A Queensland police assistant commissioner in charge of domestic violence investigations has been suspended from duty over allegations he failed to report a family-related matter to authorities.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd was escorted from Queensland police headquarters on Thursday after he was suspended with full pay while the allegations are investigated by the Ethical Standards Command.
Assistant Commissioner Codd has been the head of the Domestic, Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Command since March last year, following a spate of domestic violence crimes across the state.
He has also been heavily involved with several mental health initiatives within the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
Assistant Commissioner Codd was suspended without an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
His lawyer Calvin Gnech said he looked forward to providing his account to the QPS's internal investigation.
Assistant Commissioner Codd told the ABC he was not legally permitted to comment.
"[The] QPS has appropriate and robust systems in place with independent oversight in relation to the role and responsibilities of its officers," he said via text message.
"I am now involved in a process that is important for transparency and to ensure public confidence given my position. I look forward to assisting the process."
A month after he became the head of the state's domestic violence command, Assistant Commissioner Codd headed a taskforce examining police protocols, which was formed days after a murder-suicide of a Browns Plains woman allegedly at the hands of her ex-partner.
As a result, the taskforce issued a directive that Queensland police must respond to every domestic violence incident in person.
Assistant Commissioner Codd has also delivered an online training package for the QPS on coercive control and has been heavily involved with mental health initiatives.
In a statement released on Thursday, the QPS confirmed a senior member was suspended with pay in relation to alleged failure of duty over a family-related matter.
It said more specific details could not be provided due to the need to protect the identities of others involved.
