The Commissioner’s 100-Day Review of the Queensland Police Service Final Report outlines a host of issues across the entire Queensland Police Service, with a section devoted to Weapons Licensing that notes “despite more than 30 internal and external reviews of the capability since 1998, weapons licensing activities continue to impose a significant operational burden on QPS”.
The report goes on to note many of the deficiencies identified in previous audits remain unresolved, and the Queensland Police Service Weapons Licensing Group (WLG) still does not have adequate staff.
It recommends giving serious consideration to transferring firearm licensing and permit administration responsibilities to an entirely different Government department - potentially Titles Queensland, who maintain the state Land Registry.
While we don’t believe Titles Queensland is the right choice, the proposal to move Weapons Licensing Group roles to a non-police administration department has our whole-hearted support - it’s something we’ve been calling for over many years.
We strongly encourage you to contact the Police Minister Dan Purdie, Customer Service Minister Steve Minnikin, Premier David Crisafulli, and your local MP and let them know you want Weapons Licensing Group’s role shifted to an independent department, much like how the Department of Transport handles driver licensing and vehicle registration.
