 Good afternoon. Are you ready to go? What I'd like to do is comment in respect to three aspects and it seems to me that there are three clear aspects to this matter. The first is the investigation in relation to the allegations of excessive force by police. That investigation has had two developments today. The first is that it will now be a joint investigation with the Crime and Misconduct Commission and the Ethical Standards Command and that will commence forthwith in terms of the joint nature of the investigation. The second development is, which is only very recent as well, is that the officer who is the primary subject of the investigation is going to be removed from operational duties until further advised and will continue to work in a non-operational role until this matter, until the investigation further progresses. Otherwise you can be assured that there is and will be a full, thorough and exhaustive investigation of this matter. But until the investigation is complete it's not appropriate for me to prejudge it or to determine the outcome and obviously I can't and won't do that. But I can assure you and I can assure the public that it will be full, complete and thorough. The second aspect from my perspective is in terms of the recording and particularly in the quarry of mail this morning there was reference to an officer and perhaps I could just quote some of the comments. An officer said bashings were not rare but complaints often were dismissed. You have three or four officers bashing one member of the public who is usually quite drunk. It is the word of four police officers against some bloke. Tell me who you think they are going to believe. Now I encourage and urge that officer to come forward and provide all evidence, information, concerns that that officer has to either the ethical standards command or to the CMC that it is critical that that officer come forward with that information. We have come a long way in the Queensland Police Service post Fitzgerald. This year is 25 years since the start of the Fitzgerald enquiry and the officer has my absolute assurance that he or she will be totally protected and supported if they come forward with that information that is valid. There is no question of that. If there are any doubt at all what I urge the officer to do is to contact the CMC and discuss the matter. That's really important. And the third aspect is a broader perspective in terms of again some of the reporting that has occurred. What I would like to do is just share some information and some data with you in a broader perspective both statewide for the State of Queensland and in particular for the Gold Coast District and if you could just bear with me in relation to that. We are going to put out a media release later. We just haven't had time to finalise that at the moment. So within probably 30 minutes of concluding this press conference there will be a media release going out touching on those three topics. The investigation, the person, the police officer who needs to come forward in some of these broader details and as well if there is anything in a follow-up since later I'm happy to try and assist you with that. For about the last five years the number of complaints of excessive force in Queensland has been around the same. It's fluctuated between around six and seven hundred. That's the number of complaints. Now there are two measures. One is the complaints, the number of complaints and another is the number of allegations. So one person might for example complain that when arrested by the police that the handcuffs were applied too tightly and that they were pushed too harshly into the backseat of the car. That's two allegations. It's one complaint of excessive force but it's two allegations. One allegation is that the handcuffs were too tight. The second allegation is that they were pushed too roughly into the back of the car. So that's the distinction. And each year for at least the last five years there's been about six to seven hundred complaints. What's significant about that is that in that five-year period we've had more police. So in reality the rate of complaints is actually going down. We think that's an important thing. We do however take every one of these complaints very seriously. All complaints of excessive use of force are referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission. Every complaint of excessive use of force is referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission. They see those complaints at some stage in their process, usually at the outset. I'd like to talk about for a moment if you allow me to, about police who assaulted themselves. Last year, last statistical year of our 10,557 police, 2,331 were assaulted. The rate of assault statewide was 220 officers assaulted, 221 officers assaulted for every 1,000 police were in perhaps more simpler terms, 22 for every 100. So for every 100 police statewide 22 were assaulted last year. However in the Gold Coast District for every 100 police, 37 were assaulted. So the statewide figure is 22 for every 100 police. For the Gold Coast District it's 37 police assaulted. The main street offences, all of these street offences are referred to as public nuisance offences. Last year there were 26,641 public nuisance offences. We have 31 police districts. The district with the highest number of these public nuisance offences is Brisbane Central District which takes in the city and the valley. The second highest district is the Gold Coast District. The rate of public nuisance offences for 100,000 for the Gold Coast District was 931 for every 100,000 people. And by comparison for other places in the state, Ipswich is 389, Winnom is 206 and Kibalsha is 386. And Surfers Paradise alone has 230 licensed premises just in Surfers Paradise and that's Surfers Paradise Police Division. As well, and I've touched on this, the rate of complaints across the state is coming down and the surveys that determine the national surveys that determine general public satisfaction with police, where people have been in contact police in the last 12 months. In the most recent survey, the Queensland Police Service rated 85% satisfaction and the national average was 82%. So in a broader statewide perspective, I think whilst there's always room for improvement, I don't believe things have gone backwards. Okay, and I don't believe we're at a crisis point. But I want to reassure you that we take any complaint of