Assistant commissioner Brian Codd to head up new domestic violence taskforce
One of Queensland’s most senior police officers will head up a new domestic violence taskforce in the wake of a series of incidents including a horrific murder-suicide.
Police & Courts
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Assistant Police Commissioner Brian Codd will head up a new domestic violence taskforce following the murder of a woman at the hands of her ex-partner this week.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll announced the appointment in an internal email to police today following an urgent meeting with her executive leadership team.
She wrote it had been an “exceptionally challenging” week for the service.
“This week has been an exceptionally challenging period for the Queensland Police Service with the tragedy that unfolded in Browns Plains ultimately leading to the death of Doreen Langham in the early hours of Monday morning,” she said in the email.
“Firstly, can I please emphasise that I understand how complex and challenging it is for all of our police and staff when dealing with, and responding to, calls for service in relation to Domestic and Family violence (D&FV) (sic).”
Ms Carroll said demand relating to domestic and family violence calls was significant, with police responding to 105,000 calls for help during 2020 alone.
“Given the significant risk DV&F places on members in our communities, and the complexities that sit around each individual case, it is incredibly important that we are continually looking at how we can do things better,” she wrote.
The urgent meeting called today focused on reviewing and analysing how QPS officers responded to domestic violence calls.
“As a result of the discussions with my ELT and the ongoing complexities that sit around D&FV, I have asked Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd to head up the new Domestic, Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Command to lead this body of work,” Ms Carroll wrote.
“The importance of the new command is to ensure that we are not only looking at our own systems, training and processes … but to ensure previous recommendations in relation to the way we deal with D&FV are correctly implemented and for the organisation to work with other agencies in order to influence further change that will ultimately drive greater reform.
“Assistant Commissioner Codd will be providing further detail about the new Command over the coming weeks.
“I will also be sending out advice early next week in relation to who will move into the Brisbane Regional Assistant Commissioner position.”
Doreen Langham, 49, died in her Myola St home about 4am on Monday in a fire investigators suspect was lit by her ex-partner, 49-year-old Brian Henly.
A man’s body, believed to be Henly’s, was also found in the fire debris in what police have ruled as a murder-suicide.
Earlier this week, The Courier Mail revealed Langham’s death was also being investigated by the Queensland coroner as a “death in police operation,” meaning it was during an active report to police.
Ms Langham – who had and had been granted a temporary protection order against Mr Hely in court on February 9 – had called Triple-0 about 9.30pm Sunday to ask for help after seeing Mr Hely outside her two-storey townhouse, but officers did not arrive until after midnight.
The Courier-Mail understands the officers left after not being able to contact Ms Langham.
At the time, Mr Hely was already wanted on a breach of domestic violence order offence.
Neighbours told The Courier-Mail on Monday that Ms Langham was living in fear of Mr Hely and had only changed her locks days earlier.
Ms Langham’s death follows the murders of 31-year-old Hannah Clarke and her three children, Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey last year in a separate violent domestic violence attack.
Rowan Baxter, 42, doused his wife and children in petrol and set their car on fire in Camp Hill on the morning of February 19.
Baxter told people in the street not to help them before stabbing himself to death.
Hannah’s parents, Lloyd and Sue Clarke, have since started the Small Steps 4 Hannah Foundation.
Between July 2006 and June last there were 350 domestic and family homicides in Queensland, including 85 children, equating to more than two DV murders each month.
They included 24-year-old Tara Brown, who was killed by her Bandido bikie ex-boyfriend Lionel Patea in 2015 when he ran her off the road and beat her to death with a fire hydrant cover as she lay trapped in the wreckage on the Gold Coast.
The mother-of-one was in hiding and had taken out a DV order against the man before she was slain.
Patea is serving two life sentences — one for Tara’s killing and for another murder of Gold Coast father Greg Dufty.
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