Better police training isn’t a silver bullet to address Queensland’s domestic violence problem

A women’s safety taskforce set up by the Queensland government recommended an inquiry be held to ‘examine widespread cultural issues’ within police when officers investigate domestic and family violence. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Last month, a courtroom watched a Queensland police officer break down in tears as she recalled meeting a desperate woman, Doreen Langham, in the days before her domestic violence killing.

The officer, whose identity was suppressed by the coroner’s court, said she believed police required more training. She would have done things differently.