Exclusive: Police service says family violence is unacceptable but refuses to say why no officers have been sacked

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

The Queensland police service says 84 serving officers have been accused of domestic violence in the past five years, amid growing concerns about attitudes of police towards victims.

In a statement to Guardian Australia, the police service acknowledged that “no domestic and family violence is acceptable” but it argued that the proportion of police respondents to domestic violence protection orders, and those who breach orders, was considerably lower than the general population.

“While the QPS takes a strong stance in the fight against domestic and family violence, we recognise that our people are part of the community and some are respondents in [domestic violence] matters,” police said in the statement.

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Police said they “manage or support” those known to be involved in domestic or family violence incidents. They did not directly address questions about why officers were not sacked when found to have committed domestic violence offences, or whether measures were taken to ensure those accused were not dealing directly with victims.

The effectiveness of the Queensland police discipline system – where police routinely investigate police – has been a longstanding concern of civil liberties groups and others. Under that system it is notoriously difficult to sack a police officer.

Other high-profile organisations, such as the NRL, have “no fault stand-down” policies when players are subject to allegations, and lifetime bans for domestic violence offenders.

“The QPS has over 12,200 police officers and recruits and over the past five years, 84 officers were recorded as respondents on domestic violence orders,” the police statement said.

“This equates to 0.68% of police officers and recruits being recorded as a respondent on domestic violence orders. Compared to the general population, police officers are 85% less likely to be recorded as a respondent on a domestic violence order.

“The strong discipline and oversight regimes of the QPS results in police officers being 95% less likely to commit a breach of domestic violence order when compared to the general population.

“The QPS puts plans in place to appropriately manage or support any members who are known to have been involved in domestic and family violence incidents.”

An increasing number of incidents has thrown the spotlight on police, their language about domestic violence and their response to female victims in traumatic situations. Many of the same concerns relate to victims of sexual violence.

Last week, police stood down a traffic officer for allegedly failing to investigate a domestic violence complaint.

Police have faced sustained criticism for their actions in the case of a domestic violence victim, Julie*, whose personal details were accessed by a senior constable and leaked to her abuser.

The policeman, Neil Punchard, was initially disciplined but not sacked or charged. He was eventually convicted of computer hacking after significant public pressure on police to review the case.

Punchard remains stood down on full pay while he appeals his conviction and suspended sentence. The commissioner, Katarina Carroll, is under pressure to sack him when the appeal is finalised.

Last month a victim, Dani, won a private domestic violence prosecution against her former partner, who splashed petrol on her and threatened to burn the house down, in a case police refused to prosecute.

Angela Lynch, the chief executive of the Women’s Legal Service Queensland, told Guardian Australia last week that police often framed domestic violence cases as “tit for tat between two parties, rather than an abusive pattern of violence”. She said domestic violence matters were often not dealt with effectively, and that police and the family law system should act to prioritise the safety of those involved, rather than treating incidents as difficult family law matters.

Police said in the statement that “the safety and wellbeing of victims of domestic and family violence are key priorities … and we work closely with partner agencies to ensure victims are supported through the legal process.”