Queensland Police are facing heavy criticism after officers were caught ridiculing a domestic violence survivor.
The Australian woman shared the painful experience, hoping it might help change the deep flaws in the system.
“You feel like you’re all alone and the people who are supposed to help you are just not there to help you,” said the affected individual, disappointed by the response of the people she thought would protect her.
Highlights
- Queensland Police are facing backlash after officers were caught ridiculing a domestic violence survivor in a recorded voicemail.
- The complainant felt intimidated by an officer and later heard them joking about her situation.
- The police department dismissed the conversation between the law enforcement agents as "office banter."
- “It just makes me feel like, what’s the point? Why call them?” the woman said.
The complainant said she had called the cops after her ex-partner allegedly broke into her Queensland home.
Queensland Police face backlash after officers were caught ridiculing a domestic violence survivor in a recorded voicemail
Image credits: cocoparisienne / Pixabay (Represenational Image)
“I made a triple-0 call for a breach I believe was made by my ex-partner, police came over to investigate it,” she told 7NEWS and added, “I had video recordings, security camera footage.”
Instead of receiving the support she hoped for, the woman in distress said she was left feeling “intimidated” by one of the law enforcement individuals.
“One of the senior sergeants pretty much stood over me, was quite rude and intimidated me so I asked him if he wouldn’t mind just to stand outside of my home,” she told the outlet.
After taking the evidence, the officers left with her account of the story.
The woman, who had sought police help after her ex-partner allegedly breached her home, was left feeling "intimidated" and unsupported by officers
Image credits: Engin Akyurt / Pexels (Represenational Image)
The senior constable later called her up and left a voicemail at around 12:47 a.m., informing her that there wasn’t enough proof to move forward because her ex-partner simply denied the accusations.
But what happened next revealed the true nature of the system. The senior constable didn’t realize he hadn’t hung up, which led to his conversation with his fellow officers accidentally being recorded in the voicemail.
“This b---h is going to be like, ‘What the f---! What the f---!’ You are so getting a complaint,” one officer was heard saying, triggering a laugh from the others.
The senior constable accidentally recorded himself joking about the complainant's situation with his fellow officers
Image credits: fsHH / Pixabay (Represenational Image)
“They can’t say ‘failed to investigate,’” another officer said.
“Nah,” the senior constable responded. “It’ll be that I wasn’t professional enough or some b-------.”
They then joked about the woman feeling unsafe, saying: “It’ll probably be um, even your sergeant told you to get out.”
Taken aback by what she heard, the woman lodged a complaint via email to Southport Police Station. When they got back to her after hearing the voicemail, they brushed off the officers’ comments, saying it was nothing more than “office banter.”
“I pretty much just got told that it was just office banter and they couldn’t proceed with anything,” she said.
The dismissive response left her feeling let down by the very system that was meant to protect her.
“It’s hard when you don’t have anyone to reach out to, and you feel like you’re all alone and the people who are supposed to help you are just not there to help you,” the woman said
Image credits: Felipe Cespedes / Pexels (Represenational Image)
“It just makes me feel like, what’s the point? Why call them?” she said. “It feels like that when you’re in trouble that your neighbor is more likely to help you than the police.”
“It’s hard when you don’t have anyone to reach out to, and you feel like you’re all alone and the people who are supposed to help you are just not there to help you,” she added.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Police said the complainant told them she was “satisfied” with the actions taken by the department.
“The complainant was personally contacted by a senior officer, and an official apology was made by the officer involved,” the spokesperson said. “At the time, the complainant advised police she was satisfied with the subsequent police contact and explanations provided. This interaction was officially recorded.”
“There was no information provided about whether there would be further disciplinary action for the officers involved,” they added.