Police Minister wants corruption allegations dealt with quickly

See: http://drews-place.com/politics/qld-governon-silent-on-judicial-corruption-claims-against-brother/
And: http://drews-place.com/uncategorized/armed-police-eject-mother-from-queensland-parliament/

Queensland Police Minister Neil Roberts says he hopes drug-related allegations involving Queensland officers will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

The Surfers Paradise police station has been searched as part of Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) raids on the Gold Coast and Brisbane and a 27-year-old constable has been suspended pending further inquiries.

Mr Roberts says any corruption must be stamped out.

“It’s really important in my view that this matter is investigated quickly and dealt with appropriately through the courts,” he said.

“Obviously the CMC is entirely independent and will progress this investigation as it sees fit but I think in the public interest it would be the right thing hopefully to have it resolved as quickly as possible.”

Police Commissioner ‘kept informed’

The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) says Police Commissioner Atkinson has been kept up to date on an investigation into police misconduct.

Commissioner Atkinson has said he was not aware of the extent of the investigation until he read media reports about the raids this morning.

In a statement late Wednesday, the CMC said the Commissioner had been briefed prior to last weekend’s raids and is receiving a further briefing.

The CMC also says speculation about the investigation risks undermining confidence in the Queensland police service.

‘Corruption not widespread’

Meanwhile Commissioner Atkinson says police corruption is not a widespread problem, despite drug-related allegations involving Queensland officers.

He says the Gold Coast has been an area of concern for more than 10 years, but the majority of the police force act appropriately.

“If there are corrupt police, we want them weeded out of the organisation,” he said.

“Those people deserve to be in prison – they don’t deserve to be in the police department.

‘Lack of supervision’

Queensland criminologist Professor Paul Wilson says he is not surprised by drug allegations involving police officers.

He says a lack of supervision is causing problems in the police force and a public inquiry is needed.

“When you have opportunity and if you have the lack of supervision, a culture that says ‘I can get away with this because no-one’s really taking any notice’, then you do set the stage for corruption to happen,” he said.

‘No public inquiry yet’

However, Mr Roberts says it is premature to consider a public inquiry into allegations of widespread police corruption in Queensland.

He says the systems already in place are adequate.

“We already have a standing royal commission in place and that’s the CMC,” he said.

“They are absolutely independent of government, absolutely independent of the Queensland Police Service and have all of the coercive and investigative powers they need to do all of those things.”

‘CMC ineffective’

The Australian Council for Civil Liberties (ACCL) says these latest allegations of police corruption on the Gold Coast bring the effectiveness of Queensland’s criminal watch dog bodies into question.

ACCL president Terry O’Gorman says the current structure of the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) is ineffective, and it must split into two separate bodies.

He says there should be a stand-alone crime commission dealing solely with organised crime, and a separate police integrity commission.

“There is a need for a Royal Commission to bring about the splitting up of the CMC into two separate bodies – and a Royal Commission is needed in our view in order to clean up what is an ineffective oversight arrangement in Queensland,” he said.