Coroner recommends district duty officer for Wide Bay after inquest

The tragic death of a man on the grounds of a Maryborough school has led a coroner to recommend a key change in how the Wide Bay is policed, adding a new voice to our ongoing campaign for the change.

Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll and Coroner Terry Ryan.

A Queensland coroner has recommended the addition of a district duty officer to the Wide Bay after an inquest into a man’s tragic death revealed the need for the specific type of senior cop in the region.

The coroner’s recommendation was handed down despite submissions from the Queensland Police Commissioner saying the role was not needed in the region.

Coroner Terry Ryan handed down his findings in the death of William George Grimes on Wednesday.

The Fraser Coast Chronicle, Gympie Times and Bundaberg NewsMail campaigned for the urgent allocation of the senior officers to the region in the aftermath of the inquest.

 

At the inquest, held in the Hervey Bay Courthouse last year, the moment Mr Grimes, 31, was tasered after he doused himself with fuel on March 3, 2020, at Granville State School was examined.

On that night, Mr Grimes, who had schizophrenia, ran from the police while holding a jerry can and a lighter and threatening to self-harm.

The inquest heard from experts who were unable to determine if it was the lighter in Mr Grimes’ hand or the taser used by police that ignited the flames that caused burns to 70 per cent of Mr Grimes’ body.

Mr Grimes died of his injuries a week later in hospital in Brisbane.

During the inquest, the role of District Duty Officers was raised repeatedly, both by Detective Sergeant Dave Perry, who investigated the incident, and the four officers who were at the scene that night.

All agreed a DDO would have been a valuable resource for the officers responding that night.

While speaking of what he discovered during his investigation into what he called “very unique circumstances”, Sgt Perry highlighted the role of DDOs and how they can help co-ordinate and lead officers at serious incidents.

He said DDOs were not currently used in the region.

The most experienced officer at the scene the night Mr Grimes died had seven years’ experience, the inquest was told, while the other three had between one and five years of experience.

It is understood the Wide Bay is the only region from the Gold Coast to Cairns that does not have a DDO, but the creation of five positions would give coverage to the region seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with a senior officer always just a phone call away.

William George Grimes died on March 10, 2020, aged 31, a week after he suffered burns resulting from the incident at the school.

DDOs are typically senior sergeants with more than 15 years’ experience on the force.

In her submission regarding the placement of DDOs in the Wide Bay, Police Commissioner Katrina Carroll said the current model of having a shift supervisor and an on-call commissioned officer was adequate support for junior officers.

It was submitted that there was senior support offered to the officers throughout the incident by the shift supervisor Sergeant Christopher Elder, who had more than 20 years of experience.

He supported the officers by deploying a third crew to bring extinguishers to the scene and requesting the attendance of ambulance and fire crews.

Hervey Bay Court. Photo: Tracey Joynson

He had also personally attended the incident, the submissions from Ms Carroll read.

“The Commissioner submitted there was no evidence before the court to suggest the level of supervision or incident oversight provided to the involved officers was inadequate.

“Further there was also no evidence before the court that a district duty officer would have provided any additional support than that provided by Sgt Elder.”

The Commissioner submitted that a recommendation for a DDO “in the vacuum of such evidence” was inappropriate.

Mr Ryan agreed that Sgt Elder provided effective guidance and leadership to the crews under his command that night.

But Mr Ryan said each of the officers involved that night had indicated in their evidence that DDO at the level of senior sergeant in the Wide Bay region would be beneficial in “providing senior level support in high risk jobs to officers on the ground”.

“I recommend that the Queensland Police Service establish a District Duty Officer at the level of senior sergeant in the Wide Bay District.”

Originally published as Coroner recommends district duty officer for Wide Bay after inquest