Queensland Police - Definition and Overview

The Queensland Police service was establised in 1864 with 143 officers, as of June 2002 the force had 8367 sworn staff (20.2% female) responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland

History

The Queensland Police was established on the January 1, 1864 and started operations with approximately 143 employees, the first Comissioner of Police was D.T. Seymour. The service had four divisions Metropolitan Police, Rural Police, Water Police and Native Police. Bicycles were introduced in 1895. At the turn of the century there were 845 men and 135 native trackers at 256 stations in Queensland.

In 1904 the Queensland Poilce started to use fingerprinting in investigations. The first female police officers were inducted in 1931 to assist in inquiries involving female suspects and prisoners. Following World War II a number of technological innovations were adopted including radio for communication within Queensland and between State Departments. By 1950 the Service was staffed by 2,030 sworn personnel, 10 women police and 30 trackers.

In 1965 female officers were given the same powers as male officers. The Queensland Police Academy complex at Oxley, Brisbane, was completed in 1972. Bicycles were phased out in 1975 and the Police put more cars and motorcycles into service, the Police Air Wing also became operational in 1975 following the purchase of two single-engine aircraft. In 1980, a new computerised message switching system was put into use throughout the State, giving Queensland one of the most effective police communication systems in Australia.

The 1980s were a turbulent period in Queensland's political history, allegations of high-level corruption in the Queesland Police and State government led to a judicial inquiry presideded by Tony Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald Inquiry which ran from July 1987 to July 1989 led to charges being laid against the Police Commissioner Terry Lewis and a perjury trial against the State Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

The Police Powers and Reponsibility Act 1997, was passed by the Queensland government on July 1, 1997. The Act provides Police with powers necessary for modern effective policing. Technological introductions in the 1990s include Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) Spray, the GLOCK semi-automatic pistol, extendible batons and hinged handcuffs in 1998,and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) laser-based detection devices and an Integrated Traffic Camera System in 1999 to enforce traffic speed limits.

The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 came into force in July 2000, consolidating the majority of police powers into one Act. The Queensland Police contribute to the national CrimTrac system and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), established in 2000. The Crime and Misconduct Act 2001, commenced 1 January 2002 it redefined the responsibilities of the Service and the Crime and Misconduct Commission with respect to the management of complaints. As of June 2002 there were 8367 sworn staff (20.2% females) and 2925 staff members at 321 Police Stations, 40 Police Beat Shopfronts and 21 Neighbourhood Police Beats, throughout the State (as of June 30 2002).

Commissioners

See also: Law enforcement in Australia

External link

• Queensland Police Service (http://www.police.qld.gov.au/)

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