Updated ,first published
Outgoing Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has flagged the surging rate of injuries and deaths linked to electric scooters and bikes as his major concern as he prepares to hand over Queensland’s top cop role.
The respected former detective and self-described nerd this week revealed he would call time on his four-and-a-half decade career following health struggles.
Having stepped into the role in April 2024 after the sudden resignation of Katarina Carroll during heightened concern over crime rates, his reform plans were derailed when he was diagnosed with stage four cancer.
On Wednesday morning, a teary Gollschewski said he was proud of improvements made to the organisation and attrition rates, but cited the increased injuries and deaths linked to e-bikes as an area of primary concern.
“It’s one of those areas where things advance so quickly it’s hard for the government and the regulations to keep up,” he said, while also crediting the ongoing work of a current e-scooter inquiry that is due to hand down its report in late March.
The top cop said kids were taking “huge risks and parents not taking much notice”.
Gollschewski, who will step down at the end of next week, said he would focus on his own health after battling cancer that had initially spread from his lungs to his bones and then other organs.
He cited a 7.2 per cent reduction in victims, an 11 per cent reduction in complaints against police, and a drop in officer attrition rates as key improvements under his leadership.
“We have already achieved much and I have confidence that the organisation is going in the right direction,” Gollschewski said.
Gollschewski was forced to take extended leave in February 2025.
He returned to work in September, after receiving what he described as “highly effective” treatment, but he was retiring to get further treatment.
Gollschewski became a familiar face to Queenslanders during the daily COVID-19 briefings early in the pandemic.
He led the security operation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and was also Queensland Disaster Coordinator during several floods and cyclones.
James Hall is the News Director at the Brisbane Times. He is the former Queensland correspondent at The Australian Financial Review and has reported for a range of mastheads across the country, specialising on political and finance reporting.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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