The performance of Australian police officers is being measured against how many tickets and infringement notices they issue, according to a controversial internal memo.
Officers at an undisclosed Brisbane precinct were told a ‘monthly performance sheet’ will be used to identify weaknesses or points of improvement by counting how many traffic tickets they dole out, the Courier Mail reports.
‘At present I am looking at measuring performance against tasks, domestic violence incidents, full briefs, traffic tickets, street checks and so on,’ the memo sent out to staff at the station reads.
Officers at an undisclosed Brisbane precinct were told a ‘monthly performance sheet’ will be used to identify weaknesses or points of improvement by counting how many traffic tickets they dole out, the Courier Mail reports (Stock image)
‘At present I am looking at measuring performance against tasks, domestic violence incidents, full briefs, traffic tickets, street checks and so on,’ the memo sent out to staff at the station reads (Stock image)
Officers who do not fulfill their ‘quota’ of tickets or recorded incidents will be allegedly forced to explain their shortfalls and are ‘threatened’ with a poor grading.
Policemen and women shocked by the memo likened it to a ‘kill sheet’ and told the publication the very nature of police work means it cannot fairly be measured against the number of arrests or infractions recorded.
‘Policing, by its very nature, does not allow officers to be compared on a monthly basis to compare work performance (output) against their peers,’ one officer said.
In 2014, Commissioner Ian Stewart introduced a controversial scorecard system for cops in an effort to reduce crime in the state.
Individual officers were then judged based on their average number of traffic fines, random breath tests, street checks and calls for service.
Officers who do not fulfill their ‘quota’ of tickets or recorded incidents will be allegedly forced to explain their shortfalls and are ‘threatened’ with a poor grading (Stock image)
A spokesperson for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia the service ‘supports’ any reasonable performance management and reviews, but did not directly comment on the memo itself.
‘The QPS supports reasonable management action aligned with the Performance Review and Development (PRD) process which all employees are required to actively participate in,’ the statement reads.
‘The PRD process provides a structured framework for individual performance management to be achieved through discussing, negotiating, planning, reviewing and documenting employee progress towards achieving the work level objectives and standards required of an individual role.’
A spokesperson for Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia the service ‘supports’ any reasonable performance management and reviews, but did not directly comment on the memo itself (Stock image)
‘Individual performance management is designed to drive productivity, accountability and continued improvement throughout the organisation by ensuring members are committed to a high standard of personal performance.’
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told the Courier Mail the union denies the concept of quotas for arrests issued by officers.
However he also described the actions as ‘reasonable’ but assures that it will be monitored for any malfeasance.