Police officers’ shocking actions revealed in Commission of Inquiry findings

Female officers bullied, teenage store workers harassed, DV victims ignored - these are the sick acts of Queensland’s cops exposed in a damning new report.

Police officers who bullied women, “tickled” a young worker, and put the lives of domestic violence victims at risk were not properly investigated or punished, in a series of damning new incidents which have come to light in the findings of a new report.

Several Queensland Police officer cases were highlighted in the findings of the Commission of Inquiry into QPS response to domestic and family violence, which heard from thousands of serving and former officers about racism, sexism and misogyny.

Among those was Officer Cyan - a sexist bully who remains in the service, Officer Granite - a leader who ignored harassment claims, Officer Indigo - who intimidated and “tickled” a young convenience store worker without charge, and Officer Pewter - whose criminal actions were first brushed off by police.

The findings, handed down in a 400-page report on Monday, highlighted a failure of leadership after an intensive inquiry which heard from multiple witnesses.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll speaking after the report was released on Monday. Picture: Liam Kidston

Retired Detective Superintendent Mark Ainsworth interviewed QPS members about culture, capability and structure, revealing a sobering reality of what was happening inside the ranks.

Officer Cyan is one example of this. He is a current member of the QPS despite complaints being made against him since 2017.

His then girlfriend and former fiance both made domestic violence allegations against him and he was temporarily stood down.

During the investigation police found he had accessed an internal system to find out information about one of his partners.

He was ordered to complete community service and had a two-month freeze on being promoted.

But over the next few years, the rot continued.

He was given local managerial guidance (LMR), which is a “chat” with a senior officer, for calling a young female officer a “little blonde thing” and “it”.

While a domestic violence investigation was happening, a teenager came forward to police saying Officer Cyan had contacted them on social media.

Officer Cyan remains a part of the service as investigations continue.

During the inquiry, 964 police conduct and complaint files were looked into further.

Among them was the case of Officer Granite, who bullied and harassed staff for seven years across three stations.

It began in 2009, with staff saying there were issues with his management, communication and interaction with women.

He was moved, but more complaints came to light in the next station when he failed to take bullying, harassment and intimidation reports seriously.

Officer Granite went on leave for 15 months. He returned in 2013 where he was shifted to another district in the same position.

The bullying continued, and in 2016, seven years after the first complaint, Ethical Standards Command investigated.

Officer Granite resigned before he was disciplined.

In the report, 78 recommendations were handed down to address sexism, racism and other issues in the QPS. Picture: Generic file photo/Kevin Farmer

The case of another officer, Indigo, highlighted the extreme levels of sexism and misogyny within the ranks after almost all 25 complaints against him were “unsubstantiated”.

Officer Indigo harassed multiple young staff at a convenience store, telling one woman he would “love to get in her space”.

He repeatedly asked them for their phone numbers, followed them around the store, spoke to them inappropriately, verbalised fantasies with them, and even tickled one woman as she was trying to work.

Police deemed there wasn’t enough evidence to lay charges. He was moved to a different station and ordered to complete some online courses instead.

Officer Indigo has only recently been stood down for having a Protection Order made against him.

Recommendation 31 in the findings proposed that members charged over breaching an order should be suspended.

Another officer, Pewter, who was eventually charged with criminal offences over hacking into internal systems had initially only had his pay reduced as his penalty by police.

In 2016, the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) received a complaint that officer Pewter had accessed internal police systems to find the address of an aggrieved on a protection order.

He then gave the address to his friend, who the order was made against.

The CCC referred the complaint to QPS, and an officer from Pewter’s own district was tasked to investigate the matter.

He had his pay docked and needed to complete a test before having his original pay reinstated.

The victim at the centre of the ordeal was not happy with this outcome and pushed for criminal charges, which were eventually laid and he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

He was suspended with pay and eventually resigned from the service.