Government urged to build new watchhouses as police run out of room to arrest and lock up crims

Under-strain police lock ups from Gold Coast to Brisbane are hitting capacity as police struggle to keep criminals off streets - and ferry offenders between them to find space.

The strain on watchhouse lock ups from the Gold Coast to Brisbane is at breaking point as police claim they’re left with no choice but to release repeat offenders back onto the street.

The ongoing capacity issues – with key south-east Queensland watchhouses close to overflowing at times – have prompted calls for state government to fast-track new ones.

The Gold Coast’s biggest watchhouse Southport was near capacity about 5pm two Sundays ago, leaked internal emails reveal.

The lockup at nearby Beenleigh in Logan ran out of room to house juveniles, with three spaces left for adult prisoners and Brisbane City Watchhouse faced “large prisoner numbers,” a senior officer wrote in an email to all stations about the same time.

“If you require your prisoner to be brought to the watchhouse, please call first where possible to discuss classification and possible options. Other watchhouses in the greater Brisbane area may have additional space.”

Beenleigh, Brisbane and Southport watchhouse all had capacity issues two Sundays ago.

On the Gold Coast, conditions were worse with a handful of spaces left for males in the general lock-up and limited room for protection prisoners and females.

“Southport watchhouse has extreme restricted capacity,” an officer emailed staffed.

“If your prisoner is violent, do not delay. We have padded cells that can accommodate until alternative arrangements can be made.”

The lack of room to house prisoners is getting worse, according to police sources, and a “juggling act” of driving detainees across the southeast to other facilities was adding to workload and officer burnout.
“It’s not normal to drive a prisoner from Coolangatta or Logan to Southport watchhouse to lock them up,” one officer said.

“I’m often releasing people back onto the street I know will reoffend within hours but what can I do? If there is no room then we get told to consider alternatives to arrest. The only alternative to arrest is not making an arrest.”

Another senior officer called on state government to fast-track construction of new Gold Coast and Logan watchhouses.

“Adult crime, adult time might win an election but it doesn’t fix the problem right in front of us,” the officer said. “Strengthening laws is great – I’m fully supportive of locking up the bad offenders – now where do we put them?

“The new police minister was well aware capacity was an issue before the election. It’s time to get serious, get planning and turn words into action.”

Police Minister Dan Purdie’s office said a review underway into watchhouses would look at occupancy rates. Picture Lachie Millard

The officer said existing land already held by the service could be for new facilities, including green space adjoining Pimpama and Runaway Bay stations.

“You could build two small watchhouses of seven to 10 prisoners on those two sites,” the officer said. “That’s 20 extra spaces and they’re spread out so there’s less travel time if we have to move prisoners from Logan to the Gold Coast and vice versa.”

Asked if plans were underway to establish new watchhouse, a spokesman for Police Minister Dan Purdie said: “There is a Queensland Police Service review underway into watchhouses across the state and it is due to be delivered by the end of March. This is an end-to-end review of the 63 watchhouse facilities across Queensland, with occupancy rates one issue being evaluated.”

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski announced a watchhouse review in August also lookin at training, equipment, operational support.
“There are end-to-end systemic issues in our watchhouses and the whole system is under significant pressure,” he said at the time.

“To address these issues, I have asked for a review into how we design, provision and operate watch houses with a commitment to ongoing reform.

“Each year more than 75,000 alleged offenders are processed through these facilities causing a strain on an already stretched system.”

Existing land like that adjoining Pimpama Police station flagged as possible sites for future watchhouse developments. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The capacity of Gold Coast watchhouses has barely increased in two-and-a-half decades despite a population surge.

The Southport watchhouse which opened in 1998 with capacity for 68 detainees, has increased room for one additional prisoner. The Coolangatta lockup can hold seven prisoners, the same number as when it was upgraded in 1997.

More than 340,000 people have moved to the city in the same period.

MORE ON WATCHHOUSE STRAIN

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