Fifteen Gold Coast cops face internal investigation for alleged corruption, misconduct

FIFTEEN Gold Coast cops are facing an internal investigation for alleged corruption and misconduct.

The probe follows a damning Queensland Audit Office report earlier this year. file picture

FIFTEEN Gold Coast cops are facing an internal investigation for alleged corruption and ­misconduct.

The officers have been referred to the police Ethical Standards Command by the Crime and Corruption Commission after an investigation into alleged dodgy crime statistics and bullying of police whistleblowers.

It follows a scathing Queensland Audit Office ­report earlier this year into ­allegedly doctored Coast crime statistics.

The QAO found Coast cops were “soliciting” crime victims to withdraw complaints in an attempt to paint a rosier picture of the Glitter Strip’s official crime rate.

“The Queensland Police Service has an unacceptable amount of crime data across the state that is incomplete, inaccurate and wrongly classified,” the auditor found.

“As a result, reported crime statistics are questionable at best and unreliable at worst, and should be treated with caution.”

Coast police crime managers who blew the whistle were allegedly subjected to bullying and intimidation and moved out of Surfers Paradise police headquarters.

Last night, the CCC said it had found no evidence of formal directions being given to alter crime statistics.

However, it did find evidence that officers were pressured to achieve “aspirational” performance targets and subjected to verbal intimidation and negative workplace behaviours by some senior officers to encourage subordinates to meet those targets.

“Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that officers who had assisted the QAO investigation were subjected to negative workplace behaviours by some senior officers,” the CCC said in a statement.

“The CCC has now referred 19 matters involving corrupt conduct and 14 matters involving police misconduct to the QPS for further investigation and appropriate action. In total, 15 officers were involved in these matters.”

South Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said that he was evaluating the report but said steps had already been taken to stamp out bullying and intimidation “which have no place in the QPS”.

Former senior detective turned Bond University criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy said there were “clearly systemic problem” in Coast police ranks.

“We have now seen crime increases across a number of crime categories for the last three years,” he said.

Originally published as Fifteen Gold Coast cops face internal investigation for alleged corruption, misconduct