A “raw and confronting” report has found a toxic culture of sexism, racism and misogyny within the Queensland police force has inhibited officers’ response to domestic and family violence.
For five months, the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service (QPS) Responses to Domestic and Family Violence has heard evidence of racism, misogyny and policewomen allegedly being raped and sexually assaulted by colleagues, per the Brisbane Times.
The inquiry heard of a QPS officer threatening rape and non-consensually touching people on multiple occasions, and another who threatened to punch his female boss in the “cunt”, according to the Courier Mail.
A document compiled by female QPS officers in 2017 and 2018 was also read to the inquiry. Within the dossier, one woman said she had been raped and knew of five other women who had been sexually assaulted the same way.
She also said she’d been called a “slut” and a “lesbian”, was asked to pull up her shirt for a “tit inspection”, had been non-consensually touched on the bottom and other people had put their hands down her front.
Judge Deborah Richards handed down the damning report from the inquiry on Monday. She said the commission found there was “ample evidence that there were cultural issues within the Queensland Police Service which inhibit the policing of domestic and family violence”, per the ABC.
“There is evidence that there is a lack of understanding of the dynamics of, and power imbalance within, domestically violent relationships,” she said.
“There is evidence that there is significant under-resourcing which leads to reactive and at times short-lived reform and, in the frontline, confusion over expectations of performance.
“Despite the initial protestations … the commission has found clear evidence of a culture where attitudes of misogyny, sexism and racism are allowed to be expressed, and at times acted upon, largely unchecked.
“Where complaints in relation to such treatment are brushed aside or dealt with in the most minor of ways and those who complain are the ones who are shunned and punished.
“It is hardly surprising that these attitudes are reflected then in the way that those police who hold them respond to victim-survivors.
“It is a failure of the leadership of the organisation that this situation has been allowed to continue over many years unchecked.”
As reported by the ABC, some of the findings included:
- QPS officers were unable to adequately respond to domestic and family violence as negative attitudes towards women were rife within the service
- Sexist, racist and misogynistic conduct is a “significant problem” within the QPS and it isn’t sufficiently dealt with
- The QPS “failed” to meet its human rights obligations for people who complained about the conduct and had suffered as a result of it
- Racist attitudes within the QPS meant First Nations employees, staff from other cultural backgrounds and members of the community were discriminated against
- The QPS was not a culturally-safe workplace for First Nations employees, which the service had a duty to provide
Despite describing the report as “raw and confronting”, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she still supported Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.
“To bring about the reforms and cultural change needs a strong woman, and that strong woman is Katarina Carroll,” the Premier said, per the Courier Mail.
“This is going to be confronting and it’s going to take every ounce of her strength to bring about this reform and I’m confident she is the right person to do it.
“This report essentially rips the Band-Aid off and says there are some deep-seated cultural issues about the way in which some members of the police service interact with First Nations people, how they interact with people from multicultural backgrounds and how they interact with dealing with women.”
Palaszczuk said her government supported the 78 recommendations laid out in Judge Richard’s report, called A Call for Change.
The report recommended myriad reforms, per 9News. Some of these included:
- Rolling out domestic and family violence support officers, plus domestic violence and LGBTQIA+ liaison officers and coordinators in police stations across Queensland
- Enforcing better training for QPS officers, including specialists courses and engaging with survivors of domestic and family violence
- Making sure all police stations have a safe, secluded area for people reporting domestic and family violence
- Establishing a police integrity unit and reforming the way complaints within the QPS are dealt with
- Ensuring QPS applicants have an interest in domestic and family violence policing and meet the service’s values
- Separating the First Nations and Multicultural Affairs units and hiring more staff for each
Gagging to know what QPS’ so-called values are given, you know, all the vile reports of racism, misogyny and sexism within the force, and the fact dogshit leadership allowed it to happen. The call is coming from inside the house, QPS!
The Palaszczuk government has set aside $100 million to invest in the reforms, which the Premier described as “nation-leading”. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski will be in charge of co-ordinating the reforms and reporting directly to the state government.
I fucking hope they’re “nation-leading” when you consider the unfathomably atrocious behaviour that’s come out of the QPS.
It was only announced last Thursday that Detective Superintendent Kerry Johson, who heads the QPS First Nations unit, is under investigation after accusations of racism. Yep, that’s right: the bloke who’s in charge of a First Nations unit is being investigated for being racist. Who’d have thunk it.
And earlier last week, recordings of QPS officers making revolting comments about wanting to “beat the fuck out of” and “bury” First Nations people and the fear of “outbreeding” by Muslims and African immigrants were leaked to the public.
Just abolish the entire thing.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you are in distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
You can also report instances of racism or discrimination to the Australian Human Rights Commission on 1300 656 419 or lodge a complaint online.
