COPS IN CRISIS
SHOCK AS SENIOR OFFICER CHARGED
GOLD Coast Superintendent Michelle Stenner was the pinup girl of Queensland police, winning the Australian Police Medal.
One of six recipients of the national honour in January, Supt Stenner was recognised for “outstanding dedication and commitment during her career” and skills in operational planning and management.
The Queensland Police Service at the time said Supt Stenner had cut red tape and earned “the respect of her peers and the support of her subordinates”.
Behind police station walls, however, Supt Stenner was not popular.
Months after her appointment on the Coast from Ipswich in September 2015 she announced she would not tolerate “evil” in her ranks, telling officers “you have supportive management in place there”.
Supt Stenner and Supt Terry Borland, from the Sunshine Coast, joined Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd to oversee the Coast and Logan district. Commissioner Ian Stewart said at the time the restructure was one of the most significant injections of new leadership assignments in the service’s history.
Yesterday, he was on a week’s leave.
The initial view from police ranks below was much different to the Commissioner’s.
None of the Coast officers had on-the-ground experience on the Glitter Strip, vital to halt a domestic violence crime wave.
In early 2016, Supt Stenner had to defend the appoint-
ment of her husband, Inspector Mick Stenner, to replace the founding boss of the elite Rapid Action Patrol bikiebusting unit who was transferred to desk duties in Brisbane.
She denied any conflict of interest, saying she had no role in her partner’s “temporary” appointment.
In January, the Bulletin revealed police were accused of keeping major violence secret and fudging crime figures on the Gold Coast.
The State Opposition called for a review into allegations that junior cops were being directed to reduce clearance rates for crime in certain circumstances.
In a worrying concern, the Bulletin had been told major incidents on the Glitter Strip involving bikies were not made public and the Palaszczuk Government was putting pressure on Gold Coast police to provide good news stories.
In April, a scathing report by the Auditor-General found police were being forced to fudge crime figures.
“In the district we examined in detail – the Gold Coast district – we found governance over crime data is poor,” the report said.
The Bulletin later revealed three Coast police officers who blew the whistle on the dodgy crime data-gathering practices were shunted to separate stations.
It also reported that women’s welfare groups had written to the Government concerned about the number of sexual assault victims urged by police not to take action.
The Crime and Corruption Commission widened its investigation. The scope included appointment of administration staff and supply contracts with the QPS.
Supt Stenner was one of the senior officers called to Brisbane to be interviewed by the CCC. The perjury charges against her yesterday relate to evidence given at the Commission’s Fortitude Valley office.
The 44-year-old mother and her husband Mick in May bought a $1 million home on the Coast. He was with her as a support person yesterday at the watchhouse.