Princess Alexandra Hospital’s Police Beat celebrated 20 years of partnership in November 2025 after an enduring legacy as the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The beat was established as a trial on campus on 16 November 2005 to attend to the high proportion of road trauma and assault that is a mainstay of the activity coming to PAH Emergency Department.
These presentations require daily interaction with the Queensland Police Service and the local beat aimed to increase the speed of police attendance to the needs of patients and other responses related to investigations, coronial matters and criminality.
A/Sergeant Simone Beckett, who has worked at the PA Police Beat for five and a half years, said that partnership and efficiency continues to be the focus with the demand for police services steadily increasing over the past 20 years.
“Our team has expanded to six officers and an administration officer, enabling greater coverage for calls for service within the hospital.
“We have developed an exceptional working relationship with Emergency Department staff, given the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the environment related to occupational violence or aggressive patients,” she said.
“Our commitment remains focused on delivering effective, efficient service and strengthening inter-agency relationships to benefit victims and enhance community safety.”
She maintains that strong partnerships with the Information Access Unit and Metro South Health Legal teams also ensure timely evidence collection for court proceedings as a priority.
The responsibilities of the PA Police Beat also include coronial and information requests, collaboration with key staff groups such as Social Work and Intensive Care Unit, and working with mental health presentations involving police.
The team play an active role educating nursing and medical staff, community-building activities on campus and research collaborations for acute injuries related to e-transport.
“This innovative model has proved highly successful with new hospital campus police beats established at Logan Hospital and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in 2025,” Sergeant Beckett said.
The differing priorities between two large government organisations contributes to the uniqueness of a hospital campus Police Beat but 20 years of demonstrated partnership has highlighted the beat continues to thrive with improvements to patient care and community safety.
Congratulations to founding Sergeant Chris Hale for 17 years of dedicated service to the PAH Police Beat, Administration Officer Upali Vithana who retired in January after all 20 years within the team, and A/Sgt Simone Beckett as the current longest serving member of the team.