‘I may not be able to fix this’: Police boss admits budget blowout could be worse than thought

Queensland’s police commissioner says he has uncovered more commitments made by the organisation without money allocated for them, beyond an unfunded new station at Stones Corner.

The Queensland Police Service is facing a possible $200 million budget black hole after it signed a $116 million, 15-year lease to set up the Stones Corner station, in Brisbane’s inner south, with an option to extend it for a total of $240 million.

The contract was signed under the previous Labor government, before money was allocated for the project.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski conceded on Wednesday he might have to seek a lifeline from the new Crisafulli government.

“Our projections are that if we continued the way we were, we would end up that far [$200 million] over budget,” Gollschewski told ABC Radio Brisbane.

“I’ve found that we have committed to other things that are not funded.”

He did not detail what the other projects were.

Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski: “After we do this work, I may not be able to fix this.”Credit: Getty

Gollschewski said QPS’s new chief financial officer had “hit the ground running in the last month” and was undertaking a “very detailed analysis of where we are and what our options are going forward”.

“Ultimately, after we do this work, I may not be able to fix this and have to go back to government, the new minister, and have a conversation.”

Queensland’s new premier, David Crisafulli, assured frontline officers on Tuesday they would not be affected by any budget blowout, after the LNP’s campaign against youth crime helped end the Labor government’s nine-year reign at Saturday’s election.

Crisafulli said questions would be asked about the bungled Stones Corner lease.

“There’s going to be some big questions asked about that, I can assure you,” the premier said.

“But my commitment to every person who wears a blue uniform is it will not impact your ability to do your job.”

Police union president Shane Prior told ABC Radio Brisbane this week he was concerned about the organisation’s budget.

He said officers were working from dilapidated facilities that were not fit for purpose, including Dutton Park and Mount Gravatt police stations, which he described as “falling apart”.

Crisafulli’s government has promised to legislate “adult crime, adult time” laws by Christmas, with two parliamentary sittings to close out 2024 once cabinet was officially announced.

Who will oversee the government’s law and order portfolio remains to be seen, with cabinet expected to be formally sworn in on Friday.

Ninderry MP and former police officer Dan Purdie was the opposition police spokesman before the election.

Gollschewski acknowledged the government’s focus on youth crime but said it was already a priority for police.

He argued that numbers were decreasing due to existing measures including fly-in, fly-out deployments under Taskforce Guardian.

“We’ve seen some improvements this year in the numbers of youth offenders and the number of youth offences. So it is heading in the right direction,” he said.

Meanwhile, a leaked email has revealed that Queensland Police are struggling to answer triple-zero calls within 10 seconds amid a surge in calls.

In a statement, police confirmed that call numbers had risen by 11 per cent this calendar year, with “an unseasonably high demand in October”.

“This has resulted in the QPS not meeting their goal of answering calls within 10 seconds,” a spokesperson said. “Overtime shifts are being offered to trained and experienced staff as required.”

with AAP

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