MP says victims of crimes feel less safe due to police redesign project
Calling police is now like dealing with an overseas call centre, according to one MP who says victims of crime feel less safe after a new QPS program was launched.
QLD News
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Crime victims say calling police is now like talking to an overseas call centre, according to one Queensland member of parliament.
It comes as the Queensland Police Service (QPS) implements changes to how it responds to some crimes.
Shadow Minister for Police and Corrective Services Dale Last said he had received complaints about the QPS Service Delivery Redesign Project (SDRP), which includes no longer requiring officers to attend jobs considered low-risk.
“My office has received numerous complaints in recent days from both members of the public and police officers,” he told The Courier-Mail in a written statement.
“Victims of crime are saying that they feel less safe after an incident because police do not attend.”
The SDRP aims to streamline police responses to crime, and the way resources are assigned, depending on demand under new guidelines.
General-duties police will no longer attend lower-priority jobs – such as break-ins where there is no imminent threat – to free up resources for more serious crimes and insure better responses to domestic violence calls.
Scenes-of-crime or forensic officers would instead be sent to non-urgent break-ins, avoiding a double-up in personnel.
Many of the lowest-risk calls to police will now be dealt with over the phone or internet.
The pilot of the SDRP – which started in the Moreton District on February 8 – was stopped this week after members of the Queensland Police Union of Employees expressed concerns about lack of staff, increased fatigue due to the restructuring of rosters, the new blanket rule of having to respond to every single domestic violence call and more.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski told The Courier-Mailon Tuesday the rollout to other districts would be “paused” for a month to allow time to find solutions to the concerns raised.
In an email to officers on Wednesday, Mr Gollschewski said data from the first six weeks of the program was promising, despite the initial issues that needed to be addressed.
These included that 23 per cent of non-urgent calls had been dealt with over the phone, in line with an updated triage formula dubbed SOLVE, or Severity, Opportunity, Likelihood, Vulnerability and Expectation.
“Response times have started to decrease and it is that time we are now freeing up to spend in the crucial space of prevention and disruption,” Mr Gollschewski wrote.
“Prior to commencing the implementation we had been screening out 7 per cent of calls for our service, that is those jobs statewide that did not require a police response.
“Six weeks into the implementation of SOLVE (which was implemented statewide) up to 23 per cent of calls are now not making their way to our frontline.”
The SOLVE framework comprises the introduction of updated codes, used by police communication centres staff members, to better triage calls so jobs can then be assigned to officers in order of priority.
An urgent job will be assigned as ‘code one’ while the least urgent job is assigned as a code five.
The aim is to assist in deploying police resources more quickly to the most urgent jobs.
Mr Last said it was vital the relationship between community members and police was maintained.
“It’s extremely concerning to hear a victim of crime say that, when they report a crime, they feel like they are speaking with a call centre rather than feeling like something is going to be done,” he said.
“… As someone who wore one for 25 years, I know that a blue uniform provides reassurance and a feeling of safety when victims need it the most.”
The MP said he had also been told there had been an increase in sick leave since the pilot started.
“The Police Minister (Mark Ryan) needs to make sure that, while the introduction of this initiative is on hold, there is further consultation with police officers to ensure we get this right,” he said.
A QPS spokesman refuted the sick leave claim, but confirmed there had been a “staffing issue” one night at a station.
“While there is no evidence to suggest an increase of officers in the Moreton District are taking unplanned leave since the commencement of SDRP, the leadership team continue to provide additional support to all staff during the implementation period,” he said.
“There was a staffing issue identified at a local police station where four officers took unplanned leave on one shift, however, there were other officers in attendance on that shift and additional resourcing contingencies were enacted as is standard procedure.
“The matter was resolved internally with no formal disciplinary action.”
In a written statement released through a spokesman, Minister for Police and Corrective Services Mark Ryan said the rollout of the SDRP was in its early stages and fell under the QPS banner.
“Whilst all of the decisions around these matters are of an operational nature and are a matter for police, I trust the police commissioner, and I know that everything the Queensland Police Service is doing is designed to further support community safety,” he said.
“The Commissioner advises that implementation of the program is happening in a staged manner to ensure police get everything absolutely right.”
Mr Ryan, 38, said members of the community should have confidence in the QPS.
“Notwithstanding the fact that it is early days, police advise they are already seeing dramatic improvement in response times to non-urgent matters,” he said.
“Police are the experts when it comes to these matters, and the community can have confidence that everything the Queensland Police Service does is aimed at supporting community safety.
“In relation to break and enter incidents, I am advised that police will always attend a residence where a break and enter has been reported.”
The SDRP was developed after Commissioner Katarina Carroll ordered an independent assessment of the police service when she took the helm in 2019.
That review, conducted by GSA Management Consulting, found demand for police had increased by 45 per cent in the past five years while triple-0 calls had increased by 65 per cent.
Mr Gollschewski said it was the first time in QPS history that a new service model had been initiated so challenges were expected to arise.
“This was always going to be a momentous task, and I thank everyone for their commitment and willingness up to this point in helping us find opportunities to improve our business and in doing so, improve the level of service and value we provide the community,” he said.
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