Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler speaks after racist Brisbane watchhouse recordings leaked

A leaked recording of Brisbane Watchhouse staff laughing as they make racist slurs about “black fellas” has been described as “sickening” by Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler.

The recordings were made at the Brisbane Watchhouse.

A leaked recording of Brisbane Watchhouse staff laughing as they make racist slurs about “black fellas”, including that people should “beat the f--k out of them and bury them”, has been described as “sickening” by police.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler apologised for the behaviour, which he described as “sickening and ­disturbing”, and said a complaint made by a watchhouse whistleblower was now being assessed by the Crime and Corruption Commissioner.

The recording was one of several ­published by Guardian Australia, who named watchhouse officer Steven Marshall as the whistleblower.

Mr Marshall submitted the audio files to the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence.

One recording, obtained by The Courier-Mail, features several men talking about Sudanese people. “Even in my little … town, there are f--king black fellas running around everywhere. I said to my cousins, ‘What the f--k?’ They wait outside f--king supermarkets and they’ll follow ya and they’ll f--king try and rob ya and I’m thinking … just get ’em and beat the f--k out of them and bury them. Just bury them. Mate, no one would know,” one man can be heard saying.

He continued: “They just hover. I mean, I’m talking real f--king Sudanese people. I’m thinking, hang on, you’re in a f--king another country mate.”

Another man could be heard responding: “Because if they tried that back where they came from, they’d get macheted to death.”

The first man replied: “That’s right (inaudible) … bursting in the door, hands all f--king get chopped off.

“It’s f--king wrong man. I hate it when minorities go to another country and they f--k them over.”

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler said the recordings were sickening.

Mr Wheeler said a complaint had been assessed by the Ethical Standards Command and referred to the CCC.

“The conversations we heard on the recordings, which were reported to be from 2019, were sickening and disturbing,” he said.

“Those beliefs and remarks have no place in society, let alone in a professional workplace where vulnerable people are held in our custody.”

Mr Wheeler said reactions by Queensland Police Service staff to the recordings had been one of “disgust”, and that Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll was “absolutely appalled”.

“All these kinds of beliefs – whether they’re real beliefs or they’re perceived beliefs – they should not be in our ­organisation,” he said. He said the watchhouse officer who produced the recording was no longer working within that workplace – separate to his whistleblowing.

When asked if there was an underlying culture problem within the QPS, Mr Wheeler said they had acknowledged instances of ­“appalling pockets” within the service.

He said he looked forward to receiving the recommendations from Commissioner of the Inquiry Deborah Richards – handed to the government on Monday and working through them “very, very exhaustively”. “We need to send a really clear message – this behaviour is not tolerated,” he said.