The Palaszczuk Government has passed historic laws that will dramatically improve the police discipline system for the community and for police.
The new legislation will streamline police disciplinary investigations, delivering faster and more consistent outcomes, while also enhancing oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said the Police Service Administration (Discipline Reform) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 provided a new model with improved timeframes, options for abbreviated investigations and a range of modernised sanctions.
“This is historic legislation, which has been more than two decades in the making.
“Following a thorough review led by Alan MacSporran QC, Chairperson of the CCC, and involving key stakeholders including the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland Police Union of Employees, the Queensland Police Commissioned Officers Union of Employees, and the legal fraternity, the Palaszczuk Government has delivered, with bipartisan support, the new discipline framework.
“Thirty years ago Tony Fitzgerald asked us all to remain eternally vigilant so that history would never be repeated.
“These new laws build on the Fitzgerald legacy.
“The community and police can have confidence in this new discipline system.
“The new discipline system will provide improved timelines and increase consistency and fairness for the public, complainants and police.
“The system will be improved through legislated timeframes and flexible procedures while maintaining oversight from the CCC, by involving the CCC in the complaints process earlier and extending the CCC’s authority to review decisions.”
“An abbreviated discipline process would also enable investigators to quickly resolve matters where sufficient evidence exists at the outset, circumventing the need for a full and lengthy police investigation, thus improving timeframes.
“The public can rest assured that no changes are being made to a person’s ability to report officer misbehaviour or misconduct and the new laws improve current processes after complaints are received,” Minister Ryan said.
The police complaints system had remained largely unchanged since 1990.
