Cops vow to root out bad eggs in ranks
ONE of the Gold Coast’s top cops says the investigation into alleged misconduct and bullying must be robust because “none of us want crooks walking among us”.
“I don’t want to see that because it reflects badly on us,” said Regional Crime Coordinator Superintendent Kerry Johnson yesterday in the wake of the Crime and Corruption Commission’s decision to refer 15 officers to an internal investigation over alleged dodgy crime statistics and bullying.
“The police brand is where it is today after scrutiny and mudslinging and we’ve come out the other end stronger.”
Supt Johnson, who previously worked at the Ethical Standards Command, called on the Queensland Police Service to “robustly” look at each of the cases referred to the in- ternal watchdog. “If people have done the wrong thing then I’ll be the first one to drag them to a hearing. But we have to let the internal investigation run its course,” he said.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the CCC said it had also taken action against a senior Gold Coast officer over “matters arising from a specific recruitment process”, which was now before the courts.
In September, Gold Coast Superintendent Michelle Stenner was charged with perjury and misconduct in relation to the public office.
“Those involved in (the internal investigation) will be investigated properly,” Supt Johnson said. “We need to have reporting (of misconduct) and we have a very robust system in place to capture that.
“If people are being unethical it is my job to do something about it.
“The police have gone from being an organisation in the 1980s that was untrusted and we’ve built it up to where it is today and we don’t what to see that eroded. We don’t ever want to see another Fitzgerald era back again.”
South Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said he was committed to providing a positive working environment for Gold Coast police. “There is no place for bullying or intimidation within the QPS at any level,” he said.