NCJ Number
235833
Date Published
2011
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report from the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission presents the results of an investigation into allegations of police misconduct on the Gold Coast.
Abstract
This report presents the results of Operation Tesco, an investigation into allegations of police misconduct on Queensland's Gold Coast. The initial phase of the operation focused on the behavior of three individual officers. Findings from that phase revealed long-standing problem behaviors within the department along the Gold Coast that included a general erosion of standards of conduct, alcohol abuse, improper use of official police resources or position, and a failure to recognize the seriousness of misconduct or inappropriate conduct. As a result of these findings, the scope of the investigation was expanded to focus on indentifying the factors that had contributed to or encouraged the behavior of the officers involved in the initial phase of the operation. Five areas were of concern to the investigation: supervision; improper associations; the receipt by police of gifts and gratuities; organizational culture, specifically relating to reporting misconduct; and workforce and human resource management issues, specifically those relating to alcohol and drug use, and recruitment practices. This report details the results of the initial phase of the investigation, outlines the evidence against the officers, discusses the outcomes of the initial investigation, and examines the five areas of concern in the expanded phase of the investigation. Tables and references