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Thursday, December 2, 2021

Cunnamulla police officer filmed threatening to 'flog' and 'hurt' local Indigenous man - ABC Message Stick

The family of an Indigenous man says he has fled a remote south-west Queensland town fearing for his safety after a local police officer threatened to "flog" and "hurt" him.

Video footage has emerged of the policeman in the remote town of Cunnamulla making threats against the 28-year-old man to his sister, Jacinta Munn, sparking informal internal inquiries within the Queensland Police Service (QPS).

The man's family and an Indigenous rights expert are calling for immediate action to make him feel safe enough to return home.

The footage, captured about two weeks ago, shows the Cunnamulla officer in the driver's seat of the marked police car, asking Ms Munn if she had seen her older brother.

His family said police were looking for him over "about $40 worth of stolen Keno tickets", but police would not comment on the circumstances.

Blurred photo of a man sitting in a police car.
The police officer can be seen sitting in the driver's seat of a marked car in the video.(Supplied)

"If he comes to me, it looks a lot better for him, because either way he's being arrested," the officer says in the video.

"If you do see him, tell him to come see me before I find him, or else I'll flog him."

Ms Munn replies: "Well, he'll get charged — I don't think you can flog him."

A car with headlights on heads along a quiet street in front of an old hotel.
The 28-year-old's father says he can't see his son coming back to Cunnamulla for Christmas.(ABC Western Queensland: Blythe Moore)

'He won't come back'

The man's father, Darryn Munn, says the threats have scared the entire family.

"When you have a police officer, that is out there to protect and serve, say that they want to bash your son, I fear for not just his life, but all of my family," he said.

Mr Munn said that from the way the officer was "giggling" in the video, he doubted he was going to merely "fairy tap" his son if he carried the threat out.

"I feared that he was going to give my son an ultimate hiding, the way he was smirking at that," Mr Munn said.

"If my son's done wrong, then take him, but don't threaten him along the way."

Mr Munn said when his son left town after he saw the footage.

"Once he got that footage, he said, 'I'm outta here, I'm gone' — and sure enough, the next day I didn't see my son again," he said.

"I haven't seen him yet.

"Mightn't have Christmas together this year because of that, because he won't come back to Cunnamulla, I can say that with confidence."

A small police station in a country town.
Queensland Police said its South West District Office is conducting internal inquiries into the video. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin  file photo)

Internal inquiries underway

In a statement, the QPS said the South West District Office was aware of the video footage and was conducting further internal inquiries.

"The Queensland Police Service (QPS) expects all sworn members and civilian staff to adhere to the QPS Integrity Framework and the Queensland Public Service Code of Conduct," a spokesperson said.

An Indigenous woman wearing a T-shirt with the words "another day in the colony" on it.
Chelsea Watego says police should act swiftly in response to the video.(Supplied: University of Queensland)

Indigenous academic Chelsea Watego said it was "hardly surprising to see those kinds of remarks" from a QPS officer.

"I think what is quite telling is that in a post-Black Lives Matter movement that a police officer could be so comfortable making those comments repeatedly," she said.

"It speaks to the free licence the Queensland Police Service have."

Police said no formal complaint had been made to its Ethical Standards Command.

But Dr Watego said the QPS had enough information to act immediately.

"Given the QPS have seen the footage, they surely must act, independently of any formal complaint process," she said.

"There is no investigation needed here, because the footage says it all, and I don't know how the Queensland Police Service cannot act swiftly on this, cannot take action and hold one of their members accountable for their [alleged] misconduct.

"It just seems to me bizarre, though it's telling of the QPS, beyond the officer, about the culture of violence that they clearly still support."

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Cunnamulla police officer filmed threatening to 'flog' and 'hurt' local Indigenous man - ABC Message Stick
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