QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE

MEDIA RESPONSE

October 7, 2015 Issued at: 4.30pm

Supreme court action

Inquiry from Laura Murphy-Oates, SBS:

I'm a journalist for SBS and I've been working on a feature story about the Palm Island

racial discrimination case to air tomorrow night on SBS2's 'The Feed', NITV news and

World News.

My deadline is the end of today. If some questions cannot be answered in time please

advise.

1. The 2010 CMC review of the QPS Palm Island review stated that ‘the OPM should be

amended to provide an entirely separate section which includes all policies,

procedures and orders in relation to the investigation of a death in police custody’-

has this been done?

2. What other improvements to the OPM in dealing with Aboriginal deaths in custody

have been made in recent years?

3. This report also recommended disciplinary proceedings against Detective Inspector

Webber, Detective Senior Sergeant Kitching, Detective Sergeant Robinson, Inspector

Williams as they all failed to comply with the provision of the OPM and the RCIADIC

recommendations about investigating an indigenous death in custody. To this day

have any disciplinary proceedings against these men been carried out?

4. Yesterday the Queensland court of appeal ruled that the 2004 raids on Palm Island

by the police were a ‘grievous wrong’ and a misuse by the police of the executive’s

“enormous” power. Have there been efforts made in the past 11 years to improve

how SERT and police officers respond in emergency situations?

5. The former police chief, Robert Atkinson, expressed regret in 2012 and said “the one

thing obviously all of us would change in the police department would be what

happened at Palm Island” and the current commissioner has admitted mistakes

were made. Why has there been no formal apology?

6. How is the QPS working with the CCC to improve the disciplinary process for police

officers?

Response:

The Queensland Police Service notes the outcome of the Supreme Court of Appeals

decision and will consider the recommendations impacting on the Service.

Consideration of the matter is ongoing.

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Issued by Police Media

Media and Public Affairs Branch

Phone – 07 3015 2444

www.police.qld.gov.au