BLACK YEAR FOR THE BLUE
AS crucial as it may prove to be, the case involving a senior Gold Coast police officer now facing charges of perjury and misconduct is a major distraction the city does not need.
Within a few months the Gold Coast will host the Commonwealth Games. It needs to know that security matters, transport, crowd control and a long list of other necessary roles are in good hands.
The city, the rest of the country and international athletes and tourists who plan to be here in April must know that police are able to give the event and public safety their full attention. Instead, this past year has bordered on being chaotic in terms of police administration. It is difficult to see how officers can operate while court action and inquiries continue.
The year has brought the scandal of fudged crime figures, which still hangs over the police service, particularly on the Gold Coast which was singled out for special attention in a damning report from the Auditor-General.
The report found Gold Coast police set out to improve clear-up rates by soliciting victims to withdraw complaints, presuming complainants wanted no further action if they did not respond quickly to letters, and adopting a three-strikes policy that spiked complaints if victims could not be contacted after three attempts.
Frontline police have been flat out dealing with a tsunami of domestic violence matters, yet administrators have grilled officers who have gone into overtime trying to protect frightened women and children – despite the community’s deep concern at levels here of family violence and appalling crimes involving murder.
Often the domestic violence is fuelled by drug and alcohol addiction. Associated with that are other crimes involving violence and robbery. At times this has been a city under siege, with the thin blue line the only defence.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart cited stability of command during the Commonwealth Games as a key reason for remaining in the job when he was reappointed in July. Unfortunately many on the Gold Coast do not share his confidence, given the turmoil of the past year. The Bulletin has been told increasing numbers of police officers are among them.