Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll admits the service has ‘failed victims’ of domestic violence

Queensland’s Police Commissioner has written a strongly worded letter to officers about their response to domestic violence cases, saying there are “instances where we have failed victims” and that “if we do not do what is expected of us, it is, quite simply, unacceptable”.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has written to police about their response to domestic violence, saying while most of their work is excellent there are “instances where we have failed victims”.

Ms Carroll today said the Queensland Police Service had improved the way officers respond to domestic and family violence.

“This week, you may have seen media coverage of the coronial inquest into the tragic death of Doreen Langham,” she wrote in a memo.

“In particular, there has been much scrutiny around the police response, both in the lead up to and during the night of her passing. Seeing the distressing details around this case has been difficult for many.

“Overnight, there has been another [alleged domestic violence] incident, with the victim in a critical condition as a result of a fire. This further highlights the urgency and criticality of this issue.”

Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service Katarina Carroll. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Ms Carroll said the community rightly expects police will provide them a “high level of service”, given the rates of domestic and family violence across Queensland.

“It is absolutely essential we are doing everything we can to keep our most vulnerable members of society safe,” Ms Carroll wrote.

“We must treat each DFV incident with the greatest importance and care, with the protection of victims at the centre of our approach.

“For all the excellent work we do in the DFV space, unfortunately there are instances where we have failed victims. In these cases, we have failed those very people who rely on us to keep them safe.

“We all know how difficult and relentless this work is. Dealing with these cases is long, detailed and extremely challenging. But if we do not do what is expected of us, it is, quite simply, unacceptable.”

Domestic Violence victim – Doreen Langham

Ms Carroll said the service attended more than 300 domestic and family violence incidents every day.

“As a key priority of the organisation, DFV is not just about our response, but how we prevent it from occurring and escalating to the most tragic outcomes,” she wrote.

“There has been significant organisational changes and messaging regarding our evolving response to DFV.”

Changes to the organisation included a trial to allow police to use body worn cameras to record victim statements, releasing a high-risk high-harm dashboard for frontline officers to more effectively target DV perpetrators; conducting a whole of service DFV audit, led by the Ethical Standards Command; establishing a QPS Domestic and Family Violence Advisory Group; and developing district based Domestic and Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Units.

“The QPS will continue to review its actions, training and policies, as well as identify new initiatives to further improve our response,” Ms Carroll said.

“We will advocate to ensure processes are more efficient and ultimately, we will strengthen community confidence.

“Finally, I want to say I am incredibly proud of our members for their continued dedication, agility and professionalism.

“I see the work you are doing, every single day, to keep your communities safe and I thank you for this.”