Police employee Richard John Anderson pleads guilty to weapon offence

A Sunshine Coast man employed at a local police station has appeared in court after unlawfully taking a weapon from an equipment room to “give his colleagues a fright”.

Richard John Anderson leaves the Maroochydore court house on Monday, January 15.

A longstanding employee of the Queensland Police Service has faced a Sunshine Coast court after admitting to taking a weapon from an equipment room at a local police station.

Richard John Anderson, 52, appeared in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawfully possessing a weapon.

The court was told the father-of-four had worked for the Queensland Police as a vehicle maintenance manager for 13 years before he unlawfully removed a pistol in November 2023.

Police prosecutor sergeant Nick Nitschke told the court the gun was reported as missing from the Maroochydore police station on November 11, with Anderson initially handing it in to the officer in charge three days later claiming he found it in a police car while cleaning it.

“The following morning he attended the officer in charge again and made admissions he removed the firearm from the equipment room and had fabricated the story that he had found it in the vehicle,” sergeant Nitschke said. Sergeant Nitschke told the court Anderson had seen the firearm was not locked properly in the equipment room before taking it in order to teach those returning the weapons “a lesson and give them a fright”.

Solicitor Michael Robinson told the court Anderson had a “blemish free character” and had previously reported the issue of unsecured firearms in the equipment room.

“He tells me he was frustrated at persons not complying with the procedures and protocols in relation to securing equipment,” Mr Robinson said.

“On this occasion he thought he’d teach this person a lesson without thinking it through more clearly as for the consequences of his actions and then he obviously tried to cover his tracks.”

Mr Robinson told the court the pistol never left the police station during the time it was missing.

Maroochydore Magistrate Chris Callaghan told the court the offence was “very sad”, resulting in the loss of the 52-year-old’s career with the police service.

“That is a significant penalty to pay for the ill-thought-out reasons for taking this weapon,” Mr Callaghan said.

Mr Callaghan ordered Anderson pay a $500 fine with no conviction recorded.