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Posted: 2024-06-06 19:51:17

It's a figure we should be "ashamed of".

Queensland's new police commissioner Steve Gollschewski expects the service will have responded to nearly 200,000 domestic and family violence incidents by the end of this financial year.

That's upwards of 500 call outs a day.

And that's only what's reported – police believe the real figure to be five times higher.

'This is something that cuts deeply'

Six weeks into his appointment, Commissioner Gollschewski tells Stateline family and domestic violence is his number one challenge.

This week, Lois Witt became the seventh woman in Queensland to be violently killed by a man so far this year.

Nationally, the figure is 35.

Commissioner Gollschewski said women are right to feel rage and despair.

"I feel that as well. This is something that cuts deeply when it happens for us. We want to see that every woman is safe," he said. 

"It's something that is endemic in our society and we should be ashamed of it in many ways."

The Queensland Police Service is working through a series of reports and recommendations to improve the way officers respond to domestic violence cases.

Commissioner Gollschewski says progress is being made, but he'd like it to be faster.

"Despite reaching out to all our colleagues interstate and internationally about who's got the great ideas, there are no silver bullets," he said.

"Fundamentally it comes down to how humans treat other humans, and people have to change."

Albany Creek murder

Detectives allege Ms Witt, 77, was shot dead by her nephew, a registered firearms owner, before turning the gun on himself.

A police officer stands with an official vehicle near the home.

The commissioner said the crime at Albany Creek "is of great concern".(ABC News: Alex Papp)

Officers had been called to the Albany Creek address north of Brisbane several times in the days before.

"What happened this week in Albany Creek is of great concern," Commissioner Gollschewki said. 

"We are doing a very through investigation of what occurred there. I'm pushing very hard to get that done as quickly as possible."

Whether police should have seized the gun during their earlier visits will be part of the investigation.

Youth crime 'not a crisis'

Domestic violence may be his number one challenge, but the first weeks of Commissioner Gollschewski's tenure have also centred on young offenders. 

In heated political debates and in media headlines, youth crime is frequently referred to as a "crisis".

Commissioner Gollschewski doesn't believe that's the case. 

The veteran officer of 40-plus years said he's seen plenty of crises — he names the deadly Grantham floods in 2011 as his toughest day on the job.

He acknowledged youth crime is a "strong concern".

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