Top cop’s speedy exit sparks urgent hunt for interim replacement

The news

An interim replacement for outgoing Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll will need to be found in less than two weeks after the leader fast-tracked plans to leave her high-profile, high-pressure job.

“When I walked through the gates of the police academy 41 years ago, I had no idea what a career in policing was, where it would take me,” Katarina Carroll said on Tuesday.Credit: Matt Dennien

With Carroll departing on March 1, Police Minister Mark Ryan will have to appoint a temporary replacement before a formal recruitment process, with the state’s anti-corruption boss required to sign off on the chosen candidate.

How we got here

Carroll, the state’s first female police commissioner, was appointed in 2019 for a five-year term, which was due to expire in July and spanned a tumultuous period for the agency, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a media conference on Tuesday, Carroll said she had been considering her options recently after almost 10 years leading the state’s police and, before that, fire and emergency services.

Why it matters

Carroll’s decision comes as the agency juggles heightened public concerns and debate over crime, soaring domestic violence offences, and sweeping reforms recommended by a damning inquiry into a police culture of sexism, racism and misogyny.

Amid recent internal tensions over her leadership, Carroll said she brought her decision forward to put a stop to the “speculation and chatter” that had been a “distraction” to police work.

What they said

Carroll declined to nominate a successor from her high-ranking colleagues, including Steve Gollschewski, Shane Chelepy and Cheryl Scanlon, saying there were many leaders in the agency.

“I hinted at it before today, but I hadn’t formally had the discussion,” Carroll said when asked at what stage she had raised the decision with Ryan before their meeting on Tuesday morning.

Appearing with Carroll and Premier Steven Miles at the announcement, Ryan said these hints had come “over the last few days”, and that he offered her his full support if she wanted another term.

While noting he did not want to pre-empt the formal recruitment process, which he hoped would be done as quickly as possible, Ryan brushed off a question about whether an outsider would be best.

Police union president Ian Leavers echoed the comments of Ryan and Carroll.

Speaking at an LNP media conference in Cairns, deputy opposition leader Jarrod Bleijie suggested, without evidence, that Carroll was being “walked out the door”, and that Ryan should be too.

What you need to know

Gollschewski, special co-ordinator for the Reform Implementation Taskforce, is considered the next most experienced leader after Carroll, while Chelepy has more than three decades of experience, including leading disaster management.

“I just want someone who is a Queenslander, understands Queensland, and who is going to back the front line.”

Police Union President Ian Leavers

Scanlon, meanwhile, has had roles overseeing internal investigations and the response to youth crime. In December, she announced the FBI’s arrest of an American man in relation to the Wieambilla murders of two police officers and a member of the public.

Under the laws for appointing a police commissioner, Carroll’s successor must be chosen for a term of three to five years, in a process requiring approval by the chair of the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Carroll’s predecessor, Ian Stewart, announced his retirement in late February 2019 to enable a panel to recruit a replacement before his term ended that July.

After what was described as a global search, Carroll was announced as the successful candidate two months later. Stewart served in the role for seven years, after a 12-year stint by Bob Atkinson.

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