Domestic violence Qld: Police Commissioner warns officers won’t keep up with demand without major changes

Queensland’s Police Commissioner has issued a warning that officers will not be able to keep up with the demand on resources caused by the state’s domestic violence issues, unless major changes are forthcoming.

Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy says the service must change the way it responds to domestic violence or officers will no longer be able to keep up with demand, in a stark warning to Queenslanders.

Mr Chelepy told The Courier-Mail he was advocating for changes to the government on domestic violence reform while the service was also looking at its own efficiencies.

He said he also hoped a 100-day review into the service would empower the lower ranks in the frontline in decision-making.

Mr Chelepy who is acting Commissioner – taking on Steve Gollschewski’s role while he seeks treatment for a cancer diagnosis – admitted the workforce was frustrated with paperwork and demand.

Mr Chelepy said he was speaking with the government around domestic violence reform and efficiencies.

He refused to be drawn on the conversations, however the police service has pushed for Police Issued Protection Orders (PIPO) which would allow officers to issue DV orders with conditions to remain in effect for 12 months, without court order, if both parties consent.

Queensland acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

“I think the way we do orders at the moment now is very cumbersome,” Mr Chelepy said of the current system.

“There’s too much bureaucracy. I think that can be streamlined a lot, and I think some of the stuff I’m talking to government about will produce those good outcomes.

“There has to be changes, because the current way we do our internal processes isn’t good enough at the moment. It’s placing such a burden on our officers, we have to streamline it internally.”

Mr Chelepy said the conversations with the government had been positive and that police were looking at different ways to record material and using AI for internal streamlining. He said police also needed to get orders in place faster.

“And there has to be changes in the way that police respond and deal with domestic family violence,” he said.

“Otherwise, we’ll keep putting police into the community, and we will not keep up with demand. We have not seen the peak of demand in domestic and family violence.”

The Queensland Police Service is also undertaking a 100-day review.

Mr Chelepy said there were two priorities he had put to the review, one of which was supporting the frontline as much as possible.

“The second thing I want to do is I want to make sure that the decision making is as close to the front line as possible,” he said.

“As I go around the stations, that’s what they’re telling me, is that, you know, the decision making is too far removed from them, that they don’t feel like they’re empowered to make decisions.

“The supervisors, our sergeants, our senior sergeants, are saying to me that they feel that their leadership, their decision making, has been watered down, that it’s too centralised.

“That’s what I see will come out of the review. Is that our staff that are in stations, our specialist staff … that they’re empowered to actually make those decisions on the front line, that they’re resourced to be able to action their decisions, and that they’re supported by our central areas as close as possible to the front line.”

Originally published as Domestic violence Qld: Police Commissioner warns officers won’t keep up with demand without major changes