Police defend actions in releasing Curtis Shea Mickan following a disturbance

Police say they did all they could to keep a woman safe before her husband allegedly tried to murder her in her Brisbane home, saying they’re being “blamed for every other government department’s failings”.

Police did everything they could to keep a Wooloowin woman safe after they were called to a “high-level disturbance” hours before her husband returned and allegedly tried to kill her, Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said.

Police were called to the Wooloowin home of Curtis Shea Mickan late Saturday night after reports of a disturbance.

Mickan, 34, was arrested and taken to the Brisbane watch house was released without charge after being given “strict conditions” not to return to the house.

Hours later, police will allege, he went home and set fire to the property with his wife and her mother inside.

He was subsequently charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of arson - as well as assault charges relating to the earlier disturbance.

Curtis Shea Mickan, 34, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder. Photo Supplied

The Courier-Mail understands he was not charged initially because no complaint was made.

“Every single police officer involved in the Wooloowin matter did everything by the book and no police officer did anything wrong,” Mr Leavers said.

“If the public want those accused of domestic violence charged, then adopt the QPU’s policy of creating a new offence ‘commit domestic violence’.

“Until then, don’t blame police for the actions of alleged domestic violence offenders.

“It is simply nonsense for the armchair critics of hardworking police to say we should be locking people up (without charge) and holding them in custody (without charge) and putting them before a Magistrate.

Fire and Police at the scene of the house fire in Everleigh Street, Wooloowin. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

“It makes no sense at all and the next ridiculous thing we will see from the armchair critics of police will be them calling for all police to be issued with Tarot cards and crystal balls immediately so police can identify a would-be potential homicidal arsonist domestic violence causing individual just by looking at them and before they even allegedly commit an offence.

“Police are overworked as it is, picking up the slack for every other government department who is failing to do their job.

“...It’s police who always seem to be blamed for every other government department’s failings.”

President of the police union Ian Leavers. Picture, John Gass

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll praised the work of her officers at dealing with domestic violence incidents, commending her troops’ response in the lead up to the Wooloowin house fire.

Commissioner Carroll said police were very thorough and acted in accordance with legislation.

“I saw how empathetic they were, I saw the amount of time they spent with the victim, I saw how they put a very good safety plan in place for the victim’s family.”

Commissioner Carroll said the wishes of the victim, along with the domestic violence protection act meant Curtis Shea Mickan was not initially charged for the alleged assault of his partner, however was put on conditions and placed into the watch house.

The events that followed after Mickan was released were not foreseeable, said the Commissioner, who personally watched the body worn footage and received a full briefing on the incident.

“I have asked that district and region to review everything that took place, and I agree also- (the events) were not foreseeable,” she said.

Commissioner Carroll said the officers on the night did everything they could and “made good decisions”.

She said the particular officers made excellent choices and also sought extra advice from supervisors and domestic violence liaison officers.

So far this year, Queensland police have dealt with 107,000 domestic violence complaints - or one complaint every five minutes.

Commissioner Carroll thanked her officers across the state for responding to instances of DV every day.

“You will have situations where there’s alcohol, mental health, child abuse, coercive control. And in some instances, it may be all of that, on others, it may be one of that,” she said.

“I think it needs to be understood every one of (these incidents) is extraordinarily complex and every one of them is very different. There’s anger, there’s passion, there’s hostility.

“There’s high emotion throughout the process, so they’re very, very difficult situations to be in.

“We’re well trained.... but they are very complex environments.

“I think we need to have that understanding publicly, that it is probably one of the most complex fields you can ever be engaged in, because so much emotion is involved in all those circumstances.”