Queensland Police Service

Queensland Police Service
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Motto	With Honour We Serve
Agency overview
Formed	January 1, 1864
Employees	10,237
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Queensland, Australia
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	200 Roma Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 27.4664°S 153.0182°E / -27.4664; 153.0182
Agency executive	Robert Atkinson, Commissioner
Units	List Child Protection and Investigation Unit Special Emergency Response Team Tactical Crime Squad
Website
www.police.qld.gov.au/

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve". The headquarters of the Queensland Police Service is located at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

History

Queensland as a state did not exist until 6 June 1859. The area now called Queensland was known as North Eastern New South Wales. The colony would have been under the jurisdiction of the New South Wales Police Force up until Queensland established its own police force.

The Queensland Police was established on 1 January 1864 and started operations with approximately 143 employees, including the first Commissioner of Police D.T. Seymour. The service had four divisions: Metropolitan Police, Rural Police, Water Police, and Native Police. Bicycles were introduced in 1895. At the turn of the century there were 845 men and 135 Aboriginal trackers at 256 stations in Queensland.

1900s

In 1904 the Queensland Police started to use fingerprinting in investigations. In 1912 Brisbane general strike the Queensland Police were used to suppress striking workers. The first female police officers were inducted in 1931 to assist in inquiries involving female suspects and prisoners. Following World War II a number of technological innovations were adopted including radio for communication within Queensland and between state departments. By 1950 the Service was staffed by 2,030 sworn personnel, 10 women police and 30 trackers.

1960s and 1970s

In 1965 female officers were given the same powers as male officers. The Queensland Police Academy at Oxley, Brisbane, was completed in 1972. Bicycles were phased out in 1975 and more cars and motorcycles were put into service. The Air Wing also became operational in 1975 following the purchase of two single-engine aircraft.

1980s

A new computerised message switching system was put into use throughout Queensland in 1980. At the time it was one of the most effective police communication systems in Australia. The decade was a turbulent period in Queensland's political history. Allegations of high-level corruption in both the Queensland Police and State Government led to a judicial inquiry presided by Tony Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald Inquiry which ran from July 1987 to July 1989 led to charges being laid against many long serving police, including Jack Herbert, Licensing Branch Sergeant Harry Burgess, Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker and Commissioner Terry Lewis. Lewis was jailed and served ten and a half years. Queensland also saw a perjury trial against Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen at the conclusion of which he was found not guilty.

1990s

The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act was passed by the Queensland Government on 1 July 1997. Law enforcement equipment introduced in the 1990s include Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) Spray, the Glock semi-automatic pistol, extendable batons and hinged handcuffs in 1998 and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser-based detection devices and an Integrated Traffic Camera System in 1999 to enforce traffic speed limits.

2000s

The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 came into force in July 2000 which consolidated the majority of police powers into one Act. The Queensland Police contributed to the national CrimTrac system and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), established in 2000. The Crime and Misconduct Act 2001 commenced 1 January 2002 and redefined the responsibilities of the Service and the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) with respect to the management of complaints.

In 2002 there were 8,367 sworn officers (20.2% female) and 2,925 staff members at 321 stations, 40 Police Beat shopfronts and 21 Neighbourhood Police Beats throughout the state. By 2004 the service grown to 9,003 sworn officers (21.8% female) and 2,994 other staff members. As at 30 June 2008 there were 10,237 sworn officers (25% female) and 2,929 other staff members.

The Taser electroshock weapon was trialled by some officers in 2006 and was eventually issued in 2009. In mid-2007, approximately 5,000 officers participated in the Pride in Policing march through Brisbane.

Criticisms

In early 2010, raids were made by the CMC (Crime and Misconduct Commission) on police stations in Queensland. The results of the raids and interrogations of police officers are being kept confidential, but come less than a year after a CMC report claiming

"the evidence revealed an attitude on the part of a not insignificant number of police officers, and their supervisors, that it was acceptable to act in ways that ignored legislative and QPS policy requirements, that were improper, and in some cases were dishonest and unlawful. Based on past experiences, the CMC had no confidence that the attitudes of those police officers would change without the pressure of public exposure."

The CMC report focused on police corruption, and not police brutality that accounted for ten times as many complaints in Surfer's Paradise - 130 reports to 13 in the 18 months to March 2010.

In June 2009 a man died after allegedly being tasered by Queensland police 28 times.

In 2008, the CMC investigated an officer after he used a Taser on a teenage girl at South Bank. After the girl refused to 'move on' from helping an unconscious friend, she was tasered whilst being held down by a security guard. A magistrate later ruled the officers did not give the girl adequate directions and threw out a charge of obstructing police. The CMC made an attempt to re-investigate but stated that the officers involved would not face charges. As a consequence of the incident, the Service conducted a review into issuing Tasers equipped with a camera.

Also in 2006 and 2008 footage was caught of police beating homeless men after they were pinned to the ground. It came a year after a report by organisations including the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) and community groups such as the Red Cross, which detailed widespread harassment by police of the socially vulnerable. Approximately 75% of interviewees made such claims, but the report was ignored by the government. Police Minister Judy Spence said of the report "At a cursory glance, it looks like a compendium of views from nameless, homeless people,".

The Service has been accused of institutional racism after its fierce support of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley who stood trial for the 2004 assault and manslaughter of Mulrunji Doomadgee. Senior Sergeant Hurley was initially subject of a Coronial Inquest by Coroner Christine Clements where he was found to have a case to answer despite conflicting medical evidence. The Director of Public Prosecutions Leanne Claire refused to place Senior Sergeant Hurley on trial for lack of evidence. The Queensland Attorney General Kerry Shine ordered a review despite advice from the State Solicitor-General Walter Sofronoff QC highlighting the lack of evidence. A review by New South Wales Former Chief Justice Sir Laurence Street found there was a case to answer. Senior Sergeant Hurley was found not guilty by a jury in the Townsville Supreme Court and the findings of the Coronial Inquest were subsequently overturned by the Townsville District Court.

