Whistleblowers reveal police numbers so low on night shifts it is unsafe to patrol Southport CBD
Whistleblowers claim the Gold Coast’s busiest police station is often at half strength, leaving officers without back up on high-risk callouts. Read the troubles of police at HQ.
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The Gold Coast’s busiest police station - confronted with youth gang crime, drug use fallout and homelessness - is often operating at half strength at night, putting officers in danger
An internal Queensland Police Service report warns the Southport central policing district cannot keep pace with the city’s population growth and increasing demand for call-outs.
The CBD is renowned for attracting drug users, its streets crowded with the homeless and surrounding suburbs a domestic violence frontline. An MP this week said it is “pretty scary” to go on trams, a youth crime hotspot.
The confidential report recommended future police recruits be assigned to the Southport Watchhouse freeing up station patrol groups but senior police backed their “borderless and priority policing” model.
A Bulletin investigation which also uncovered rosters and first-hand accounts by whistleblowers reveals central policing district officers fear for the safety of colleagues.
“We’re going to high-risk situations overnight without backup. Southport has become the runt of the Gold Coast,” a whisteblower says.
“A lot of officers are going on stress leave. No-one wants to work here. We are 30 per cent busier than other commands.”
Whistleblowers and sources claim:
- Southport station is often operating at under half strength;
- tourist suburb policing is beefed up for appearances purposes;
- proactive policing on troublespot trams is difficult to staff.
One whistleblower estimates Southport in the past six months had been “operating at less than 50 per cent of its workforce” when staff were on sick leave or other special duties.
“This means at times the station is struggling to put out a single road crew to attend to calls for service (CFS). Night shifts often find a single officer in the station with a supervisor and one crew attending to CFS,” the whistleblower said.
A police source said Southport police were dealing with much higher rates of crimes due to street drug use and domestic violence, while tending to the homeless camped outside shops.
But the tourist strip was given more police “to foster a positive appearance for visitors”.
“The new breach of bail laws for juveniles will put an inordinate amount of work on police to do compliance checks. It’s impossible to do proactive patrols on light rail,” the source said.
The priority policing discussion paper found:
* the commands where police were struggling included Southport, Runaway Bay and Nerang.
* Southport rates just behind Coomera for “complexity of workload” and would surpass it with the new Pimpama station opening.
* the predicted growth of Southport and surrounding areas was the equal third highest for the region – yet the station could not even meet current demand.
* almost 30 per cent of city’s most disadvantaged live in Southport.
“The Entertainment Precinct Group (EPG) appears to be well resourced when considering demands, while the Central Patrol Group (CPG) has service demands which exceed available resourcing,” the report said.
Some of the additional 2025 police employed by the State Government in the next two years should go to the Southport Watchhouse, the report added.
Written by a senior officer, the report said: “Currently there are 25 out of the 101 allocated Southport Division positions assigned to the watchhouse. That represents approximately 25 per cent of the allocated policing positions for the division.”
Southport MP Rob Molhoek, who has spoken to whistleblowers, said the Southport station had been under pressure and under-resourced for some time.
“I’ve been shown rosters with as few as 47 active officers for a station that is supposed to have around 90 to 100 allocated officers but realistically needs more like 120 to 150 officers,” he said.
“I have had officers tell me that Southport is not their “first choice” when it comes to postings. Why would anyone choose to work at a station that’s always under pressure, always struggling to fill the ranks, and whose services are being pulled in so many directions.”
The Southport police command includes the Health and Knowledge precinct, the industrial areas of Molendinar along with Ashmore, Bundall, Parkwood, Arundel, and Crestwood Heights, Mr Molhoek said.
“In addition to regular policing duties, Southport Station is the first responder to Gold Coast University Hospital and the University. It also supports various agencies like child safety, DV support, and the mental health unit, all placing additional demands on the service,” he said.
Police resourcing was based on permanent population numbers but with so many international and interstate students along with commercial businesses the allocated police numbers were poorly representative of demand, he added.
“Additionally, for some time now, Southport like so many police commands across the state has struggled to fill vacancies and rosters,” Mr Molhoek said.
Police Minister Mark Ryan in a response to the Parliament said Southport had 101 police.
“The QPS advise me that are more than 1000 police officers permanently based on the Gold Coast, an increase of more than 100 officers since 2015, and both approved strength and headcount have increased,” Mr Ryan told the Bulletin.
“It is important to note that the allocation of police resources is a matter for the Police Commissioner and senior officers, free of political interference – just as it should be.
“The Police Service decides where officers are based, how many officers are needed on shift, and the duties of those officers – police are the experts when it comes to these matters.”
Mr Ryan said the Government was on track to reach its target of delivering 1450 new police positions by 30 June, 2025, including 150 extra officers to the South Eastern Region.
He said the Coast was a diverse environment, and the QPS has adopted a borderless policing model whereby police resources could be quickly moved, on a daily or even hourly basis.
“That is an operational decision of the QPS.The QPS has assured me it will always prioritise the safety of its personnel and I am advised they are well resourced and well supported to do their job, in line with community expectations,” Mr Ryan said.
“In addition, the QPS has opened new facilities in Arundel and Pimpama. The Arundel facility hosts the Rapid Action Patrol team which comprises 100 police officers. These officers can be deployed to wherever they’re needed across the Gold Coast at a moment’s notice.”
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