The First Response Handbook is now issued to all officers and should be carried by all operational police while on duty but that was not always the case. Prior to the early days of the Newnham Administration (1989–1992), all Queensland police officers were issued with the Police Manual and several Acts, with amendments for the manual and Acts being dispatched to stations/establishments regularly. (Whether members got them and if they did whether they inserted them are unanswered questions.)

An edict came out in about 1990 that all personal-issue manuals were to be withdrawn and that a station/establishment copy was to be kept, though no amendments were ever received. A group was assembled to write new instructions-procedures and I recall then acting Sergeant Alan Davey being seconded to Brisbane from the North Coast Region to assist with this task. It is my belief that the Operational Procedures Manual resulted from these efforts but this was not for a few years after the withdrawal of manuals.

What this meant was that operational police particularly—even after the Operational Procedures Manual was issued to stations/establishments only—had no ready reference on which to rely for assistance in times of need.  Later the Bulletin Board provided continuous computerised access to relevant information, procedures, legislation and so on but that also occurred a long time after the manuals were withdrawn.

While over-viewing education and training on behalf of Commissioner Jim O’Sullivan, I became aware of a booklet called ‘The First Response Handbook’ which was being prepared in Toowoomba by former Superintendent Trevor Wockner (formally regional education and training coordinator Southern Region), and his education and training team with the support of former Deputy Commissioner (then- Assistant Commissioner) Ron McGibbon. (Senior Sergeant Shane Secculd was also involved at Toowoomba).

I knew Trevor from his days under my control in the North Coast Region and then as the regional education and training coordinator at Toowoomba. I soon got in contact with him and realised that he and his team were developing a much needed aid to policing in this state.

Trevor was invited to make a presentation on the handbook at a Senior Executive Conference. I recall a senior person saying after the presentation that he could think of a hundred reasons why we should not have such a handbook. I also recall then saying that I could think of 101 reasons for the handbook. Commissioner O’Sullivan supported the need for such a handbook and the project continued but still as an initiative of Southern Region.

Then came a request for money to print the handbook. Mr David Gill, as Director, Human Resources Division, provided this and sufficient copies were produced so that they could be distributed throughout the state. The handbook was of a size that it could fit into a shirt pocket and contained the points that officers should follow on their many and varied tasks. Where relevant, it referred officers to the Operational Procedures Manual but it was always a good guide from which to start the task and above all to prevent it being mucked up.

I recall taking a box of such handbooks to the Police Academy one day so that all of the soon-to-be-sworn-in recruits could be issued with one. I also recall giving a handbook to a recruit in the front row and at the same time asking him what he might have to deal with next week. He replied, ‘A sudden death’. I then asked him to find what was in the handbook on this subject—not knowing if it was covered or not. He soon found the relevant page or pages and handed it up to me. I quickly found that there were at least ten causes of death covered in the handbook. This was a pleasant surprise.

Prior to receiving their copy of the handbook, these recruits had undertaken their entire course with the assistance of non-personal issue Operational Procedures Manuals and other material which was available in the library.

Since the efforts of Trevor and the Southern Region education and training team, together with support from then Assistant Commissioner Ron McGibbon unfolded, the Service has taken the manual over as an official issue and this has resulted in it being reprinted several times.