4.1 Service Users Profile

QPS clients include:

• Queensland  residents and visitors;
• victims of crime;
• anyone requesting police assistance; and
• suspects and people charged with committing offences.

Queensland Community

Queensland has almost four million residents and over seven million people visit the State each year. The population includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from 120 diverse ethnic backgrounds. The distribution of these communities varies greatly across the State.

According to the 2003 Australian Bureau of Statistic’ Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers, 834,000 people living in Queensland had a reported disability. This constitutes approximately 22% of Queensland’s total population. Most disabilities resulted from physical conditions (approx. 692,000) with the remainder resulting from mental and behavioural disorders (approx. 142,000). Approximately 62% of people with a disability require assistance to manage their ‘health condition’ or to cope with everyday activities of life. Partners, parents, children and friends are the major providers of assistance (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2004), Disability Aging and Carers: Summary of Findings 2003 State Tables for Queensland, Cat No 4430.0).

A disability is a person’s condition that is attributable to an intellectual, psychiatric, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment; or a combination of these impairments; and results in a substantial reduction of the person’s capacity for communication, social interaction, learning, mobility or self care or management and the person needing support (Section 11 Disability Service Act 2006).

Victims of crime

Due to circumstance surrounding their disability, people with a disability may find themselves in a position of vulnerability. A victim is defined as a person who has suffered harm from a violation of the State’s criminal laws because a crime is committed that involves direct violence against the person; or because the person is a member of the immediate family of, or is a dependant of, a victim; or because the person has directly suffered harm in intervening to help another victim (Section 5 Criminal Offence Victims Act (1995)).

Anyone can be victimized by crime. But people who have a disability can be more vulnerable to victimization than others in the community. People with a mental disability may be less able to recognize and avoid danger, and people with a physical disability may be less able to protect themselves or escape harm. Furthermore, victims of crime who have a disability may be less able to contact the police or other support services and, without special assistance, help in the investigation of their victimization.

Crime rates provide important indicators of policing performance, and are closely monitored by the QPS with an aim to reduce crime. In Queensland during 2005-2006 there were 33, 288 reported offences against the person and 23,3300 offences against property. Approximately 1 out of 5 people in Queensland has a disability however the risk of criminal victimization for people with a disability is higher than for people without disabilities. However, all victims of crime tend to face the same issues. .

The QPS seeks to ensure that victims of crime are assisted to overcome the effects of crime. The Service has a range of policies that afford victims fairness, dignity and access to justice. These policies are derived from the principles of the Criminal Offence Victims Act (1995). The way victims cope depends largely on their experience following the crime. Members of the QPS may be one of the first people to interact with victims. For this reason, members of the Service are in a unique position to help victims cope with the trauma of the crime and restore a sense of security and control over their lives.