Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart says he is standing by his decision not to release the names of private companies who have sponsored the police service.

Mining companies, banks, media organisations and security firms are among a raft of sponsors behind almost $475,000 in donations to the Queensland Police Service last financial year.

The donations for this financial year are on track to reach the same level.

The ABC first asked for a list of sponsors and the sponsorship amounts four months ago, after environmentalists alleged it was a conflict of interest.

The QPS executive has now provided two lists of donations and a brief description of the programs, but the names have been withheld.

Speaking on 612 ABC Brisbane this afternoon, Commissioner Stewart said the sponsorship arrangements were within the official policy and were a benefit to both the community and the sponsors.

"Some of them get virtually nothing except the feeling that they've helped their community, their local community in particular," he said.

"Others get their name on a board at a conference to say that they are sponsoring a conference.

"It gives that company an exposure to a client that perhaps they can influence."

Last financial year, there were 65 cash and gift donations worth about $475,000.

Cars, bicycles and motorcycles were given, and an unnamed insurance company paid for a mobile police community office, a donation valued at $25,000.

Donations this financial year are on track to match the previous year: by December 2014, some $190,000 had been shored up.

There have been 23 donations recorded to date for things including a gala dinner, sponsored cars and trips for selected officers overseas for training opportunities.

In December, green groups and farmers vented their frustrations after revelations emerged that coal seam gas company Santos was funding police road safety campaign cars in regional Queensland.

Activists say sponsorship is a conflict of interest

Lock the Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton said the company names should be released, so Queenslanders could judge if there was a conflict of interest.

"It is very, very wrong that these mining companies are putting so much money into the police force at a time when police are being used against protestors," he said.

"At least the police have a code of conduct and guidelines for sponsorship, and that's good, but the problem is there's a complete lack of transparency; it's not on the public record.

"It's impossible to know which companies are sponsoring, what the sponsorships are for [and] who gets it."

When the Santos controversy emerged, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said the sponsorship process with QPS was legitimate.

"It's very healthy, it's done transparently and openly. It's done without any suggestion that companies that help us with sponsorship get any preferential treatment," he said.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said sponsorship details should be put before the relevant parliamentary committee, so the process could be re-examined.

"The fact that the police refused to name the sponsors indicates that the police hierarchy know they have a vulnerability," he said.

"Having your brand on a police car is seen by advertisers as a 'tick, tick, tick'; it's a very good idea.

"Brisbane Airport Corporation at the moment advertises on police cars. The police commissioner could say, 'Well, there's nothing controversial about Brisbane Airport Corporation'.

"There's not [a controversy] today, but next year, when the new runway is built and there's protests against the new runway, when the protestors see the police cars turn up with Brisbane Airport Corporation on them, the protesters are entitled to say, 'Well, whose side are you on?'"

Police union wants more transparency

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said there was no reason why the company names should be withheld.

"We have a current system where the commissioner will not release the names of those who provide sponsorships. That shows that he's out of touch," he said.

"We want openness and transparency all the way."

The QPS has an annual budget of about $2 billion a year.

Section 15.7 of the QPS Sponsorship Policy said sponsorship "... approval is provided subject to the proviso that the service reserves the right at any time to withdraw support of the activity and/or organisation if: Conflict with the corporate values, goals and objectives of the service and those of the Government develops or is likely to develop;

Conflict with the corporate values, goals and objectives of the service and those of the Government develops or is likely to develop; The actions of the activity or organisation lead to, or is likely to lead to, criticism of the service by the general public

The actions of the activity or organisation lead to, or is likely to lead to, criticism of the service by the general public A conflict of interest arises, or is likely to arise, between the activity or organisation and the service or government.

In a statement to the ABC, a police spokesman said sponsorship arrangements were generally in place to assist police in partnering with other entities to deliver crime prevention initiatives for the community.

"The initiatives might be in the form of in-kind or financial support for the delivery of crime prevention programs or conferences," the spokesman said.

"Any sponsorship arrangements are over and above internal QPS funding distributed throughout the state to deliver operational policing services."

Police Minister Jo-Ann Miller said she was "happy to consult with the community to ensure Queenslanders were seeing the benefits of sponsorship arrangements and that they are in step with the community's expectations".

Similar police sponsorship arrangements have been in place in several other states for decades, but their restrictions vary from state to state.

Western Australia Police accepts sponsorships but these are for specific projects rather than for mainstream policing functions.

For example, the WA Police does not seek or agree to sponsorship of aircraft and vehicles.

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