Covid quarantine close contact rule hits Surfers Paradise police

Queensland Police admit staffing at one of the Gold Coast’s busiest stations is “fluid” amid claims of roster shortages and a majority of its officers being forced to quarantine.

Queensland Police admit staffing at one of the Gold Coast’s busiest stations is “fluid” amid claims of roster shortages and a majority of its officers being forced to quarantine.

Up to 100 officers across the Gold Coast and Logan were forced into quarantine in the days before Christmas due to State Government’s seven-day rule if a vaccinated close contact.

Sources claim the station based in super-busy visitor hub Surfers Paradise experienced a “soft closure” as result, with excessive overtime delegated to remaining staff despite them “running on fumes”.

Asked whether the public should be concerned about lengthy response times, the city’s top cop Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman told the Bulletin last week operations were still running smoothly.

A Queensland Police Service spokesman has echoed Supt Wildman’s reassurance response times would not be impacted but said the situation was “fluid”: “The Covid-19 situation with our employees at Beenleigh and the Gold Coast remains fluid and we continue to monitor the situation closely.

“There have been no closures of any description at the Surfers Paradise Police Station and no interruptions to our service delivery or capabilities during this period,” the spokesman said.

Told by the Bulletin that an officer had claimed 60 out of 70 officers were required to quarantine and of the roughly 10 left on-deck, four were reportedly new recruits or juniors, QPS declined to discuss exact numbers.

Schoolies on Gold Coast : The Sunday Mail 20/11/2021 Police on the beat at in Cavil avenue at Surfers Paradise on The Gold Coast. Photograph : Jason O'Brien / Sunday Mail

“The majority of the Surfers Paradise members who were required to isolate have completed their seven-day isolation period and received a further negative test,” the QPS spokesman said.

“They have already returned to rostered duty with the remaining officers expected to return prior to December 25.

“There was one alteration to a roster earlier this week, and no alterations made to public holidays or leave reversals to any officer.”

Additional resources were deployed to the Cavill Ave station – the largest station within the Gold Coast District – as part of an operational initiative for December and not to cover crippling staff shortages, the spokesman added.

“These additional patrols have supplemented Surfers Paradise rostered staff this week,” he said.

“The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has well established business continuity plans that incorporate various levels of response, with the service able to escalate or de-escalate, to tailor our response as required.

“Across the QPS a borderless model of policing has been implemented, making our workforce more agile and adaptable and not restricted by traditional policing boundaries. Resources from across a policing region, district or central command are easily able to be deployed to meet changing service requirements.

Surfers Paradise police continue to work in conjunction with the District Tasking and Coordination Centre (DTCC) and other District resources to ensure there is no interruption to service delivery during this period.