Can Coomera police district be revived as inquiry considers restructure blunder

An independent review will look at the 2013 restructure of Queensland Police. It saw the end of the Coomera police district. Could it be revived?

Police searching through a car on the Gold Coast Highway at Miami — they need back-up on the ground as the Coast fights a crime wave. Picture Glenn Hampson

A PUSH is on to recreate a police district at Coomera on the northern Gold Coast as morale on the ground dips during potential budget cuts.

The Bulletin last week revealed the Coast was down 88 officers and internal emails showed funding would be funnelled from the Glitter Strip to Logan.

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Gold Coast police officers need back-up on the ground as the service faces budget cuts. Picture Glenn Hampson

Senior police had been sent an email asking them to prepare a draft budget for 2018-19 where there would be “a reduction in the overall budget allocated to SER (South-East Region)”.

“In addition to this reduction spending will be allocated from the Gold Coast District to the Logan District, to better align budgets with actual expenditure over the previous three years,” the email said.

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The cuts are expected to affect officers who received penalty rates and those in the dog squad and water police working on weekends, adding to a morale problem worsened by former Chief Superintendent Marty Mickelson filling a senior role in Brisbane.

But both the Queensland Police Union and Bond University criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy believe a new inquiry gives hope for Coomera to regain its status as a police district.

Police Minister Mark Ryan reaffirmed on the weekend that the Government would honour a pre-election commitment to review the police restructure which occurred under the Newman Government in 2013.

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Dr Terry Goldsworthy from Bond University — the criminologist and former copper wants Coomera to become a police district again. Pic by Richard Gosling

“The restructure removed Coomera as a police district which includes it being a 24-hour station,” Dr Goldsworthy told the Bulletin.

“I think clearly the police needs up there are growing. It’s a rapidly growing area. They need to recreate the district.

“It is lunacy that they are now spending thousands investigating what they got rid of. It’s like an episode of Yes Minister.”

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the return of the Coomera Police District had been high on the union’s wishlist after the service was restructured into five mega regions.

“The abolishing of the Coomera Police District in 2013 by the Police Commissioner and the former government is in our view one of the greatest managerial errors in recent policing history,” Mr Leavers said.

“We welcome the Police Minister’s announcement of an independent review of the 2013 restructure where we the Police Union are equal partners in the review process in line with our election commitment we requested and received.”

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Police Commissioner Ian Stewart — the restructure will face an independent inquiry. Picture: Jerad Williams

Both the union and the Crime and Corruption Commission will sit on a committee to assess the findings by independent consultants.

“It did not make sense in 2013 to abolish the Coomera Police District in the fastest-growing corridor of the fastest-growing region in Queensland and it makes even less sense now,” Mr Leavers said.

“I have been calling for the reinstatement of the Coomera Police District for five years and this is certainly at the top of my wishlist for outcomes out of this review and I am glad that many people now agree with me to bring back the Coomera Police District.”