The
Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n state of
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. 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,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, 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 the state established its own police force.
The Queensland
PoliceA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
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.
BicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist....
s were introduced in 1895. At the turn of the century there were 845 men and 135
Aboriginal trackerIn the years following British settlement in Australia, aboriginal trackers or black trackers, as they became known, were enlisted by settlers to assist them in navigating their way through the Australian landscape...
s at 256 stations in Queensland.
1900s
In 1904 the Queensland Police started to use
fingerprintA fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges on all parts of the finger. A friction ridge is a raised portion of the epidermis on the palmar or digits or plantar skin, consisting of one or more connected ridge units of friction ridge skin...
ing in investigations. In
1912 Brisbane general strikeThe 1912 Brisbane General Strike in Queensland, Australia, began when members of the Australian Tramway Employees Association were dismissed when they wore union badges to work on 18 January 1912...
the Queensland Police were used to suppress striking workers. The first women police officers were inducted in 1931 to assist in inquiries involving women suspects and prisoners. Following
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a number of technological innovations were adopted including
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
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.
1970s
The Queensland Police Academy complex at Oxley,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, was completed in 1972. Bicycles were phased out in 1975 and the Police put more
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s and
motorcycleA motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are the most affordable form of...
s into service, the Police Air Wing also became operational in 1975 following the purchase of two single-engine aircraft. In 1980, a new
computerA computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century . These were the size of a large room, consuming as...
ised message switching system was put into use throughout the State, giving Queensland one of the most effective police communication systems in Australia.
1980s
The 1980s were a turbulent period in Queensland's political history, allegations of high-level
corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the Queensland Police and State government led to a judicial inquiry presided by Tony Fitzgerald. The
Fitzgerald InquiryThe Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry was established in response to a series of articles on high-level police corruption in The Courier-Mail by reporter Phil Dickie, followed by a Four Corners report, aired...
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, the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis (who was gaoled and served ten and a half years) and a
perjuryPerjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the matter lied about would affect the outcome of the case...
trial against the State Premier
Joh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , New Zealand-bornAustralian politician, was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of the state of Queensland. He held office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
.
1990s
The Police Powers and Responsibility Act 1997, was passed by the Queensland government on 1 July 1997.
Technological introductions in the 1990s include
Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) SprayPepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears.Although considered a less lethal agent,...
, the
GlockGlock GmbH is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
semi-automatic pistol, extendable batons and hinged
handcuffsHandcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed...
in 1998,and Light Detection and Ranging (
LIDARLIDAR is an optical remote sensing technology that measures properties of scattered light to find range and/or other information of a distant target. The prevalent method to determine distance to an object or surface is to use laser pulses...
) laser-based detection devices and an Integrated Traffic Camera System in 1999 to enforce traffic
speed limitA road speed limit is the maximum speed allowed by law for road vehicles. Speed limits are commonly set and enforced by the legislative bodies of nations or provincial governments, such as countries within the world....
s.
2000s
The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 came into force in July 2000, consolidating the majority of police powers into one Act. The Queensland Police contribute to the national
CrimTracThe CrimTrac Agency was established in July 2000 to facilitate data and information sharing within the Australian policing environment via new and existing information systems...
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 CommissionThe Crime and Misconduct Commission is an independent Queensland Government entity created to combat and reduce the incidence of major crime and to continuously improve the integrity of, and to reduce the incidence of misconduct in, the Queensland public sector. The CMC also has a witness...
with respect to the management of complaints.
In 2006, some officers received a TASER stun gun.
In mid-2007, approximately 5,000 officers participated in the Pride in Policing march through
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
, Queensland's capital.
The 2000s were a decade of continued growth for the Queensland Police Service, whilst the percentage of female officers also increased. In 2002 there were 8,367 sworn staff (20.2% women) and 2,925 staff members at 321 Police Stations, 40 Police Beat shopfronts and 21 Neighbourhood Police Beats throughout the state. By 2004 the service grown to 9,003 sworn personnel (21.8% women) and 2,994 other staff members. As at 30 June 2008 there were 10,237 sworn personnel (25% women) and 2,929 other staff.
Criticisms
The CMC investigated a Constable of the Queensland Police Service after an he tasered a teenage girl at South Bank in 2008. A magistrate later ruled the officers did not give adequate directions and threw out a charge of obstructing police against the girl. From reports of video footage, the 16 year old girl kicked and spat on the Constable resulting in a security guard holding her down and being tasered for 1.5 seconds. The CMC has made a attempt to re-investigate this issues but no charges will be held against the police officers.As a consequence of this incident, the service has conducted a review into implementation of Taser equipped with a Camera.
The Queensland Police Service has also been accused of institutional racism after its fierce support of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, who stood trial for the assault and manslaughter of Mulrunji Doomadgee.Senior Sergeant Hurley was initially subject of an 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 high-lighting 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 80's and most of the 90's, one of Australia's most famous stand up comedians,
Rodney RudeRodney Rude is an Australian 'blue' stand-up comedian, poet and writer. He is infamous for his bawdy humour. He has released 12 albums and 5 videos throughout his long career, all of which are distributed by EMI Music Australia. To date, Rodney has sold well in excess of 2 million CDs videos and...
