Abstract
[Extract]
It’s an issue that has dogged not only Australian police services, but also major police agencies overseas, from England to Ghana – when, if ever, is corporate sponsorship acceptable?
Earlier this month, the ABC revealed that the Queensland Police received almost A$700,000 in donations from private companies in the past 18 months.
However, the Queensland Police Commissioner refused to reveal the details of all the companies (including miners, banks, media and security firms) behind those donations. That sparked a public backlash about a lack of transparency. The new police minister intervened on April 8, introducing a new approach to declaring sponsorships.
So the corporate donations will continue. Yet there are still lessons Queensland should learn from the more open approach taken over the border in New South Wales, as well as from past controversies here and overseas about police agencies accepting sponsorships.
It’s an issue that has dogged not only Australian police services, but also major police agencies overseas, from England to Ghana – when, if ever, is corporate sponsorship acceptable?
Earlier this month, the ABC revealed that the Queensland Police received almost A$700,000 in donations from private companies in the past 18 months.
However, the Queensland Police Commissioner refused to reveal the details of all the companies (including miners, banks, media and security firms) behind those donations. That sparked a public backlash about a lack of transparency. The new police minister intervened on April 8, introducing a new approach to declaring sponsorships.
So the corporate donations will continue. Yet there are still lessons Queensland should learn from the more open approach taken over the border in New South Wales, as well as from past controversies here and overseas about police agencies accepting sponsorships.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | The Conversation |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Jan 2015 |