Review into Queensland police watch houses to probe 'end-to-end systemic issues'

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Watch houses across the state will come under scrutiny after the announcement of a review by Queensland police. It comes amid growing pressure on the state's 63 facilities with soaring occupancy rates and complaints regarding the treatment of detained children.

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00:00They're designed to detain adults for up to three days, but every night across Queensland,

00:08dozens of children are sleeping in watch houses, some for extended periods of time.

00:14In the wake of growing complaints, the Queensland Police Commissioner says there will be a wide-ranging

00:19review.

00:20I acknowledge there are end-to-end systemic issues in our watch houses and the whole system

00:26is under significant pressure.

00:27It will focus on the design and operation of watch houses, as well as staffing levels

00:33and training.

00:34Body-worn cameras and online live reporting will begin this week to increase transparency.

00:41It comes after an ABC 7.30 program in July revealed the brutal treatment of a teenage

00:47boy at the Richlands Watch House.

00:50Whilst that matter has been investigated from a disciplinary point of view and concluded,

00:54I have asked further work to be done in terms of the system.

00:58So how that watch house operates, how we train our people, what happens in terms of how we

01:03deal with these really challenging people that are in custody.

01:06Advocacy groups have welcomed the review, but say multiple factors still need to be

01:11considered.

01:12There are large systemic issues contributing to this problem.

01:15The under-resourcing of courts which are leading to high remand numbers in the detention centres

01:20is causing the overflow into watch houses.

01:23Sentiments echoed by the State's Human Rights Commissioner, who cautioned the review not

01:28to focus on the development of new facilities, but rather invest in police training, processes

01:34and diversionary facilities.

01:36The Police Commissioner says nothing will be off the table in this internal investigation.

01:42And in some instances, our people have got it wrong.

01:45And if it were up to him, there'd be no children in community watch houses, but community safety

01:51is paramount.

01:53When they're overcrowded, it puts the people who are in our care at risk.

01:57It puts the police officers at risk and something needs to be done.

02:01When the review will be finalised is not yet known.

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