No confidence powers to sack rogue police

Calls for Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll to be given new ‘no confidence’ powers to sack rogue police reflect the urgent necessity for a root and branch review of the entire Queensland Police Service dismissal system.

QCCL Vice-President Terry O’Gorman said that it is premature for the Queensland Premier to consider giving Police Commissioner new ‘no confidence’ powers to sack rogue police until the current Commission of Inquiry into the QPS response to domestic violence matters reports to the state government in December.

“There is a specific term of reference in the Commission of Inquiry’s work which requires that the Inquiry report on and recommend any changes that are needed in respect of the Queensland Police Service discipline system”, Mr O’Gorman said.

“Evidence given to the Inquiry supports the Council’s longstanding argument that the police discipline system is seriously flawed and requires a root and branch reform”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said that evidence that some senior police are acting as serious sexual predators towards female police officers but only receive so called managerial guidance for sexual assault behaviour that would result in ordinary Queenslanders being charged with criminal offences shows yet again the fundamental inadequacy of the Queensland Police discipline regime.

“Any other Queensland employee who touched an employee on the vagina as part of a promotion interview (see evidence given to the Inquiry) would be arrested and put before the courts in a flash but for Queensland Police all that appears to happen is that they receive ‘managerial guidance, a talking to’ and are left in place to constantly reoffend in a like manner”, Mr O’Gorman said.

“Managerial guidance is the equivalent of being hit on the hand with a wet lettuce.  It is going through the motions in dealing with serious workplace criminal offending which for the rest of us would result in arrest and related bail conditions banning the person charged from the workplace while the criminal charges are before the Court”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman warned against the Premier hastily and unilaterally changing Queensland Police Industrial Relations laws until the Commission of Inquiry reports.

“It is to be hoped that the Inquiry in reporting on the police discipline term of reference will recommend a top to bottom thorough and fundamental change to a seriously flawed Queensland Police discipline system”, Mr O’Gorman said.