, was critical of the Queensland Police, after being arrested during one of his shows for indecent exposure in a public place. The 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, which led to his banning of doing live shows in Queensland, but this was lifted after the
Fitzgerald InquiryThe Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry was established in response to a series of articles on high-level police corruption in The Courier-Mail by reporter Phil Dickie, followed by a Four Corners report, aired...
.
Regions
There are eight police regions and three commands in the State of Queensland, each under command of an
Assistant Commissioner-Australia:In all Australian police forces, excepting the New South Wales Police Force where it is junior to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner is the rank below Deputy Commissioner but senior to the rank of Commander , senior to the rank of Superintendent and senior...
:
- 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 & Structure
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
--76.5.69.30 01:14, 8 October 2009 --76.5.69.30 01:14, 8 October 2009 --76.5.69.30 01:14, 8 October 2009 --76.5.69.30 01:14, 8 October 2009 --76.5.69.30 01:14, 8 October 2009...
(light blue epaulette with embroidered 'RECRUIT')
Constable Ranks
- Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.- Etymology :...
(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
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
(three embroidered chevrons)
- Senior Sergeant (embroidered crown with laurels)
Commissioned Ranks
- Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
(three pips)
- Superintendent
Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is Superintendent of Police...
(one crown and one pip)
- Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a Chief Superintendent is senior to a Superintendent and junior to an Assistant Chief Constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, Chief...
(one crown and two pips)
- Assistant Commissioner
-Australia:In all Australian police forces, excepting the New South Wales Police Force where it is junior to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner is the rank below Deputy Commissioner but senior to the rank of Commander , senior to the rank of Superintendent and senior...
(crossed tipstaves with laurels)
- Deputy Commissioner
A Deputy Commissioner is a police or administrative official in many different countries.-Australia:In all Australian police forces, Deputy Commissioner is the rank directly below that of Commissioner and senior to the rank of Assistant Commissioner except in the New South Wales Police Force, where...
(one pip and crossed tipstaves with laurels)
- Commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces. In some organizations it may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police....
(one crown and crossed tipstaves with laurels)
ConstableA constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.- Etymology :...
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Constable
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SergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
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Senior
Sergeant |
InspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
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SuperintendentSuperintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is Superintendent of Police...
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Chief
Superintendent |
Assistant
Commissioner |
Deputy
Commissioner |
Commissioner Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces. In some organizations it may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police....
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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
epauletteEpaulette is a French word meaning "little shoulder" . Epaulettes are a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia or rank by the military and other organizations...
s, 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
Child Protective Services is the name of a governmental agency in many states of the United States that responds to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as "Department of Children & Family Services"...
(CPIU)
- Criminal Investigation Branch
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators...
(CIB)
- Dog Squad
A police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work. Police dogs are often referred to by the term "K9", which is a homophone of "canine", a word that generally refers to dogs and dog-like animals.In many jurisdictions the...
- Forensic Crash Unit
- Forensic Services Branch
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
- Mounted
Mounted police are police who do patrols on horseback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and increasingly in...
- Prosecutions
In the judicial system of New Zealand a Police Prosecutor is a lawyer employed by the Police to present cases in district court, as the counsel for the prosecution. This may be a sworn member of the police or, in larger courts, a civilian lawyer employed as a non-sworn member of the police...
- Railway Squad
Transit police, is a specialized police agency or unit employed by a common carrier, which could be a transit district, railroad, bus line, other transport carrier, or the state...
- Scenes of Crime
A Scenes of Crime Officer is an officer who gathers forensic evidence for the British police. They are also referred to by some forces as Forensic Scene Investigators , Crime Scene Investigators , or Crime Scene Examiners...
- Special Emergency Response Team
Special Emergency Response Team is the Police Tactical Group of the Queensland Police, Australia. SERT is part of the Specialist Response Branch which incorporates Explosive Operations Response Team and the Negotiator Coordination Unit....
(SERT)
- Stock Squad
Livestock are one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fiber, or labor...
- Tactical Crime Squad (TCS)
- Traffic Branch
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
- Water Police
Water police, also called harbour patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables or river police, are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organisation, who patrol in water craft...
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 Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis , previously Sir Terry Lewis OBE GM QPM, is a former Queensland, Australia police commissioner who was convicted and jailed for corruption as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry....
|
| 1970 - 1976 |
Raymond Wells Whitrod Raymond Wells Whitrod AC CVO QPM was an Australian police officer and criminologist. He was considered a world leader in the way society treats victims of crime. He was known as a man of high professional standards, with a commitment to justice, equity and integrity...
|
| 1969 - 1970 |
Norrin William Bauer |
| 1958 - 1969 |
Francis Erich Bischof Francis Erich Bischof was a police commissioner in the Australian state of Queensland from January 1958 until his resignation, on the 13 February 1969, amidst allegations of corruption...
|
| 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 Duty police officer (QLD):
- Glock
Glock GmbH is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
pistol model 22 (.40S&W), two spare magazines plus ammunition, ASP extendable baton (21 inches) concealed within pouch, hinged handcuffs (Saf-Lok Mk5), radio pouch, radio (Motorola), OC spray concealed within pouch.
Other equipment provided includes:
- Maglite torches, rigid long batons (contained within vehicles), light weight medic gloves and voice recording devices.
In recent times, selected officers around the state were also equipped with a
Taser (X26) and spare air cartridge, which are both contained within a specially designed holster.
External links