An independent review that found Queensland’s police service defied government priorities and allocated money to purposes other than what was intended has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
The review, which has made 21 recommendations, also found the QPS had a forecast deficit of $400 million for the 2026 financial year.
Police Commissioner Brett Pointing said he made the referral to the corruption watchdog as he acknowledged the review could impact “public confidence and trust” in the administration practices of the QPS.
“In simple terms, the organisation has been living beyond its means,” he said.
The review has been referred to the CCC. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
He said “certain matters we’re drawn attention to” but would not say whether any individuals had been referred to the CCC in order to “respect the process”.
The report found that by June 30 last year, the workforce had increased by 410 full-time equivalents despite funding being provided for 1,241 positions.
The report found the QPS employed about 600 additional non-sworn staff above the funding that it was allocated.
Neil Castles, who authored the report, noted the most contributing factor was poor financial management, and defiance of government decisions by using funding for purposes other than for what it was intended for.
The report said government money provided to meet specific priorities was not “ring-fenced”, meaning it could be reallocated within police to other areas.
The report recommended about 280 Queensland Police officers should return to the front line over 18 months and that QPS should be banned from filling vacant positions until June 30 next year.
Commissioner Pointing said the community had “every right to be disappointed in the performance of the QPS”.
“My focus of course, moving forward, is to fix it and do the reset of the organisation that is necessary,” he said.
Dan Purdie says it is a “bombshell” report. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Commissioner Pointing said he wanted to assure staff the report would not lead to redundancies as the organisation sought to rebalance its finances.
“Anyone who is in a job will not lose their job, but if that job becomes vacant we will look at it and see if that can be rebalanced,” he said.
The report recommends a task force be established within the commissioner’s office to oversee the implementation of the report.
Police Minister Dan Purdie said the “damming” review identified a series of “shocking instances of financial mismanagement and governance failures in the QPS.
“This review aims to refocus the organisation on frontline policing,” he said.
