‘I am deeply sorry’: Katarina Carroll will not resign, vows to lead reform

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has apologised to those affected by QPS failures and has vowed to restore trust that internal complaints against police officers would be taken seriously.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has apologised to those who have been let down by the shocking failings revealed by The Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence, released today.

“The report is a very, very difficult read and presents many examples where we (QPS) should have done better for our community and for our own people,” she said.

The Commission of Inquiry heard about a series of appalling examples of police behaving badly towards their colleagues - including cases sexual assault and harassment - where little or no punishment was dealt out.

“I acknowledge these issues and how they have affected the way we interact with the most vulnerable people in our community.

“For those who have experienced this, I am deeply sorry.”

Queensland police commissioner, Katarina Carroll. Picture: Jerad Williams

Ms Carroll said the recommendations were an opportunity to “learn, grow and do better.”

“As the Commissioner, this ultimately stops with me, I will not accept bad behaviour or stand by those who do not meet the standard expected of them.

“I have a renewed focus on what needs to be done to restore trust.

“A line in the sand has been drawn.”

Ms Carroll said already significant changes had been made to the disciplinary system, specifically around “local managerial resolution”.

She said she wanted to restore the trust of police that internal complaints would be taken seriously.

“Today I have spoken to the premier who has expressed her confidence in me to deliver this reform,” Ms Carroll said.

Asked whether she had considered offering her resignation to the Premier, Ms Carroll said: “It did cross my mind but the Premier is very firm with me ... that I am actually the right person to lead this reform.”

Ms Carroll addressed her lack of leadership highlighted in the report.

“I am the person who will enact the reforms and change what you have read in the report...I have an extensive history of reform.”

Ms Carroll said there would be some changes in the leadership teams but didn’t say whether anyone would be sacked.

“This is uncharted territory,” she said.

Ms Carroll said she expected what she read in the report.

“It’s probably the most difficult thing that I have read in many, many years,” she said.

Ms Carroll said the most vulnerable people of the community had been let down.

“It’s raw, it’s hard, it’s really hard, and we have let people down.”

“(Loss of life) is by far the worst outcome, and we need to do better.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has backed the Police Commissioner to lead reform.

Asked whether some of the case studies raised at the inquiry should result in the dismissal of police officers, Ms Carroll said she had sought legal advice.

“It’s a very difficult, difficult process to exit people from the investigation,” she said.

“I have sought legal advice into how to continue this process into the future.

“I have asked my staff to go over past matters and an officer in the next few days will be served with a notice as to why he should still be in the organisation and I am looking at several other officers as well.”

Asked how many officers she wanted to sack, Ms Carroll said it was a “meticulous process”, and mentioned “several” cases she was looking at.

“I’ve got to be really mindful that I’m using the law properly and what it is intended for,” she said.

“(The bad behaviour) stops and it stops now.

“I don’t want to hear one more issue, let alone a dozen more.

“I will try what I’m doing. They don’t happen very quickly. It is a meticulous piece of work.”

She said people had to be afforded natural justice.

She said she apologised to the members of the public who had been let down - including First Nations people, women and victims of domestic violence.

“I’ve apologised many times and I do again to the public,” she said.

“I, like most people in our organisation, have a calling to keep the community safe and they do that remarkably well.

“The good people in the organisation are hurting.

“The good people I truly support and those that don’t align with our values need to leave.”

Ms Carroll said she did not accept that “most” police were racist, misogynistic and sexist, despite the report referring to those issues as “widespread”.

“I accept that there are certainly issues,” she said.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll gave emotive evidence about being sexually assaulted and harassed early in her career. Photo: Supplied by Commission of Inquiry

“To me, widespread is the majority of the organisation and that’s clearly not the case.”

Ms Carroll said that the recommendations were some of the “best” she’d ever seen.

“I have not seen recommendations like that with the funding that’s coming with it.

“I am extraordinarily, confident with the time frames around this,...that you will see some extraordinary results immediately.”

Ms Carroll said she was confident she would make the strict and short timelines of the recommendations.

“I love that it’s got time frames, but it has to come with funding and capacity, but because it has, I am very confident it will happen.”

Ms Carroll teared up as she spoke about what she would say to young females joining the academy in wake of the damning findings.

“I was subject to those things. They are demeaning, they are unacceptable. The organisation has got better at dealing with these issues, but I would say to young women to have confidence to join what is an amazing organisation.

“These issues... they are being dealt with.”

Queensland Police Commissioned Officers’ Union president Dan Bragg said 98 per cent of police did the right thing and it was unfortunate police had been tarnished.

The union represents about 300 senior officers ranked Inspector to Chief Superintendent.

“But having said that, representing commissioned officers in the state, we have a zero tolerance for bigotry and misogyny and any instances of that which arise should be dealt with swiftly, but also fairly and reasonably,” Mr Bragg said.

Criminologist and former policeman Terry Goldsworthy says Commissioner Katarina Carrolll should resign. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Mr Bragg said he would be lying if he said “every commissioned officer was doing cartwheels about the leadership of the police service at the moment”.

“There clearly are a number of commissioned officers that are disappointed with the leadership of the police service,” he said.

“Having said that all the we want is the current leadership to step up to the plate and deal with this issue in a responsive, fair and reasonable way. Time will tell. Commissioned officers will certainly back any reforms to improve what we do and how we do it.

“She (Ms Carroll) certainly has the full support of commissioned officers in driving any reforms that make the Queensland Police workplace a better place.”

Mr Bragg said the focus should be supporting operational police in doing their job.

“The reality is domestic violence is a serious issue and I’d hate to think we’d get distracted in conversations about misogyny and racism that are isolated to the detriment of supporting people who are victims of domestic violence,” he said.

But former police detective and Bond university criminologist Terry Goldsworthy said the Commissioner should resign.

“The report highlights numerous examples of deficient leadership, of failings of leadership or instances where she could’ve displayed leadership and didn’t,” he said.

“They can’t be written off to cultural history or instances prior to her coming to power.

“She has been in the role for three years. She was personally involved in some of those failings and other organisational failings. As the CEO of the organisation, you are responsible for the failings at at an organisational level.”