‘Boots on the ground’: New senior police officers deployed in Wide Bay

After a campaign from the Fraser Coast Chronicle, the Gympie Times and Bundaberg News-Mail, six new senior police officers have been deployed to the Wide Bay-Burnett region.

William George Grimes died on March 10, 2020, aged 31. At the inquest, the moment Mr Grimes was tasered after he doused himself with fuel was examined.

Six new district duty officers have been deployed in the Wide Bay-Burnett region on Monday after a coroner recommended the addition following an investigation into a Maryborough man’s tragic death.

Responsible for supplying wide-scale, effective, and efficient on-road management and co-ordination of the district’s policing services, the new Wide Bay and Burnett DDOs will be at the front line of major incidents across the area.

Wide Bay Burnett District Officer Superintendent Paul Algie said the dedicated officers would allow for a more proactive management of general duties and specialist resources.

The need for the officers came to light during an inquest into the 2020 death of William George Grimes.

Following the inquest the Fraser Coast Chronicle, Gympie Times and Bundaberg NewsMail called for the urgent allocation of senior officers in its District Duty Cop Out campaign.

William George Grimes died on March 10, 2020, aged 31. At the inquest, the moment Mr Grimes was tasered after he doused himself with fuel was examined.

At the inquest, held at the Hervey Bay Courthouse, the moment Mr Grimes, 31, was tasered after he doused himself with fuel on March 3, 2020, at Granville State School was examined.

On that night, Mr Grimes, who had schizophrenia, ran from police while holding a jerry can and a lighter and threatened to self-harm.

Experts were unable to determine if it was the lighter in Mr Grimes’ hand or the taser used by police that ignited the flames that caused burns to 70 per cent of his body.

Mr Grimes died of his injuries a week later in hospital in Brisbane.

During the inquest, the role of District Duty Officers was raised repeatedly, both by Detective Sergeant Dave Perry, who investigated the incident, and the four officers who were at the scene that night.

All agreed a DDO would have been a valuable resource.

It is understood the Wide Bay was the only region from the Gold Coast to Cairns without a DDO.

District duty cop out logo

DDOs are typically senior sergeants with more than 15 years’ experience on the force.

“Our DDOs are some of our most experienced officers from across the Wide Bay Burnett District and will use that experience to enhance our responses to more substantial incidents, such as serious traffic crashes and armed offenders,” Supt Algie said.

Wide Bay Burnett District Duty Officer Coordinator Senior Sergeant Nev Zarkovich said the DDOs would be based at Maryborough, but equipped to deploy to any location within the Wide Bay Burnett District.

“It doesn’t matter if an incident develops in Maryborough, Monto, Gympie or K’gari, we’re able to either get our boots on the ground as soon as possible or be able to coordinate from a distance so our officers can respond and operate at an enhanced level,” Snr Sgt Zarkovich said.