Our Rationale

Community expectations

  • The QPS will look after its employees.
  • The community expects that police officers will be fit and capable of exercising their powers to respond to community needs.
  • Police will put themselves and their personal safety in harm’s way to protect the community.

Employee reality

  • Policing is inherently dangerous and officers are placed in situations that put their personal safety at risk.
  • Employees can be exposed to disturbing death, trauma, brutality and cruelty within the community.
  • Employees are required to work 24/7 rotational shifts, long hours and in a range of locations and environments that can be in conflict with their home life.
  • Many employees are not pro-actively looking after themselves and don’t attend their treating practitioners often enough.
  • Employees could better utilise QPS internal and external services and supports that are not available to the majority of public and private sector employees.

Organisational issues

  • Our supervisors at all levels require support and development in people management.
  • Our work design, workforce planning, rostering, and human resource policies and practices must be improved to better meet the needs of our people, their families, our workplaces and the community.
  • Our culture has lost some protective health attributes that once existed in the police family.
  • Current culture inhibits safety.
  • Supervisors at all levels of the organisation need to lead and support their staff.

Health facts

  • 1 in 4 QPS employees are injured at work each year resulting in more than a day’s absence.
  • 1 in 2 QPS employees will have at least one debilitating mental health condition to manage in their lifetime and 1 in 5 this year.
  • Our workforce is ageing.
  • Our workforce experiences significant levels of poor mental health and chronic disease.
  • The physical activity level of our employees is declining.
  • Many QPS employees have failed relationships with their domestic partners resulting in significant distress.