Misconduct warnings prompt Queensland police reforms

Hundreds of reports have been raised against Queensland Police Service personnel for misconduct, including officers misusing their authority and confidential information, and allowing drug use to undermine their integrity.

An internal review of fraud and corruption controls, completed last year and obtained by this masthead under the Right to Information Act, identified multiple high-priority risks that needed to be addressed.

The QPS said it had accepted all but one of the recommendations from the internal review. Credit: Michelle Smith

These included the ability of officers to amend police records; the use of recreational drugs and the risk of being influenced by dealers; and officers misusing their authority for personal gain.

The review also raised deficiencies within the Fraud and Corruption Risk Register, and the broader ability of the QPS to prevent, mitigate and manage any such issues.

The documents show that in 2022, 311 reports were raised in relation to drug-related offences and misuse of authority and confidential information, based on Crime and Corruption Commission data. All reports came from within the QPS.

There were also 127 allegations of interfering with an investigation or legal process as reported to the CCC. The report listed 785 allegations of failures of duty, and 242 assaults or use of excessive force for the period the review analysed.

While the QPS had implemented recommendations from previous reviews around the management of fraud and corruption risks, these had been “reactive in nature and not evolving with the changes in the service to be fit for purpose”.

A QPS spokeswoman said a new corporate risk management system was due to be implemented this year.

The review found no formal process to monitor or report on key fraud and corruption risks, and no senior executive was responsible for the overall system. That could lead to the QPS suffering financial and reputational damage.

The spokeswoman said all recommendations had been implemented except one, which related to regular updating of the corruption register.

A “Risk Management Portfolio” was established in 2023, with several initiatives undertaken to prevent and manage such issues.

The spokeswoman said a new Fraud and Corruption Control Working Group now reports to the Audit Risk and Compliance Committee, while a new position of Chief Risk Officer had been created to provide advice to senior staff.

“The QPS has a broad range of programs, policies and initiatives that support professional and ethical practice, including a robust internal complaints system, policies on declarable associations, gifts and benefits, as well as discipline and ethical awareness training,” she said.

“In addition to the above initiatives, a new corporate risk management system is due to be implemented in the second half of 2024 to assist the QPS in managing the issues outlined in the report.

“Since mid-2023, the QPS has been using an interim risk management system that has addressed the concerns of static risk management documents and the identification of risk owners. The interim system will be retired upon commencement of the new corporate risk management system.”

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski took over the top job from Katarina Carroll in April.