$4.2m taxpayer money spent on Katarina Carroll’s scrapped project

The hefty price tag of Commissioner Katarina Carroll’s signature project has been revealed, a day after it was scrapped.

Queensland Police Service Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

A maligned Queensland Police project to “streamline” frontline work and cut red tape cost taxpayers at least $4.2 million, records have revealed - although the ultimate price tag of the scrapped trial is likely to be higher.

The Service Delivery Redesign Project, aimed to reduce pressure on frontline workers, remove duplication and improve efficiencies, was introduced as a trial in the Moreton district in February 2021.

It came after an extensive review into the service in 2019 by Neil Greenfield, of GSA Management Consulting, which was commissioned by Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.

But the signature project was scrapped on Wednesday night after an Ernst & Young review of the project was understood to have found major issues.

Queensland Police contract disclosure logs revealed GSA Management Consulting has been awarded four contracts worth a total of $4.266m since 2020.

The first contract, titled “QPS SERVICE DELIVERY IMPROVEMENT”, was worth $2.56m and was awarded on October 31, 2020.

It is unknown how much EY was paid for the independent review of the SDRP, with the consultancy firm awarded two contracts titled “professional services” in July and October 2022. Those contracts were worth $91,300 and $230,450 respectively.

Police Union president Ian Leavers said Commissioner Katarina Carroll deserved credit for “thinking outside the square”. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Ms Carroll said the project and evaluation of it had unearthed “important and systemic issues” which the QPS will focus its efforts including an organisational-wide rostering capability and service demand.

“Transformational change is extraordinarily difficult, and the SDP was the first real attempt to significantly change how we deliver frontline services in our over 150-year history,” she said.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said he credited Ms Carroll for “thinking outside of the square” with the service delivery program.

“But what we did find, it was like a production line model,” he said.

“Police were not having ownership of things, we were losing contact with the community and we were not doing the job and protecting the community or following through with the investigation of crimes and attending to reported incidents.

“We were cautious at first, but you’ve got to give things a go,” he said.

“From the early outset it appeared to us that it wasn’t working and listening to our people on the ground it wasn’t working and it was failing.

“It requires more staff to do the same job, so it was an inefficient model.”

Mr Leavers said he admired Ms Carroll for trialling the program and then scrapping it.

“It takes a very strong leader to accept that it hasn’t worked and I give her credit for accepting it didn’t work, listening to those on the front line and having the courage to rescind and scrap what was put in place,” he said.

“That is the true strength of a real leader. Other leaders, what they would do is continue ahead and not listen.”

Mr Leavers said he would have preferred the money spent on the Greenfield review had been spent on police officers.

“Of course I would have, $4.5m I would have preferred that to go to the front line,” he said.

“I do believe this, we do not need to go to external consultants. We can look to other policing agencies around the world and see what works and what doesn’t.

“But we can’t wind that back, the positive is Katarina Carroll has listened, she has stopped it, and we are going to move forward and get back to basics and that is looking after the people of Queensland.”

Originally published as $4.2m taxpayer money spent on Katarina Carroll’s scrapped project