Review blows lid off Qld police’s ‘sexist’ culture

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has launched a passionate defence of police culture after a damning 236-page report demanded the service be modernised.

Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski. Picture: Richard Walker

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has launched a passionate defence of the culture of Queensland Police following the release of a damning report.

A scathing review by the Queensland Human Rights Commission, released on Tuesday, found female police officers who earn promotions are accused of “screwing the boss”, police who make complaints about colleagues are “dogs” and male officers who ask to go part-time are laughed at for participating in “women’s work”.

The commission’s 236-page report – ordered off the back of the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence – which urges the service to modernise its culture rather than only valuing traits modelled by white men.

Among its 36 recommendations is that the service should scrap its 100m swimming requirement to encourage more recruits from foreign countries, and place a larger focus on flexible work arrangements to compete with other industries.

The 16-month review found widespread discrimination within the service was preventing the recruitment and retention of women, First Nations and culturally diverse police.

Police Commissioner Gollschewski said he would “carefully consider” recommendations made by the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service Steve Gollschewski said he would consider recommendations. Picture: Richard Walker

He said the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence two years ago had exposed cultural issues within the organisation but that there had been much improvement since.

“I’m putting on the record today … that the Queensland Police Service is actually committed to change in this space. It is doing that,” he said.

“The work we’ve done with the Human Rights Commission is evidence of that.

“We’ve listened. If I’m a frontline police officer at the moment, you’re probably thinking, are we back where we were two years ago when we were getting pulled apart publicly in the commission of inquiry?

“I dont think we deserve that as an organisation given our commitment since.

“I think the frontline do a fantastic job every day.

“I see what our frontline police are doing and (they) should be supported for that

“They shouldn’t be painted as racist or whatever words that might come with that.”

‘I want something that leads to meaningful change’

Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said: “Unfortunately, this is not a case of simply rooting out a few bad apples.

“QPS’s workplace culture and systems have allowed discrimination to thrive and systemic discrimination needs systemic solutions.”

Mr McDougall said his team met with police across the state to gain an understanding of the working conditions and the challenges they faced - particularly women, First Nations and culturally diverse officers.

Then Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll in 2022. Picture, John Gass

“I did not want to produce a report that would just sit on the shelf,” he said.

“I wanted to do something that would actually lead to meaningful change.

“We will come back in two years time and we will do a full evaluation to see how much progress has been made.

“I am hopeful that we are going to see some meaningful changes delivered as a result of this work.”

He said the Commission of Inquiry established “quite clearly” that a lack of inclusion for minority groups was an “acute issue”.

”I do think there is an appreciation (within the executive leadership team) that things need to change if the QPS is going to achieve a reduction in its attrition rate of five or six per cent to three per cent and this report will definitely help achieve that target,” Mr McDougall said.

‘Officers deserve a safe work environment’

Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said there were elements of the report that were very concerning.

“Every police officer in the state deserves to come to work and come to a safe work environment and be free of any threatening or harassing behaviour,” he said.

“Since I took office as president of the Queensland Police Union, I have been abundantly clear - if you are going to engage in that kind of behaviour against your peers, you do not have the support of me or the Queensland Police Union.

Queensland Police Union President Shane Prior. Picture: Liam Kidston

“The vast majority of our members working around the state every single day are doing an extraordinarily hard job and they deliver for the Queensland community every single day.”

Mr Prior said the service had come a long way since the Commission of Inquiry but that more focus needed to be placed on resourcing the frontline instead of “thought bubble” reviews.

“Right now around the state we have officers working on the frontline. They’re looking at their QLites at the amount of jobs that are sitting unresourced waiting for them to go to,” he said.

“The Queenslanders I know, that I speak to every single day, are concerned about whether police officers can turn up to that job.

“I am just really concerned that the QPS is obsessed with these thought bubble recommendations.

“Nowhere in that report is there any road map to deliver what their recommendations are.

“What’s going to happen is more people off the frontline to figure out and workshop a way out of these recommendations. That’s less people going to jobs every single day and as a member of the Queensland community, I would be very concerned about that.

“We are obsessed with workshopping these recommendations. We need to get back to the core business of why we are here and that is protecting the Queensland community.”

What the report found

The review team conducted 137 confidential interviews with former, current and prospective police between October 2023 and June 2024.

The result was many accounts of discrimination, sexism and racism within police ranks.

One participant told the review team: “If a female was to get promoted it’s because she was screwing the boss.

“A male can get a promotion on his own merit, but if it’s a female it’s because she was having sex with a male on the panel, or a male in a higher role helped her get that job.”

Another said: “I had a situation where we were in a very hostile environment and I tried to de-escalate a situation, using my language to build rapport.

QLD police force members at graduation

“I was then accused back in the office (as to) why I needed to speak a language that wasn’t English.

“It was obvious I was perceived as not on (the) police’s side. I was on the side of the offender. I felt really isolated after this.”

Police Commissioner Steve acknowledged the courage of those who had talked about their experiences, pledging his commitment to cultural change.

“Discriminatory behaviour including sexism and racism are unacceptable and must be addressed at all levels of our organisation,” he said.

“It takes courage to contribute to such a process, and I want to honour that courage as we strive to create a more inclusive and fairer organisation.

“While some findings in the report are confronting, they present an opportunity to learn, reflect and act.”

The report criticised the police culture of isolating and condemning those who make complaints about colleagues, as well as mandatory reporting obligations that lead to investigations when the victim did not want to come forward.

One person said in their interview: “I have a friend who claimed she accidentally told someone at a higher rank about something, and it went through the complaint process, and she said everyone hated her in the workplace.”

Another said: “You’re just told to be quiet and if you do make a complaint, you are 100 per cent the person at fault because you’re a dog and because you only made a complaint to get ahead.”

The report recommended the QPS review its mandatory reporting requirements.

Another issue examined was the service’s reluctance to allow flexible work arrangements – including permitting officers to work part-time.

The report said the police service would struggle to recruit and retain officers unless it found a way to adapt, despite its frontline requirements.

Figures obtained by the reporting team found that as of January 31, 2024, 12.5 per cent of all female officers and less than one per cent of male officers had part-time working arrangements.

Former police commissioner Katarina Carroll at the commission of inquiry

What officers said in the report

One interview participant said: “It’s easier for me to apply (for) part-time or flexible working arrangements as a woman than it is (for him) … He suggested at one point to one of his bosses that he might ask for flexible working arrangements … my God the commentary and the looks … that’s woman’s work – what makes you think we would approve that?”

Another said: “I remember when I went in to negotiate a part-time work agreement … his words to me when he didn’t like what I was asking for were (that I had to decide between family and work).”

The report recommended the QPS normalise flexible work.

Mr McDougall also questioned whether the police service should be focusing more on recruiting a diverse workforce than adhering to requirements like being able to swim 100m.

“The nature of policing has changed considerably in recent decades,” he said.

“Police from diverse backgrounds bring unique skills and experiences to the job that QPS should value and recognise.

“For example, police recruits are required to swim 100m before they can join QPS – despite rarely, if ever, needing to swim while on duty. It means the ability to swim is valued higher than other valuable skills like the ability to speak other languages, or use emerging technologies that are increasingly critical to policing.”

The report noted people born overseas may find the swimming test more challenging than those born in Australia.

It also said psychological testing for prospective police recruits may unfairly impact on women because they are more likely to have sought help for mental health conditions – meaning they may not pass the test.

Some psychological tests may not be culturally valid for First Nations people, the report said.

Other recommendations include that the QPS review its diversity targets, that it orders an external expert review of its recruitment standards and ensures discrimination is prevented before it occurs and that people can safely report issues and seek support.