excessive use of force seriously. And it's an important issue. Having said that, it's also important to recognize that police officers do a difficult job, a job that often compromises their own safety, and we have to find the right balance here. And in some areas in the state and Surfers Paradise is one, it's more difficult than it is in other areas. And the statistics bear that out. All right, thank you for listening to me in that space. I'm happy to take your questions. Not the matter was not actually reported until the 6th of February. The incident occurred on the 29th of January. But the gentleman concerned did not report it until the 6th of February. And the ethical standards command I can assure you have been doing quite a bit since it first came to their notice. The media reporting, there's been developments today, which I can't go into, which have resulted in the officer being removed from operational duties. He has not been stood down. What about the other officers concerned? Are they still on a date? Yes, they are. Is there any investigation into how the footage was leaked to the Korean Mail? That's going to be looked at. Yes, it is. Yes. Would you say that? Can I just add to that? It's important that whoever the person is, and I'm not saying it's the same person who gave the footage to the Korean Mail, I don't know. But giving the footage to the Korean Mail is not a whistleblower act. The gentleman had made the complaint and the ethical standards command had the footage. So we need, I think, to be really clear about that. That is not a whistleblower act. There's nothing there, just let me finish, please. There's nothing there that's exposing or uncovering anything. The complaint had been made, it was being investigated. The ethical standards command had the footage. What someone has done is give the footage selectively to one media outlet. And that's not appropriate. Is that something they've been disciplined over? We're waiting some. The decision I wanted to draw is whoever has made these comments to the Korean Mail that are on the front page of the paper today should come forward. That's the comments about drunks being dashed. That person must come forward. We must get to the bottom of that, clear that up, and find out what's happening in that space. It's a separate issue. And it may not be the same person about the leakage of the CCTV footage to the Korean Mail. It's been at the process, though. That officer wasn't stood down until this is being exposed. No, I don't believe it actually has. It's just part of an ongoing investigation. And since the ethical standards command started on this, only after it was reported on the 6th of February, together with other senior officers on the gold case, there's been an ongoing, you know, they've been, they've been investigating this and progressing it every day. I think that the progression of it to the decision today to remove the officer from operational duties would have occurred anyway. If it was a result of the media, I tell you, but it's not my view that it is. Well, that's, well, what should happen in that space is if that's the case, then that needs to be backed up, you know, with complaints and evidence. And if it is the case, we will do everything we can, and we will address that situation and remedy that. But claims like that, claims like that need to be backed up with evidence. I don't believe that there's a systemic organizational problem. What I do believe is that your police, my police, Queensland Police Service, are nearly 11,000 men and women who are drawn from the community who did slightly over six months training and go out onto the street and they face and deal with the most difficult and dangerous circumstances. They're also subject to all of the normal human stresses that we are all subject to in our daily lives. And what can happen is people can come desensitized when they're dealing with violence and difficult situations on over and over. And sometimes their judgment can be frayed. We have nearly 11,000 police every day, every day in Queensland at a conservative estimate, we have over 14,000 interactions with the community. That's everything from arresting people for being drunk and disorderly, to investigating them and having serious crimes, to random breath testing them, over 14,000 interactions with the community. Of those 14,000 interactions daily, there's less than 10 complaints made, less than 10 complaints. And if you think about the nature of police work, then I think whilst I'd like to see it as less, I think that's acceptable. I think it's also important to say that I do believe that we have come a long way. Today, a significant number of complaints against police are made by their colleagues against other police. And that's at least a quarter of the complaints. Now in terms of organizational culture, that's a significant change. With respect, I think you're prejudging it. And we need to wait, from my position, others can prejudge it if they wish to, but we need to wait and determine what the police versions are, what the explanations are, what the accounts are, and then make a judgment after all of that's known. I'm not prejudging it either way. I'm not prejudging it either way. What I'm saying to you is that I'm not going to prejudge it. What was your initial reaction when you first saw the vision? When I first saw the vision, my reaction is that this matter requires and it is receiving a thorough and full investigation and that is occurring. Is there a circumstance where it would be okay for police officers to punch someone in the head? Well, of course, but we couldn't get into hypotheticals. It would depend on the circumstances and as to whether that use of force punching someone in the head was necessary and justifiable. And that's what you have to do with every one of these things is to examine it in that sense. I wish I could give that answer. It'll be finished as soon as we possibly can. But there is still more to do. And I'm only speculating here as best as I can estimate that I would think it would be at least several weeks before it's concluded. But that's at least because sometimes with these things, the investigative journey takes you into other areas that need to be looked at, but I would think at least several weeks. The rank or perhaps experience in the office has been removed from operational use. I'd rather not comment on that, but not not a high ranking or great experienced officer with the