‘You people’: second-top cop accused of racialised language towards Queensland First Nations leaders

First Nations leaders claim Queensland's second-most senior police officer became angry and aggressive during a meeting with them, pointing his finger at a senior elder and saying "you people" don't run the organisation.

Amid wider claims of serious and systemic racism levelled at the Queensland police service (QPS) at a state inquiry, the relationship between the organisation and its formal First Nations advisory body appears to have substantially broken down.

Guardian Australia can reveal that members of the QPS First Nations reference group threatened to walk out of a July meeting due to the alleged behaviour and "racialised" language of the deputy commissioner, Steve Gollschewski.

Reference group members Christine Thomas, Dr Marlene Longbottom and Sammy Leone each separately said Gollschewski's behaviour and language had deeply offended them during the meeting.

In response to questions from the Guardian, the QPS did not directly address the incident, but said there had been "no intention to cause offence" during any police interactions with the reference group.

Gollschewski, a 42-year police veteran, is the state disaster coordinator and best known to many for leading Queensland police's Covid response, including restrictions and border closures.

The reference group was established in 2021 to provide formal strategic advice to the QPS about police interactions with Indigenous people. All attendees at the July meeting, apart from Gollschewski and an inspector attached to his office, were Indigenous.