Qld’s frontline police at mercy of handcuff, weapons shortages

A senior Queensland cop has denied union claims police graduates are being forc­ed to “borrow” handcuffs and use 25-year-old handguns in what it described as an “international joke”.

Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior

Police graduates are being forc­ed to share handcuffs and use 25-year-old Glock handguns, the Queensland Police Union has sensationally claimed.

The Courier-Mail has viewed emails between officers discussing claims of the handcuff shortage written last week, stating new police wouldn’t be provided the equipment before their induction.

“The armoury advised work around would be to get FYCs (first-year constables) to ‘borrow’ handcuffs from members that are not on shift,” one email written last week said.

The Courier-Mail has also been told that an armoury order for 400 handcuffs, Glocks and batons was knocked back last year by top brass.

However, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly on Monday denied police were having to share handcuffs, and said all officers who graduate this week would receive their own personal firearm, cuffs and baton.

He said there were orders in for accoutrements and batons had been delivered. Handcuffs would arrive next month and more Glocks in May.

Queensland-police-issue handcuffs

He defended police reissuing firearms to new officers and said they were used or tested by police every 12 months.

“They shoot about 105 training rounds per year,” Mr Kelly said.

“The training firearms used at the academies, they use thousands of rounds and they’re still operable. So those firearms are very good firearms.

“We work with the supplier to make sure and we’ve got current orders in, for all those, batons have already been delivered, handcuffs arrive at the end of April and more Glocks in May.

“But I can say this, we currently have more handcuffs in the QPS and I checked with the armourer this morning, more handcuffs than police officers and more Glock weapons than police officers at this point in time.”

Mr Kelly said he would continue to work with the union to make sure police had the best available equipment.

On the issue of handcuffs, Mr Kelly said the service “probably” had more than 1000 handcuffs than police, despite officers being given ones from the academy.

“There hasn’t been any shared cuffs,” he said.

“They were looking at a proposal to share them. Forty-five handcuffs from the academy which were surplus, they are operable operational handcuffs, yes they are used in a training environment, they’ve been deployed to make sure that these officers have got handcuffs.

“We’ve got more handcuffs arriving next month. We have multiple sets of handcuffs at stations and watch houses across the state.”

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly. Picture: Liam Kidston

The service has not responded to claims about the armoury order being knocked back but said there were arrangements in place for new equipment to meet future demand.

Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said equipment was a basic requirement of the job, and it was a disgrace the service could not provide essential gear.

He said he had heard of cases of officers having to borrow handcuffs from others.

“The police union inspired the ideas that opened the recruiting pipeline, now those same recruits we’ve attracted are expected to begin duty without essential equipment,” he said.

“It makes senior management of the QPS an international joke.

“How could any young constable have any faith in the senior police at headquarters.”

Mr Prior said he had been told officers on days off had been instructed to provide their handcuffs so new recruits could borrow them for their shift.

“These are restricted items assigned to an individual officer,” he said.

“Recently new constables arriving for duty at some of our busiest metro stations were issued with handguns that were 25 years old and handcuffs that had already been through two decades of service.

“At South Brisbane (police region) the new officers received a handgun and baton but no handcuffs.

“Their only option is to borrow handcuffs when colleagues are off duty or on leave. If there’s not enough to go around, the fall back position is for them to carry zip ties.

“I can see the jokes now, stop shooting at me or I will yell ‘bang bang’, perhaps wrestle a violent offender to the ground then arrest them using a roll of sticky tape brought from home.”

Mr Prior said eight police arriving at Cairns after graduating had their handcuffs on loan from the training facility in Brisbane.

“They were told they were lucky as they were the only sets available across the entire state,” he said.

“I know where the Police Commissioner should be sending his investigators compiling his 100-day review … straight to headquarters and assessing whether the senior cop responsible for ordering equipment and their mates are really suitable for any role as a police officer.

“There’s 651 police due to graduate from this week through to November, are they going to be told sorry we know you are ready to serve the people of Queensland but you will have to wait until the next financial year until we can provide you with a gun, handcuffs and baton?”

A communication about the handcuff shortage

A spokesman said the Organisational Capability Command was responsible for purchasing and assessing the ongoing suitability of operational equipment.

“The QPS has sufficient handcuffs, batons and firearms for each officer on duty to be appropriately equipped and has processes and arrangements in place for new equipment to meet future demand,” the spokesman said.

“Equipment issued to new constables is either new or reissued, having been returned to the QPS Armoury after previous officers have resigned, retired or no longer require them.

“The reissue of handcuffs, firearms and batons returned from officers who have resigned, retired or no longer need them is a longstanding practice to ensure the best use of resources and is checked by QPS Armoury staff for serviceability before reissue.

“Some reissued equipment will be more than 20 years old but remains fit for purpose. Officers have access to Flexicuffs, which are an alternative to handcuffs in certain circumstances, including situations where large groups of people are taken into custody, such as during protest activity.

“The use of Flexicuffs is governed by QPS policy, and the QPS does not approve the use of zip ties.”

The spokesman said there were sufficient body-worn cameras for each on-duty officer to carry out their operational duties.

A communication about the handcuff shortage

Originally published as Qld’s frontline police at mercy of handcuff, weapons shortages