Editor’s view: Qld unites behind our thin blue line

When the going gets tough, Queenslanders always have a remarkable ability to unite. It was certainly on show at the memorial for Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold.

QUEENSLANDERS have always united when it matters most. And so it was yesterday, when Queenslanders gathered in their thousands to farewell Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold.

Many more watched the funeral on their televisions and livestreamed on their mobile phones, shedding tears for two young lives lost in the most incomprehensible of circumstances.

It was a show of strength against the extreme minority in our society whose views led to this inexplicable tragedy.

Police Chaplain Jeffrey Baills accurately described the events of December 12, in which Constables McCrow and Arnold were gunned down alongside civilian hero Alan Dare, as an act of “absolute evil”.

“What happened on December 12 was un-Australian and does not belong in this country,” he said at the service.

“It was abhorrent, it was not of God, it was of absolute evil.

“We have had a major attack on the police in Queensland – we will not be broken – but we will turn up to our shifts tomorrow and stand shoulder to shoulder again and seek to do the best we can to keep Queensland safe.”

Hundreds of police officers attend the memorial service with full police honours for our fallen colleagues Constable Rachel McCrow and Constable Matthew Arnold. Picture: Steve Pohlner

And our brave police officers will do just that – protecting Queenslanders day in, day out, no matter what is thrown at them.

It is fitting the young constables were posthumously awarded the National Police Service Medal and the National Medal, as well as the Queensland Police Service Medal –all usually given after more than a decade of ethical and dedicated service.

They were also awarded the Queensland Police Valour Medal, the highest level of recognition of bravery the QPS can award.

These young officers deserved nothing less, and Mr Dare should also be honoured appropriately.

What happened on December 12 in Wieambilla has changed Queensland. This was an extreme act of violence against those who protect us.

And its roots in extremism made it all the more shocking, exposing a worrying trend playing out on the fringes of society.

Police officers across the state can be forgiven for approaching their jobs cautiously in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy.

140+ pics: Spectacular guard of honour farewells colleagues

VIEW GALLERY

On the same day as the funeral, Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) officers were sent to a Toowoomba home where negotiations were under way with a man suspected of being armed with a gun. By the afternoon, there were reports of shots fired.

SERT officers had been sent to Wieambilla just the week before.

They face danger every day, usually without a second thought for themselves.

It is easy to focus on the deranged trio who gunned down three innocent people. It’s human nature to want to figure out what would lead a group of people to carry out such an atrocious act.

But it’s the backgrounds of the innocent lives lost that we should be focusing on.

Constable Arnold was a “big man with an even bigger heart so filled with love for those around him”.

He was a role model at school and “inspired greatness in those around them”, according to his eulogy, read by Senior Sergeant Laura Harriss.

Constable McCrow was “the police officer that the world now so loudly demands”.

She was the linchpin in her friendship group of “eccentric recruits” – the loveable “goof”, according to her friend, Constable Freddy Hartigan. Let’s remember them – not their killers.

TOWN DESERVES A PRESENT

The people of the north west Queensland town of Cloncurry want just one thing for Christmas.

A new early childhood teacher.

The town has written a letter to Santa after the position has remained unfilled for three years, despite offering a salary of $105,000 plus accommodation and five weeks annual leave. The Curry Kids Early Learning Centre is currently operating with a special exemption, but they need a teacher.

While the big city staffing crises brought on by the pandemic have largely lifted, the problem of filling important jobs is nothing new for the regions.

We just know that whoever eventually takes the job in Cloncurry will have an amazing time in a vibrant community.