Bye, Felicia: Ian Stewart announces retirement

Good riddance:

“After more than 45 years of service and more than six years as Queensland’s top cop, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart has announced his retirement.

He will continue in the top job until July 7, when a successor will be named. Mr Stewart said he had served in the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for 46 years.

With Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Police Minister Mark Ryan at his side, he said his time with QPS had been “a very interesting journey”.

“But I can honestly say with the days that aren’t as good as others, it’s still been a pleasure and a privilege to serve,” he said.

Mr Stewart said he had been considering his retirement for several years.

“When I was fortunate enough to get an extension of my contract a few years ago, I always knew that was to get us through the Commonwealth Games, to steady the ship,” he said.

“I didn’t realise there’d be a few more disasters in the book, but certainly it was always my intention to leave sometime in that period.”

Goodbye to nothing more than a political yes-man to Queensland Labor.

Stewart was openly hostile to firearm owners, culminating with his explicit support of QPOL Weapons Licencing Branch and their disarmament agenda of Queensland farmers and their Category H permits.

And let’s not forget his absurd statements on Gun World’s billboards.

Here’s hoping the next QPOL Commissioner will be a little more level headed and less of a political stooge, but given the complete politicisation of the Police Commissioner role across the country over the years, that seems unlikely.

In an ideal world, Australia would put the politicised job of Police Commissioner up to public vote a la the Sheriff’s Office in the United States, but that’s in a perfect world.

In the meantime the door is that way, Ian.