Fewer police, no strategy, and 86,000 calls for service unattended

Damning Auditor-General report exposes Palaszczuk Labor Government failures

The Palaszczuk Labor Government’s failure to properly resource and run the Queensland Police Service has been exposed in a new damning report released by the Auditor-General.  

Shockingly, despite big promises from Labor, police numbers are falling in Queensland.

Amid those falling police numbers under Labor, the state’s thinning blue line is also failing to respond to the critical calls for assistance, more officers are being pulled from frontline policing onto admin duties and Labor has no plan to deliver the police needed for community safety.

Queensland’s Auditor-General has found, under Labor, the “QPS does not have a strategic approach to workforce planning”, is “not meeting current demands for service”, has missed critical targets for Code 1 and Code 2 requests for help, and failed to attend 86,000 calls for service in a year.

Shocking findings made by the Auditor-General include:

• Failure to respond to 86,594 calls requiring a police response in 2021/22.
• Reduced Code 1 and Code 2 response targets to 80%, after failing to meet them.
• Government does not know how many police they’ll need to meet community demand, now or in the future.
• In the middle of a crime crisis, police are being pulled from frontline policing to do admin due to police shortages.
• Labor won’t meet their election promise of 1450 additional police by 2025.
• In fact, police numbers have fallen by 202 officers in one year.
• $25.9 million was spent on a Service Delivery Program before it was dumped, with no alternative plan in place. 

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli said the thin blue line was continuing to become thinner across Queensland, under the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

“Families should not be left living in fear of becoming the next victim of crime, because the thin blue line is getting thinner under Labor,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“Queenslanders deserve to be confident in an emergency a police officer will be able to respond, it is unimaginable thousands of calls for help have simply gone unanswered.

“The Auditor-General’s report points to a disastrous lack of leadership under Labor, which has left our police under-resourced and under-staffed, year after year.

“We are in the grip of a crime crisis because of Labor and now we know they have no plan, no strategy and no accountability to deliver the police Queensland needs.

“The LNP’s priority is making our community safer, including increasing the number of police on the beat.”

Shadow Police Minister Dale Last said the report exposed Labor’s lies and failure to keep Queenslanders safe.

“Responsibility for this chaos and crisis sits at the feet of the Police Minister, whose incompetence has now been woefully exposed.

“Mark Ryan claimed police numbers weren’t falling, when the truth is we have 202 fewer police.

“Mark Ryan cannot be trusted.

“Mark Ryan spent $26 million on a Service Delivery Program, before dumping it, without another plan in place, leaving communities without enough police on the beat.

“Queensland Police have been left to pick up the pieces of Labor’s chaos and crisis, after the Palaszczuk Labor Government left them without the resources they need to keep Queenslanders safe.”