,000 officers participated in the Pride in Policing march through Brisbane.
In early 2010, raids were made by the CMC (Crime and Misconduct Commission) on police stations in Queensland.[4] The results of the raids and interrogations of police officers are being kept confidential, but come less than a year after a CMC report claiming
"the evidence revealed an attitude on the part of a not insignificant number of police officers, and their supervisors, that it was acceptable to act in ways that ignored legislative and QPS policy requirements, that were improper, and in some cases were dishonest and unlawful. Based on past experiences, the CMC had no confidence that the attitudes of those police officers would change without the pressure of public exposure."
The CMC report focused on police corruption, and not police brutality that accounted for ten times as many complaints in Surfers Paradise - 130 reports to 13 in the 18 months to March 2010.[5] The problems with Policing on the Gold Coast likely to continue given the inability of the Queensland Police Service to attract sufficient number of quality applicants given the Queensland Government's unwillingness to pay police adequately. This being contrary to one the recommendations by the Fitzgerald Inquiry as an important feature of an effective anti-corruption strategy. The Crime and Misconduct Commissions terms of reference did not include examining the role licensed premises under the Liquor Act had as a corrupting influence on police despite the findings indicating they played a role. This was due to Queensland Government displaying a reluctance to appropriately regulating Liquor outlets and rather talk about the symptoms of an underlying problem.
In June 2009 a man died after allegedly being tasered by Queensland police 28 times.[6]
In 2008, the CMC investigated an officer after he used a Taser on a teenage girl at South Bank.[7] After the girl refused to 'move on' from helping an unconscious friend, she was tasered whilst being held down by a security guard. A magistrate later ruled the officers did not give the girl adequate directions and threw out a charge of obstructing police. The CMC made an attempt to re-investigate but stated that the officers involved would not face charges. As a consequence of the incident, the Service conducted a review into issuing Tasers equipped with a camera. A subsequent inquiry by the CMC into the use of the TASER by the Queensland Police Service found there was no systemic abuse of the device by officers. CCTV video footage was released, despite best efforts of the young girls solicitor to block its release, showing the girls lashing out and kicking the officer, knocking the Taser out of his holster before he was forced to use it. [8]
Also in 2006 and 2008 footage was caught of police beating homeless men after they were pinned to the ground.[9][10] It came a year after a report by organizations including the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) and community groups such as the Red Cross, which detailed widespread harassment by police of the socially vulnerable. Approximately 75% of interviewees made such claims, but the report was ignored by the government. Police Minister Judy Spence said of the report "At a cursory glance, it looks like a compendium of views from nameless, homeless people,".[11]
The Service has been accused of institutional racism after its fierce support of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley who stood trial for the 2004 assault and manslaughter of Mulrunji Doomadgee. Senior Sergeant Hurley was initially subject of a Coronial Inquest by Coroner Christine Clements where he was found to have a case to answer despite conflicting medical evidence. The Director of Public Prosecutions Leanne Claire refused to place Senior Sergeant Hurley on trial for lack of evidence. The Queensland Attorney General Kerry Shine ordered a review despite advice from the State Solicitor-General Walter Sofronoff QC highlighting the lack of evidence. A review by New South Wales Former Chief Justice Sir Laurence Street found there was a case to answer. Senior Sergeant Hurley was found not guilty by a jury in the Townsville Supreme Court and the findings of the Coronial Inquest were subsequently overturned by the Townsville District Court.
There are eight police regions and four commands in the State of Queensland, each under command of an Assistant Commissioner:
These regions are further divided into districts and further still into divisions.
The Queensland Police Service has two classes of uniformed personnel: 'sworn' and 'unsworn' officers. Both classes adorn the same blue uniform, however:
Ranks of the Queensland Police Service are as follows:
| Constable | Constable (1st Class) |
Senior Constable |
Sergeant | Senior Sergeant |
Inspector | Superintendent | Chief Superintendent |
Assistant Commissioner |
Deputy Commissioner |
Commissioner |
Rank insignia is worn only by uniformed officers. Prior to mid-2009, only officers at the rank of Inspector and above (commissioned officers) had the words 'Queensland Police' embroidered on their epaulettes, however new uniform mandates saw the introduction of the words 'Queensland Police' on all epaulettes issued to sworn officers after this date. The epaulettes of commissioned officers are significantly larger than the epaulettes of lower ranks. Different paypoints apply within the same rank relative to years of service.
Officers must serve a minimum of three years in general duties before being permitted to serve in specialist areas such as:
| Period Served | Name |
|---|---|
| 2000– | Robert Atkinson, APM |
| 1992–2000 | James Patrick O'Sullivan |
| 1989–1992 | Noel Ronald Newnham |
| 1987–1989 | Ronald Joseph Redmond |
| 1976–1987 | Terence Murray Lewis |
| 1970–1976 | Raymond Wells Whitrod, CVO, QPM |
| 1969–1970 | Norrin William Bauer |
| 1958–1969 | Francis Erich Bischof |
| 1957 | Thomas William Harrold |
| 1955–1957 | Patrick Glynn |
| 1949–1954 | John Smith |
| 1934–1949 | Cecil James Carroll |
| 1925–1934 | William Harold Ryan |
| 1921–1925 | Patrick Short |
| 1917–1921 | Frederick Charles Urquhart |
| 1905–1916 | William Geoffrey Cahill |
| 1895–1905 | William Edward Parry-Okenden |
| 1864–1895 | David Thomson Seymour |
Standard equipment issued and worn on duty belt by a General Duties police officer:
Supplier of belt and pouches is TripleB Leathercraft.
Other equipment provided to officers include:
As of 2009 selected officers around the state carry a Taser (X26) with spare air cartridge, which are both contained within a specially designed holster.
Vehicles currently in use with the Queensland Police Service:
HSV and FPV vehicles are also used throughout the state as State Traffic Task Force or Highway Patrol units.
The SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) unit also has a specialised armoured vehicle, a Lenco BearCat, at its disposal for use in riot control and other potentially dangerous situations throughout the Brisbane and Gold Coast regions.
The Queensland Police has recently received its first police helicopter, based on the Gold Coast. The helipcotper is being used for a six month trial period; and if successful numerous more helicopters would be purchased for use by the police around the state. The highly anticipated $1.6 million Bell Long Ranger has already been hailed a success, assisting police in 24 different dispatches in its first 3 days of operation, and will be used extensively during major events such as schoolies week and the Gold Coast 600 . The helicopter is fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment such as infrared and thermal imaging cameras, and other equipment based on the NSW Police Service helicopters.
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