Editorial: Long past time to change cop culture

The horrific murder of Kelly Wilkinson shines a spotlight yet again on the failures of our police service, writes the editor.

The horrific murder of Kelly Wilkinson has robbed three children of their mother and left the state in utter shock – crucially, it also shines a spotlight yet again on the failures of our police service and the need for urgent cultural and systemic change.

Ms Wilkinson was killed by her estranged husband in April 2021, with Brian Earl Johnston yesterday receiving the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for the “planned, premeditated” act.

In his sentencing, Justice Peter Applegarth told the court the former US Marine was on bail for serious offences, including rape, when he stabbed the 27-year-old multiple times, then doused her in petrol and set her on fire at her Arundel home on the Gold Coast.

Ms Wilkinson had the right to feel protected by the system. She was not, and now she is gone.

Meanwhile, Johnston will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years in custody, which given time on remand means he could be free in April 2041.

Ms Wilkinson’s family will no doubt carry the enormous burden of grief for the rest of their days.

One of her sisters, Danielle Carroll, told Johnston in court: “You have caused me and everyone around me a lifetime of immeasurable pain and suffering”.

In the weeks leading up to the awful April 20 murder, Ms Wilkinson had visited several different police stations to seek help.

As the court heard, Johnston had been charged earlier that month with serious domestic violence offences – including alleged rape to which he intends to plead not guilty – but was granted watch-house bail.

The public has a right to ask how many more Queenslanders must die before the police response fits the reality and severity of the threat to victims. Numerous reviews and inquiries have made recommendations, but women being killed after making multiple domestic violence complaints are still not isolated cases.

Cost of living pressures exacerbate the occurrence of domestic and family violence, including by making it harder financially for people to leave and find safe housing.

So as Queenslanders face increasing stress around making ends meet, it falls even more keenly to our police to focus on improving its procedures and responses to reports of such violence.

Following Ms Wilkinson’s murder, the then Queensland police assistant commissioner in charge of domestic violence responses admitted the system had failed her.

The killing of Ms Wilkinson, and of Doreen Langham by her estranged partner the month prior, helped spark the Independent Commission of Inquiry into QPS responses to domestic and family violence.

The report from the November 2022 inquiry found a damning “failure of leadership” that had let racism, sexism and misogyny fester within the police service.

Queensland’s interim police commissioner Steve Gollschewski has stated he wants a better response from officers.

In his first interview since taking over from former commissioner Katarina Carroll, Mr Gollschewski said last week that the officers needed to “do their job more efficiently and effectively”.

“We’ve got to hold perpetrators to account, we always will, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re getting to those victims that need our support and it’s not good enough for policing organisation to not be able to do that if we’ve got really inefficient processes and things that are holding that back,” he told The Courier-Mail.

Mr Gollschewski is the frontrunner to take over as Queensland Police Commissioner. Whether or not he gets the job, the change of leadership represents an opportunity to change the culture and response by police towards domestic and family violence, once and for all.

CRISIS NEEDS LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

Tents set up just centimetres from the lapping waters of the Brisbane River on a busy commuter thoroughfare is just the latest sign of the spiralling housing crisis in Queensland.

As revealed in The Courier-Mail today, makeshift shelters line the Bicentennial Walkway in the CBD with homeless advocates blaming a lack of suitable accommodation for the number of people sleeping rough.

Housing is looming as a major state election issue and Premier Steven Miles, fresh from The Courier-Mail and Queensland Council of Social Service cost of living forum on Tuesday, has now promised the state government would offer a roof to every Queenslander at risk of homelessness. His pledge follows a passionate plea at the debate from Rodney Tegan – a Queensland man on the verge of homelessness.

Mr Miles’ plan is a good initial response to the plight of the state’s homeless people, but for this current crisis to be properly addressed it is clear longer term solutions and planning are needed.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here