By Jeremy Cook
It’s “business as usual” for police, despite confirmation the Warwick watch house will remain closed until late-2025.
Sergeant Jo Goodwin confirmed the watch house was included in the major ongoing renovations at Warwick Police station and will not reopen for about 18 months.
In the meantime, detained prisoners will be sent to Toowoomba watch house until work is finished.
The $15 million upgrade to the station, located on Fitzroy Street, began back in April. Police have since relocated to the nearby government office building on 35 Guy Street where they are expected to remain until late-2025.
Sergeant Goodwin said the upgrades themselves are expected to bring the watch house in line with others throughout Queensland with “additional security measures and some more practical things they’ve found along the way”. Though its capacity of seven cells will not be increased.
Sergeant Goodwin said law enforcement were “working [their] way around” the closure.
“If you’re used to having something and then you don’t have it anymore, you have to make changes,” she said.
“If we have someone and they have to appear in court here and we’ve had to transport them through to Toowoomba then they just appear by videolink.”
Senior Sergeant Gerard Brady moved to allay logistical fears.
“The staffing for the Warwick watch house is still there. We haven’t got rid of those positions and they’ll be utilised to transport to Toowoomba,” Senior Sergeant Brady said.
“There will always be an ability to respond for any calls to service in the Warwick area,” he said
“It’s business as usual for us in terms of how we manage prisoners, it’s just a little bit of extra travel.”
In a statement to Warwick Stanthorpe Today, a QPS spokesman said capacity figures at Queensland watch houses were “closely monitored” and transfers between detention facilities “instigated when needed”.
The spokesman said watch house capacities “are subject to fluctuations”.
Asked whether its closure will impact Toowoomba watchhouse, Senior Sergeant Brady said watch houses “deal with overflow all the time”.
“That’s not unusual for any watch house,” he said.
