Senior Coast cop fears officer will continue walking off job as workload skyrockets

A senior Gold Coast police officer fears officers will keep walking off the job as a leaked screenshot shows the pressure on the frontline. Read the latest

Gold Coast cops struggling with surge in demand. Picture: Charlton Hart

A senior Gold Coast officer admits they believe the police district is in “terminal decline” and blames the service for not acting on staff concerns.

The veteran, who has held leadership roles, said the results of News Corp’s police survey reflected the issues plaguing Queensland Police Service.

“It is the darkest period, certainly in my 25 years,” the officer said.

“10 years ago it would be unheard of to start a shift and have one job waiting. Now I log on and there’s sometimes 80 to 100 calls waiting.”

Leaked screenshot from Queensland Police Service Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD).

The Bulletin has obtained multiple leaked screenshots from the internal police computer aided dispatch system (CAD) which shows the extreme demand on the frontline. In an example this month, there were 92 active police jobs across the Gold Coast and less than a dozen crews rostered. All police were tied up at a small number of jobs, including several serious domestic violence incidents. More than 60 calls for help were left waiting, with no officers available to attend. According to the leaked screenshots collected over several weeks, this is example is not an isolated incident.

“We have to do better at prioritising the genuine domestic violence from the cases of lazy parenting, vexatious complaints, and the like.

“It is burning our people out – we can’t continue to go from DV to DV. As officers have expressed in your survey, that is a huge reason why we can’t retain people.”

The whistleblower also believed QPS needed to address a growing divide between rank-and-file and upper management.

“We have become a service that prioritises keeping politicians happy over protecting our people. It has to stop.

“If we can’t find the autonomy and independence as a service to say ‘actually minister you haven’t given us the police we need’ then things will continue in a terminal decline.”

In the past when questioned about poor morale and extreme workloads, the Queensland Police Service has said it’s “actively” working with staff to address issues.

“Increasing demand for service is being experienced across the state including on the Gold Coast” a QPS spokesman.

“Gold Coast Police management is constantly reviewing demand for policing resources throughout the district to ensure sufficient officers rostered on duty in the right areas at the right time.

“The Gold Coast District is one of the pilot districts to review rostering practises in an effort to better align rostering with known demand, while maintaining the most optimal work/life balance for all staff.”

The QPS also maintain a number of programs are in place to support officers with managing fatigue, prioritise their mental health and promote their wellbeing.

Originally published as Senior Coast cop fears officer will continue walking off job as workload skyrockets