The Queensland police union has referred to as for the state’s Crime and Corruption Fee to be stripped of its tasks for investigating main and organised crime, claiming the present state of affairs has develop into “harmful”.
The union’s president, Ian Leavers, informed a parliamentary overview into the CCC’s operations he had issues the present construction of the corruption watchdog was problematic.
The organisation is tasked with investigating each main crime and corruption. It additionally undertakes “star chamber” coercive hearings the place witnesses are compelled to offer proof.
Civil libertarians have beforehand raised issues about the extent to which the CCC has become “a super police force” and that this position has overshadowed its perform as a corruption watchdog.
Leavers mentioned the CCC – which is the successor company of our bodies established after the landmark Fitzgerald corruption inquiry – was utilizing law enforcement officials to carry out police features, together with intelligence gathering and witness safety.
“It’s considerably hypocritical,” he mentioned. “The Fitzgerald inquiry recognized essentially the most liable to corruption have been these in specialist areas with prolonged powers.
“We now have a state of affairs the place the very physique charged with conserving Queensland corruption free are also accountable for investigating high-level felony exercise resembling [outlaw motorcycle gangs], terrorism [and] paedophilia, with distinctive and compulsive powers.
“This appears to be a harmful path to comply with. It will make extra sense to limiting the CCC to an anti-corruption position.
“I totally assist the existence of a robust anti-corruption physique and consider Queensland is a greater place for it.”
The state parliament’s oversight committee for the CCC is holding a five-yearly overview of its operations. Senior law enforcement officials earlier informed the inquiry they assist the present association between the QPS and the CCC.
In a submission to the inquiry, the Queensland Legislation Society argued the CCC ought to have a further oversight and complaints mechanism.
The QLS mentioned among the CCC’s powers – significantly the ability to compel folks to offer proof in star chamber hearings – “abrogate cornerstone rules of our authorized system”.
“Infringement upon cornerstone rules ought to solely be contemplated in a case the place a transparent justification exists and as a final resort,” the legislation society mentioned.
“In our submission, these powers haven’t been appropriately justified. We urge the committee to overview the CCC’s powers, and situations of their use, with a purpose to uphold the operation of those basic authorized rules upon which the right and environment friendly administration of justice has been based mostly.”
