Katarina Carroll stares down misogyny in Qld police and fire services

As the lid is blown off misogyny in Queensland police ranks, Commissioner Katarina Carroll has experienced it all before.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has opened up about her first few months attempting to tackle sexism and misogyny as head of the fire service, revealing how she was called a “c---” and made to feel unwelcome.

Ms Carroll is now facing another crisis, with the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence uncovering a multitude of instances of bullying, racism, sexual harassment and sexual assault within the force.

The inquiry has heard that in many instances, the offending officers were inappropriately “disciplined” by way of local managerial resolution, which involves a chat with a more senior officer.

The inquiry heard some had been behaving badly for more than a decade, with one the subject of 80 substantiated complaints, including nine of sexual assault.

Katarina Carroll is a career policewoman who also served as commissioner for fire and emergency services.

Another made so many sexual comments – including about his own penis – that colleagues were forced to wear headphones while working.

Ms Carroll, a career police officer, said she was asked by the state government in 2014 to manage widespread reform over misogyny, sexism and culture issues as the new commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

She said at the time women accounted for only 4 per cent of officers.

“It reminded me of going back to (the academy) at Oxley as a police officer – policewomen were only at 4 per cent in the 1980s,” Ms Carroll said.

“Within the first few months of getting there, a senior firefighter called me a c--- in front of about 50 people at the academy.”

Ms Carroll said she was not present, but had appeared on a television screen when the man made the offensive remark.

“A senior woman called it out immediately and came and told me,” she said.

Katarina Carroll when fire commissioner

“And very close to that as well, there was (a) letter sent from an ex-firefighter external to the organisation … saying horrendous things about me.

“And as leader, a woman, and I was still a police officer, in that organisation, I would have to say those first several months were the toughest of my career.

“Because clearly, clearly, people did not want me in that organisation and were going to make life uncomfortable for me.”

Ms Carroll said things improved after she spent time travelling the state and getting to know staff, and staff got to know her.

Ms Carroll said she was determined to continue bringing reform to the QPS, three years into her contract, after spending two of those years responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

“All of the reform agenda, and there’s a lot here, really almost went backwards in many ways,” she said.

“It has been incredibly difficult to really pick up traction.”