Queensland Police tried to block report on Mulrunji Doomadgee

QUEENSLAND Police attempted to stop publication of a report into the botched investigation of the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee.

QUEENSLAND Police attempted for months to stop publication of the Crime and Misconduct Commission report into the botched investigation of the November 2004 death in custody of Palm Islander Mulrunji Doomadgee.

One argument put by police was the report should not be published because it may be "counter-productive" to the maintenance of confidence in the service and its internal disciplinary system.

It was also put to the CMC that police named adversely in the report not only rejected any wrong-doing, but had accused the agency of failing to give sufficient weight to the "challenges" investigators faced in addressing the death.

These included the relative remoteness of Palm Island off the north Queensland coast and the limited resources available to investigate what happened to Doomadgee after he was arrested by Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley.

Doomadgee, 36, was heavily intoxicated at the time, and suffered horrific internal injuries while scuffling with Sergeant Hurley at the watchhouse, allegedly as a result of the heavily-built policeman falling on him.

A coroner last month said no finding could be made as to whether Sergeant Hurly inflicted the injuries accidentally or deliberately. Separately, the Queensland Police Union moved to pre-empt criticism of its members and said the CMC should act against its own staff who had failed to take over the original death-in-custody investigation.

Union president Ian Leavers said the CMC had "the power and responsibility to act in this case and it is incredible that they chose not to".

The draft CMC report says that not only was the original investigation by police biased and incompetent, but so also was the subsequent review carried out by two officers appointed by Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson.

The effort of the police internal review team prompted the CMC to form "the view that there is evidence which is sufficient to warrant consideration of possible disciplinary proceedings" against the police Investigation Review Team, the draft report says.

The grounds cited for disciplinary action against police in the draft CMC report include "negligence, carelessness or indolence in the discharge of their duties; misconduct, including failure to meet the standards the community would reasonably expect of police officers".

The draft CMC report says the IRT failed to hold the officers involved in the initial police investigation accountable for their conduct.