Queensland Commissioner Katarina Carroll has seen the worst of our police service
Katarina Carroll takes the helm as Queensland’s first female Commissioner at a momentous time, but having been an officer during the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption in the ’80s, she’s no stranger to challenging times in the force.
Crime & Justice
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KATARINA Carroll takes the helm as Queensland’s first female Commissioner at a momentous time.
She stands as the first female top cop in 159 years of the Queensland Police Service.
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She has witnessed the best and worst of the QPS, having been an officer during the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption in the ’80s, which led to widespread and groundbreaking reforms.
She comes back to the service having implemented major changes to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service – also as its first female Commissioner – after it was engulfed in a sexual harassment scandal.
But Ms Carroll also returns to the QPS at one of its most challenging times.
Budgets and staff numbers are lean if you ask almost any frontline officer on the beat or the Queensland Police Union.
They say that they are tired and overworked and find it hard to meet community expectations.
Then there are the challenges around bikies, organised crime, terrorism, juvenile justice and meeting targets to reduce crime across Queensland.
Ms Carroll says she’s not afraid to speak up and ask the State Government for more officers if they are needed.
She says it’s hard to put a finger on why there could be morale issues, but says police see terrible things the rest of the community does not.
She says she wants to talk to frontline officers and have genuine discussions to see what issues they have.
It may be the first step needed to steer a steady ship ahead
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