But Brett Forte, his family say, would have been destroyed by the events that have unfolded since his 2017 murder.

They say he would be horrified by the alleged bullying and mistreatment of the wife he adored and his police partner who risked her life trying to save his.

The murdered officer’s brother Luke has revealed for the first time that Brett had applied to transfer out of the Toowoomba tactical crime squad because he had become disillusioned with the “toxic culture” within some elements of his team.

“Brett’s blue blood was strong,” Luke said.

“Lies were the very thing Brett fought hard against.

“He lived to serve and protect.”

Senior Constable Brett Forte was murdered on May 29, 2017, after he and other officers were lured down a remote dirt road outside of Toowoomba and ambushed by wanted gunman Ricky Maddison.

Maddison was later shot dead by Special Emergency Response Team officers following a 20-hour siege.

The inquest into their deaths has heard allegations of a toxic culture within the Toowoomba tactical crime squad, as well as claims that Brett’s widow Susie and police partner Sen-Constable Cath Nielsen have been mistreated and lied to.

Sen-Constable Nielsen was given a bravery award for smashing the windscreen of their police vehicle and dragging Brett out of the wreck while being shot at by a machine gun-wielding Maddison.

The inquest heard allegations by Sen-Constable Nielsen that she was “shit-canned” and “lied to” when she tried to find out who had known about a months-long investigation into reports of automatic gunfire on the very road they were lured to.

Brett’s brothers have spoken of their grief at losing an “amazing human being”, as well as their determination to see an independent investigation held into the allegations raised during the inquest.

Luke said Brett’s family had been disappointed with the way the Ethical Standards Command investigation had been conducted and believe Susie and Sen-Constable Nielsen’s concerns have been dismissed.

“I know with certainty that Brett would be completely and utterly disgusted at the inadequate way the investigation has and continues to be conducted by Ethical Standards Command,” he said.

“The treatment that Brett’s wife and his police partner Cath have been subjected to – by members of the organisation that was so close to his heart – would have destroyed him.

“The only interactions I had with ESC were in the short term after Brett was killed (and) they were all disparaging, where disrespectful comments were made about Susie in the presence of my family. There was resistance to questions we had and then there was silence.”

Luke said he and members of his family overheard one ESC investigator mutter “she is talking herself into a misconduct complaint” as Sen-Constable Nielsen gave an emotional account of being allegedly lied to and bullied for “asking questions” in the months after the murder.

Sen-Constable Nielsen told the inquest she and Brett would have made a different decision about following Maddison down the dirt road had they known about the reports of automatic gunfire.

Luke said his father was told the following day that “466s” – or police complaint forms – would be coming “thick and fast”, which the family believe was a suggestion that the two women were in trouble for speaking out.

He said Brett would have been so appalled by what had happened that he would have left the police service.

“Several months before Brett’s death, I had a very specific conversation with Brett at our parents’ house,” Luke said.

“Brett had had enough of the toxic culture that was within his team and as a result had gone for a job in road policing.

“I didn’t find out until after his death that he was successful in obtaining the job and would have been only weeks away from transferring out.”

When Brett was a little boy, he would run from the house to see his dad ride in on his police motorbike.

To Brett, his dad Stuart was his hero, the man who taught him right from wrong, who kept his family – and the community – safe.

“That’s where it all started for him,” Luke said.

“He always wanted to be a police officer.”

The whole family would go to Brett’s graduation ceremony in 2001 to see him sworn in as an officer of the Queensland Police Service.

“There’s a long line of police officers in our family. Dad was so proud. Extremely proud of him,” Luke said.

“Dad was always his hero. But on that day I think he became Dad’s hero.”

He had always been ethical.

Four years older than Luke, Brett would often talk to him about doing the right thing, about how decisions made now could affect you in the future, how they could affect your ability to get a job. he said the family missed Brett enormously – a father-of-three with a cheeky sense of humour who loved waterskiing, hockey, martial arts and being a police officer.

“Brett would always put his family first,” Luke said.

Brett met his wife Susie – a senior constable also based in Toowoomba – through the police service.

Luke said the family was introduced to Susie when they went to watch Brett play football in 2005.

“He’d never played football before and all of a sudden he’s playing this game. It was police versus the army,” he said.

“We went up to have a giggle at him and there she was. He was really coy about it.

“She’s just an amazing person; just perfect for him; a beautiful human being.

“She’s done some amazing work in domestic violence and never asked for any recognition.

“She has saved a lot of people in her time. She is a hero in my eyes. Brett would be so proud of her.”

Brett proposed to Susie on Christmas Day 2010 after she got home from a Christmas Eve night shift.

“Brett pretended to trip over on to the ground and Susie laughed and then he produced the ring and asked her to marry him,” Luke said.

“It was a beautiful moment.”

Older brother Chris said Brett’s death had left a hole in their family that could never be filled.

“I personally miss him so much it hurts every second of every day,” he said.

“In February 2017, we had a dinner at my brother Luke’s house with his wife and my wife and had a great night chatting about our childhood, laughing and giving each other shit.

“Sadly, this would be the last time I would ever see Brett alive.

“If I had known then I wasn’t going to see him ever again, I would have told him I loved him and said thanks for being a great brother.

“The last time I saw Brett before the funeral, I spent a fair bit of time in a room in the mortuary with him in his coffin holding his hand, saying ‘I’m sorry this had to happen to you mate.’

“The very last thing I said to him was, ‘Life is short and I’ll see you soon my brother,’ and kissed him on his forehead.”

Chris said Brett’s children Emma, Brodie and Sam would have to go through milestones without their dad.

“Brett’s daughter Emma is a testament to Brett. He’d be so bloody proud of her,” Luke said.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that Emma stepped into a role she never should have had to, helping raise her younger brothers. Susie and Emma have made an amazing team after the most tragic circumstances.”

Luke said the announcement by Commissioner Katarina Carroll that ESC would investigate claims made by Susie and Sen-Constable Nielsen was a “slap in the face” and lessons needed to be learned before another officer was killed in the line of duty.

“This can’t happen again,” he said.

“I don’t want this to happen to another family ever again.

“We’re going to have to live without our brother for the rest of our lives.

“They’ve done nothing to fix what went wrong. They’ve done naught.

“With honour he served.”