Queensland Police Service. The particular officer had served in another jurisdiction before joining us. Another policing jurisdiction before he joined the Queensland Police Service. But I don't have his length of service in that other jurisdiction. No, but no, of course not. If someone uses excessive force, sorry, for police officers, he uses excessive force, then that's not appropriate. That's not inappropriate. What I'm saying is, is that I ask you to accept that policing is a difficult job, is often a dangerous job. And that police deal with people on a daily basis who can be very difficult. And in some cases and in some places they do that over and over and over again each day. And what I'm saying is that people can, and I'm not talking about this case, because I have no knowledge in respect of the circumstances of this case. And I've just said that we're not going to prejudge it. But the question was asked more broadly and what I've said is, is that, and maybe if I could just restate it, is this, that we've got nearly 11,000 police. We have 14,000 over 14,000 interactions with the community every day. Each year we arrest around 85,000 people, around 85,000 people each year. We're a large police department and there's over 4 million people in Queensland. I can't sit here and say to you that no police officer will ever use excessive force. What I can say to you is that we take complaints seriously, but we go beyond that and we monitor behaviour. We have supervision in respect to these things. And what I can say to you is that the level of complaints is not increasing. And if anything, it's coming down. So I don't believe we have a crisis situation, but it's something we have to monitor all the time, all the time. It's never, well, it's a terrible situation when the first four pages of the state's major newspaper are covered with allegations and a story that relates to excessive use of force. That's not good for us at all. And you have my commitment that there will be a thorough and full and complete and exhaustive investigation. And this is not just in relation to one issue. Obviously, in a broader sense, we will do and are doing and do do all we can to minimise our officers using excessive force. My point is simply that it's a difficult job. And we can't say to you that there will never be a complaint of this nature. Look, there could have been a day lag in that. I'm just not sure it would be tender. I don't know what time on the 6th the complaint was made. So ethical standards command may well have received it that day, but I wouldn't imagine it would have been later than the next day. There wasn't an investigation that began at a local level first. It was referred straight or was referred to as an instance. Correct. And the investigation wouldn't have commenced until at least the six more likely around the seventh. And my point was simply that you have my assurance because I've been briefed by the ethical standards command about this today, that they have done a very effective and thorough job today, you know, in terms of doing all they have. And there's still more to be done. You call in the CMC or did the CMC come to the police and say no, that was the CMC's determination. And but it's one that I support. There are a range of options into how these things are done. It can either be generally there's only three. One is that the ethical standards command do it. And the CMC review their work. And the second is that it's a joint investigation, which the CMC determined today that it will be. And the third option is that the CMC take it over entirely. And we only assist in support where appropriate. And we're in the middle stage at the moment with the CMC and the police service will do it from here on in as a joint investigation. Well, the scope of the investigation, there's one officer who is the primary subject of the investigation, who is the officer who today has been removed from operational duties. The other officers who are featured in the CCTV have been all interviewed and may, may, may need to be reinterviewed. That will depend on how the investigation unfolds. And there will be other officers interviewed as well and may already have been. I don't have the precise detail of every aspect of the investigation, but that will include officers who are at the watch house when this gentleman was taken to the watch house. That's too early to say. Each year in Queensland, for the last five years, there have been about 6 to 700 complaints of excessive force. Every single one of those matters is investigated. And at any given time, there will be a number of police under investigation. What has been the result of those investigations? Have any actually been disciplined as a result? Oh, yes. I can come back to you with some data on that. It might take a day or so. Most of the complaints are not substantiated after investigation. And might I say that the majority, you know, the significant majority are not substantiated after investigation. No, no, just statewide. You said other than the primary subject who's been stood down, the other officers have already been interviewed. How many have already been interviewed? I can't tell you that. There would be at least four or five. But all of the officers who are shown on the CCTV have been interviewed at this point in time. I think there have been others interviewed as well. My only comment is that you asked me, the officers work history and experience and rank saying that he is not a very senior officer and that he has not been with us for a long time. But he was with another police in jurisdiction. And that's all I'd like to say about that at the stage. If that changes, obviously, we'll share that with you. But there's no need to go further at this time. We believe that it's something that needs to be examined in terms of who leaked the CCTV footage. Might I say, though, that that's not the primary thrust of our enquiries. The primary issue here is the complaint of excessive use of force. But certainly, the leakage of the footage is something that we need to look into. I believe so. No, no, I'm sorry. The officer has not been stood now. For us, can I just explain why I said that? For us, stood down is a significant step in the disciplinary process. The officer has not been stood down. The officer is still working, but has been removed from operational duties as from today. And we will continue to work but in a non-operational office type environment. And