Clarity Law

Specialist Criminal Law Firm Queensland
Thursday, 07 September 2017 13:40

What is a QP9 and why is it important to your charge?

Written by
Rate this item
(13 votes)

A police court brief or more commonly called a QP9 (Queensland Police Form 9) is a document prepared by the Queensland Police Prosecutions when someone is charged with an offence. The QP9 lists the exact charge with a brief description of the facts which the Police are alleging against you. Depending on what Court your matter is to be heard in and how busy the Police Prosecutions are the document will be provided prior to your Court date or at Court.

It is essential to carefully go over the document prior to entering a plea before the Court, as you are not only pleading guilty to the charge but also to all the facts and circumstances surrounding the charge that the Police allege in the QP9, this may include the way you acted towards the Police, things that you said or admitted or information recorded by the Police that you believe is incorrect or inaccurate etc. This should be remembered when being charged as harsher penalties or less leniency can apply if the document states that you were rude, unruly, unhelpful etc. Also being aggressive when being charged can easily result in a further charge of resisting arrest or obstructing or assaulting police.

Obtaining the QP9 or having a Lawyer obtain the document for you and having a thorough look over the documents before you enter your plea is essential so that if there is any discrepancies they are looked into.

In Court the Police will read out the charge and a brief rundown of their version of events from the QP9. It is then that your Lawyer, or yourself if you are self-represented, can have your say and voice your version of events if they differ to the QP9. If there are significant factors from the QP9 in which you disagree with it may be possible to draft submissions and put them forward to the Police Prosecutions asking them to reconsider the facts alleged or the charge.   A Lawyer can advise you on, after going over the QP9, the possibility of making submissions and if so what the likely chances of the Prosecution accepting them would be.  It is important to note if what you say is materially different to what the police say in the QP9 then the Magistrate will need to list the matter for a trial or a disputed facts hearing.

In more serious matters, if necessary, it is possible to request a full brief of evidence at the first Court appearance. This document is like a QP9 but much more detailed and will include any witness statements, CCTV or audio footage etc. The Police can take up to 6-8 weeks to produce this material.

Some examples of our success in getting the Police Prosecutions to lower or dismiss charges including:

  1. Our client had been charged with common assault. Upon receiving and reviewing the QP9 we were able to put submissions to the Police Prosecutions and were successful in having the charge downgraded to public nuisance.
  1. Our client was charged with stealing as a servant in the sum in excess of $3,000. Upon review of the QP9 and obtaining CCTV footage we were able to have the Police reduce the alleged amount of money stolen to $750, helping the client to avoid jail time.
  1. Our client was charged with sexual assault. This was successfully downgraded to common assault after submissions to the Police Prosecutions unit.
  1. Our client was charged with supply of a dangerous drug. After analysing and conferring with the Police Prosecutions we were able to have the charge downgraded to possession of a dangerous drug, which is a much less serious charge.
  1. Our client was charged with theft, after reviewing the CCTV footage we were able to show the client had paid for the goods and the charge was dropped.
  1. Our client was charged with Dangerous Driving.  After reviewing the dash camera footage we were able to get the charge reduced to careless driving.

Here at Clarity Law we represent clients in Courts across South East Queensland every day, it is this experience, and our expertise that allows us to get the absolute best result for clients by exploring all aspects of their charges and ensuring they do not plead guilty to something they do not need to.  We also offer the most competitive prices in Queensland that are all fixed fee so there are no nasty surprises when you receive your invoice.  If you want to engage us or just need further information or advice then you can either;

For more information visit our webpage or call 1300 952 255 7am – 7pm seven days a week

Disclaimer – this article contains general advice only and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice.  Its represents information about the law in Queensland and since publishing the law or the interpretation of that law may have changed.

Read 8889 times
Steven Brough

Steven Brough is a criminal defence lawyer and founder of Clarity Law with over 22 years experience he has appeared in almost every court in Queensland representing clients charged with criminal offences and getting them the best outcome possible.