‘Nothing is declining’: Complaints data backs police integrity push

The state government is due to receive within months a detailed blueprint that would allow for a Police Integrity Unit to finally be established in Queensland.

The civilian-led unit was a recommendation of the Commission of Inquiry into Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence, which found serious cultural problems including widespread sexism and racism.

It was envisaged as an independent and separate unit of the Crime and Corruption Commission, with the power to protect whistleblowers and support complainants, tasked with dealing with all complaints about police.

Complaints about Queensland police have been increasing while authorities considered whether to establish an independent integrity unit.Credit: Queensland Police

However, the implementation process has been plagued by delays – in April, incoming Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski could not even say whether a unit would be established – leading to questions about the level of support for reform.

The Crisafulli LNP government has not responded to repeated requests from this masthead to clarify its intentions.

The former Miles Labor government formed a working group to come up with the blueprint, to be delivered to the attorney-general and police minister by February 28.

The working group has representatives from the QPS, CCC, Public Service Commission, Queensland Police Union, Queensland Police Commissioned Officers Union of Employees, and the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

Minutes of its first meeting, obtained under the Right to Information Act, show the working group acknowledged public criticism of the delays and persistent questions from the media.

There was consensus at the September meeting that integrity is a continuing concern – as is the current approach to dealing with it.

“QPS, QPU and QPCOUE acknowledged current system not responsive and not working seamlessly, and current system was not working for police, victims and those being investigated,” the minutes state.

CCC chair Bruce Barbour also presented internal data about “the increasing trend of complaints”.

“In the past five years, complaints about QPS have more than doubled, noting CCC currently do not see all complaints,” the minutes report Barbour telling the meeting.

“In the last 12 months, there has been a 20 per cent increase which is consistent throughout the years.

“Data and costings [for the unit] will need to factor in that nothing is declining.”

The minutes also revealed “whistleblower complaints are going up but it is a challenge for CCC as they do not have clarity in the legislation about how to manage that.”

Aspects of the documents were withheld from release on the basis that they could disclose Cabinet deliberations or jeopardise the more sensitive elements of working group discussions.

The released documents show that members of the working group agreed critical incidents should be out of scope for any civilian-led unit, and continue to be overseen by the State Coroner and CCC.

The minutes also suggest a fact-finding mission to Northern Ireland was not particularly helpful. The model examined by several members did not deal with the same types of complaints, nor police-on-police matters or police culture, was particularly siloed and “was more of a triage process which would be expensive and requiring the right amount of resourcing”.

The working group was scheduled to meet last week but did not convene. A justice department spokesman said the decision was due to “the change of government and the need to brief the new Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity (Deb Frecklington) on the Police Integrity Unit work”.

A date for the next meeting has yet to be scheduled.