A top Queensland family law specialist and academic has launched a scathing attack on Queensland Police and called on the Premier to launch an urgent inquiry into police’s treatment of domestic violence victims, following Fairfax Media’s revelations that a woman and her children were tracked down by her violent ex-husband with help from a police officer.
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Jennifer Hetherington said the revelations were a “scandal” that evoked the “spectre of a secret culture” within the QPS and undermined state government measures to combat domestic violence.
“These revelations show police attitudes toward domestic violence complainants are nothing short of disgusting,” Ms Hetherington said.
“Our police are supposed to be the frontline of protection for domestic violence victims, while the state government is spending more than $320 million over six years on domestic violence measures.
“We had the Not Now, Not Ever report into domestic violence and there’s an expensive advertising campaign under way now to 'Do Something' if people suspect a neighbour or workmate is a domestic violence victim.
“So revelations of a police officer accessing the database and texting a woman’s address to her abusive ex-partner, and encouraging the man to intimidate her with this information, is beyond disgusting.
“It makes a mockery of the state government’s domestic violence campaigns, and the Premier and Police Minister need to step up immediately and launch a formal inquiry into the police mindset in this state,” she said.
Her comments come in the wake of a Right to Information data release by the QPS that revealed 27 spouses took out domestic violence applications against their police officer partners in 2017, alleging them to be domestic violence perpetrators. The courts made domestic violence orders in 11 of those cases.
However, the data excluded offences where no “offender action status” was recorded, meaning the numbers could be higher than shown. It also only presents figures for police staff who are classified correctly as “police officers” and entered into the QPRIME database as such.
The data also showed in 2016, 19 spouses of police officers took out domestic violence applications against their partners, and the courts made orders in seven of those cases.
And in 2015, 26 spouses of police officers took out domestic violence applications against their partners, with the courts making orders in 11 of those cases.
Ms Hetherington said there was widespread anger that the police officer who misused the confidential QPRIME database to leak the Queensland mother’s location was still employed, and it seemed police had looked for excuses not to prosecute him.
“Right now, public confidence in our police attitude toward domestic violence victims is zero with a strong element of disgust added,” Ms Hetherington said.
“We need a formal inquiry to identify, then weed out those people in the police service who have failed the very people they have sworn to protect.”
A spokesman for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Premier was travelling throughout the Torres Strait on Thursday and was unable to comment.
In a statement, a spokesman for Police Minister Mark Ryan, said: “I expect all members of the Queensland Police Service to uphold the highest professional standards.
“I am advised by the Queensland Police Service that the matter was referred to the Queensland Police Service by the Crime and Corruption Commission in June 2016 and investigated by officers from Ethical Standards Command, with oversight by the CCC.
“The matter is now being overviewed by a senior officer.
The spokesman said the government was taking the issue of domestic violence seriously.
“The government is increasing the capacity of the District Domestic and Family Violence Coordinator network by providing an additional 24 new specialist positions to meet current and projected future demand in reporting of domestic and family violence across the state.
“The government is implementing and actively supporting the 140 recommendations of the 2015 Special Task Force on Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) in Queensland.”