in my view, if I can come to the second part of your question, and someone also asked the same question before, in my view, that would have occurred regardless of whether the media coverage had occurred. Because that was part of the unfolding nature of the investigation. And if it had been the case that it occurred before the media coverage, I'd be happy to tell you that. But that's not my view. On those cases where they have been substantiated, excessive force has been substantiated, what happens to the officers then? Are they actually stood down or are they removed or what is the result of excessive force? It would be across the full range of action that could be taken. Now the most extreme action that could be taken would be a criminal charge. The next most extreme action would be a disciplinary hearing for misconduct before a deputy commissioner that could result in dismissal from the service. At the, this is some, I'm sorry we're talking here where excessive force is substantiated? Yeah, okay. The other end would be what's called managerial guidance, where if for example a person said that the handcuffs are applied too tightly and in the view of the people conducting the investigation indeed they were and that was unnecessary that would be managerial guidance. In your knowledge, has anyone ever been subject to excessive force? Yes, I believe they have but I can't recall the precise detail and I'd have to come back to you with that information. Is the officer still on full pay? Yes, well he's continuing to work, yes. Can I ask you a question about yesterday? There's been quite a bit of support for you on TalkBack and online for your speeding ticket. Does that bore you? Does it bore me? Oh no, not at all. As I said yesterday, what's the most important thing for me with all of this is that the efforts and work, you know in reducing the road toll continue and that my transgression doesn't diminish that in any way and I, that the risk of being repetitive, that is just such an important issue and so, I mean I'm grateful for the community support that we've received. I'm particularly grateful for the support we've had from the media. I genuinely believe that we can save lives and we demonstrate that in terms of what we've done. I mean back in 1973 73 the refraction of the drivers and cars on the road that they're at a day and the road toll was 638 in 1973. Two years ago in 2010 it was 249 and in Queensland we have 3 million drivers 4 million cars and we got the road toll down from 638 to 249 and the reason we did that was because we changed attitude and behaviour and we do that through three things we do it through enforcement we do it through engineering, in other words three banks and we do it through educating and changing the community's values and one of the greatest things the media have done in that space alone has been drink driving. I can remember a time when drink driving was socially acceptable and today through campaigns like The Bloody Idiot campaign it's not and people have changed their behaviours so that's a magnificent achievement I think to reduce the road toll from 638 to 249 and I believe we can I suppose my dream for it and maybe it's unrealistic is that we could get it under 200 and we'd be up with the safest countries in the world who are much smaller countries, places like Norway and Sweden and Denmark that are much smaller countries than ours and have obviously much better rail networks so I think we should always try to do better. Just one more thing Commissioner, just to clarify when I say that the young complaints that we've got the OPRs on the complaints against the police and Gold Coast have more than other places why is that so? Well I think if you look at those statistics that demonstrate that compared to the state average where 22 police per 100 police are sold on average statewide and in the Gold Coast District it's 37 to 38 and where you look at the rate of public nuisance matters look probably the primary reason is our two most difficult areas in terms of public nuisance alcohol related behaviour Brisbane Central District which takes in the valley and the city I think something in the order of 550 licensed premises and the Gold Coast District which is primarily that area around Surfers Paradise and Broad Beach and you just have that massive nightclub and you know licensed premises activity it doesn't mean that in my view that the police at Surfers Paradise are any different from the police at Mount Isra or in Cairns or Townsville it's just that they deal with a different policing set of circumstances and it's a challenging set of circumstances Well I think that's with respect a bit of a long voter drill it's without question that it's at Surfers and in the city and valley I mean if you go into the city and valley or at Surfers on Friday nights, Saturday morning around two in the morning it can be quite a spectacle and some Queenslanders would be very surprised at what they saw in that space in terms of the number of people and the behaviour of those people so if you have that environment then it's inevitable that the police deal with respect at Warwick or Toowoomba now that's no discredit to the police at Warwick or Toowoomba and it's not to discredit to anyone it's just that you have to police according to the circumstances Can you guarantee that the unnamed courted officer will be protected and supported if he comes forward? Absolutely and I encourage that person he or she to come forward because that is really important that if that officer has information concerns, evidence it's really important that the officer comes forward and has my absolute assurance that I'll be fully protected and supported Can I just ask you how the crim track deal with New Zealand has gone? Yeah, it's well I think it's going well in the sense that the agreement between the national governments was a significant breakthrough in my view what is happening now is we're in dialogue with the other two key players the crim track and the New Zealand government and the Assistant Commissioner in charge of our information communications technology command Assistant Commissioner Paul Stewart is working with those other entities to develop a bit of a scoping project concept in terms of what needs to be done in a practical sense, a technology sense and obviously we need to explore what the cost is going to be I'm sorry, I don't know at this stage OK, nothing else? Thanks very much for your time