A respected First Nations academic has quit a Queensland police service advisory panel on Indigenous issues, claiming senior officers appear unwilling to confront real problems in the ranks.
Marlene Longbottom, an associate professor, says she has “no interest in working with [police] ever again” after resigning in August as a member of the QPS First Nations advisory group.
Her comments come amid revelations reported by Guardian Australia that officers who were recorded making “sickening” racist comments in the Brisbane city police watch house received no sanction and continue to work for the organisation.
Longbottom said First Nations members of the advisory group – established in 2021 to provide formal strategic advice on Indigenous issues – had to push “forcefully” to even discuss significant matters, like the recent police shootings of Aboriginal men, at meetings with senior police.
“You come with good intentions, you cop flak from the community for those good intentions and you’re having to sit there in this volatile, hostile space,” Longbottom said.
“These are often really hard and hostile discussions we have. We’re the ones that are often pushing back, saying we ‘want this on the agenda, we want that on the agenda’. There’s been times we’ve seen minutes from the meeting that don’t reflect the actual meeting.
“I have no interest in working with the QPS ever again. It’s a waste of my time.”
Longbottom said the advisory group had been a “continual process of [police] saying things, then responding in different ways”.
“The people that are on that advisory body … are really passionate and really forthright people in terms of challenging QPS about what they do and don’t do.
“The QPS say they genuinely respect the group, they value the insight in what they bring, but … then you see things like [the lack of any sanction for watch house officers] happen, and every time I turn on the news there’s another police shooting.
“The evidence tells us [the police] are comfortable with the status quo. They’re not about changing things.”
Longbottom is the second member of the advisory group to resign in protest. Earlier this year, Indigenous activist and academic Gracelyn Smallwood also walked away, saying she no longer believed her work would lead to “necessary changes”.
Three members of the group, including Longbottom, went public last year to accuse the deputy police commissioner, Steve Gollschewski, of using “racialised” language and pointing his finger at an elder during a meeting of the advisory group last year.
A complaint about the incident, initially lodged with the Crime and Corruption Commission, was referred back to police and remains unresolved.
Gollschewski has denied the claims and was soon after appointed to lead a police reform process.
Longbottom’s comments come as the QPS leadership faces renewed pressure to address widespread cultural issues exposed by last year’s damning commission of inquiry report. The inquiry found a “failure of leadership” had allowed a culture of sexism, racism, fear and silence to take hold unchecked.
Longbottom said the advisory group had concerns that key recommendations of the inquiry, including calls for a civilian-led independent police integrity unit to handle complaints about officers, had stalled.
“When there’s a shooting or a death in police care, it’s still going to the [police] ethical standards command,” she said.
“The behaviours that were raised in the commission of inquiry are still present.”
No one in the QPS has responded to Longbottom’s resignation letter, she said.
In a statement, police said the group was “highly regarded and valued by the commissioner and the broader QPS”.
“All members of this group have always acted respectfully towards each other, while discussing very important and necessary topics,” the statement said.
“Membership of the [group] continues to evolve, representing communities from across the state.
“[Its] members are working closely with the QPS to build trust and improve transparency to enhance policing practices with First Nations peoples and communities in Queensland.”
Last week, the QPS commissioner, Katarina Carroll, announced the force would embark on a diversity and inclusion review, as recommended by the police inquiry. A report is not due until late 2024.
