Features
No proof of corrupt cops: commissioner
5th November 2008
INVESTIGATING officers have yet to hear from any witnesses to support claims of police corruption on the Gold Coast, Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson says.
Three serving police officers went public last month with claims that colleagues were regularly executing false search warrants, sourced from random car plate numbers, to boost their monthly quotas.
Mr Atkinson was forced to defend accusations of police inaction after it was revealed the whistleblowers had taken their claims to the state's Crime and Misconduct Commission more than 12 months ago.
Immediately after the allegations were aired, Mr Atkinson ordered an audit of Gold Coast search warrants and appealed for witnesses with more information to come forward, including wronged residents.
Mr Atkinson on Wednesday said there had been no evidence to back up the claims, two weeks after they were made.
"There was a small number, in my view, of people who put their hand up and said we were unhappy that our home was searched and that will be looked at," Mr Atkinson told reporters on the Gold Coast.
"But nobody has come forward and said, `I know, and I have evidence that police falsely put forward grounds for a search warrant.'"
Mr Atkinson said the audit was going back several years and would take several weeks to conduct.
He said the claims were very serious and would be thoroughly investigated.
But he was reluctant to comment further given the investigation was ongoing and because one of the whistleblower officers is awaiting trial on an unrelated matter.
Police Minister Judy Spence said it was telling that no one had come forward to complain their house had been illegally searched even though the practice had allegedly continued for the past five years.
"I get about 100 letters (of complaint) a week, so I do know people. If they want to complain, they can," she said.
"(But) we have to wait for results on the Gold Coast before we jump to any conclusions."

