Throughout the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, one of Australia's most famous stand up comedians, Rodney Rude, was critical of the Queensland Police after being arrested during one of his shows for indecent exposure in a public place. The incident eventually led to Rude making a song called "Queensland Cops", which referred them to being corrupt, involved with prostitution and being involved with other heinous sexual acts. Rude was banned from performing live shows in Queensland at the time, but the ban was lifted after the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

Regions

There are eight police regions and three commands in the State of Queensland, each under command of an Assistant Commissioner:

• Far Northern Region
• Northern Region
• Central Region
• North Coast Region
• Metropolitan North Region
• Metropolitan South Region
• Southern Region
• South Eastern Region
• Operations Support Command
• State Crime Operations Command
• Ethical Standards Command

These regions are further divided into districts or divisions.

Ranks and structure

See also: Australian police ranks

The Queensland Police Service has two classes of uniformed personnel: 'sworn' and 'unsworn' officers. Both classes adorn the same blue uniform, however:

• 'Recruits' are required to replace the chequered band on their wide-brimmed hats with a plain blue piece;
• 'Police Liaison Officers' are distinguished by a yellow chequered band and a 'Police Liaison Officer' badge.

Ranks of the Queensland Police Service are as follows:

Unsworn Officers

• Police Liaison Officer (yellow or blue/green (Torres Strait) epaulette with embroidered 'POLICE LIAISON OFFICER')
• Recruit (light blue epaulette with embroidered 'RECRUIT')

Constable Ranks

• Constable (plain blue epaulette)
• Constable First Class (one embroidered chevron - no longer issued but still in use)
• Senior Constable (two embroidered chevrons)

Non Commissioned Ranks

• Sergeant (three embroidered chevrons)
• Senior Sergeant (embroidered crown with laurels)

Commissioned Ranks

• Inspector (three pips)
• Superintendent (one crown and one pip)
• Chief Superintendent (one crown and two pips)

• Assistant Commissioner (crossed tipstaves with laurels)
• Deputy Commissioner (one pip and crossed tipstaves with laurels)
• Commissioner (one crown and crossed tipstaves with laurels)

Constable	Constable (1st Class)	Senior Constable	Sergeant	Senior Sergeant	Inspector	Superintendent	Chief Superintendent	Assistant Commissioner	Deputy Commissioner	Commissioner

Rank insignia is worn only by uniformed officers. Prior to mid-2009, only officers at the rank of Inspector and above (commissioned officers) had the words 'Queensland Police' embroidered on their epaulettes, however new uniform mandates saw the introduction of the words 'Queensland Police' on all epaulettes issued to sworn officers after this date. The epaulettes of commissioned officers are significantly larger than the epaulettes of lower ranks. Different paypoints apply within the same rank relative to years of service.

Specialist areas

Officers must serve a minimum of three to five years in general duties before being permitted to serve in specialist areas such as:

• Child Protection and Investigation Unit (CPIU)
• Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB)
• Dog Squad
• Forensic Crash Unit
• Forensic Services Branch
• Mounted
• Prosecutions
• Railway Squad
• Scenes of Crime
• Special Emergency Response Team (SERT)
• Stock Squad
• Tactical Crime Squad (TCS)
• Traffic Branch
• Water Police

Commissioners

Period Served	Name
2000 -	Robert Atkinson
1992 - 2000	James Patrick O'Sullivan
1989 - 1992	Noel Ronald Newnham
1987 - 1989	Ronald Joseph Redmond
1976 - 1987	Terence Murray Lewis
1970 - 1976	Raymond Wells Whitrod
1969 - 1970	Norrin William Bauer
1958 - 1969	Francis Erich Bischof
1957	Thomas William Harrold
1955 - 1957	Patrick Glynn
1949 - 1954	John Smith
1934 - 1949	Cecil James Carroll
1925 - 1934	William Harold Ryan
1921 - 1925	Patrick Short
1917 - 1921	Frederick Charles Urquhart
1905 - 1916	William Geoffrey Cahill
1895 - 1905	William Edward Parry-Okenden
1864 - 1895	David Thomson Seymour

Equipment

Standard equipment issued and worn on duty belt by a General Duties police officer:

• Glock 22 pistol
• 2 x spare magazines plus ammunition
• ASP extendable baton (21") concealed within pouch
• Saf-Lock Mk5 hinged handcuffs
• Motorola radio and radio pouch
• OC spray within pouch

Supplier of belt and pouches is TripleB Leathercraft.

Other equipment provided to officers include:

• Maglite torches
• rigid long batons (stored in vehicles)
• light weight medic gloves and voice recording devices

As of 2009 selected officers around the state carry a Taser (X26) with spare air cartridge, which are both contained within a specially designed holster.

Vehicles

Vehicles currently in use with the Queensland Police Service:

• BMW R1200RT-P
• Ford Falcon
• Ford Territory
• Holden Commodore
• Holden Crewman (with prisoner compartment)
• Honda Accord (unmarked)
• Hyundai iLoad
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Mercedes-Benz Vito
• Mitsubishi 380
• Nissan X-Trail
• Subaru Liberty (unmarked)
• Toyota Aurion
• Toyota HiLux (with prisoner compartment)
• Toyota Kluger
• Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series
• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

External links

• Queensland Police Service
• Dangerous Liaisons - CMC investigation, July 2009