The Queensland police service has taken “immediate steps” to remove an “inappropriate” image of Adolf Hitler that was mistakenly included in an online domestic violence training module for officers.
A QPS spokesperson said the silhouette image depicting the Nazi dictator in a peak cap was “unintentionally used” in a module about coercive control after searching for “police officer silhouette” on the design program Canva.
A total of 8,641 QPS members have completed the training, which was endorsed by several domestic violence organisations, the spokesperson said.
Queensland’s police minister, Mark Ryan, told Guardian Australia he was “more than disappointed that this has happened”.
“I am advised the QPS has apologised, which is the right thing to do,” he said.
“I have made it very clear to the commissioner that the police service must have systems in place to ensure that this cannot happen again.”
Queensland police have received sustained criticism of their response to domestic violence victims via a number of high-profile cases.
The recent inquest into the murders of Hannah Clarke and her three children heard officers lacked proper training to deal with domestic violence incidents.
The QPS spokesperson said despite the controversy, feedback from officers about the training product had been overwhelmingly positive.
“85% of respondents believed the training provided them with a greater understanding of coercive control,” they said.
The training was endorsed by peak government and non-government bodies, including Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety and the Queensland Domestic Family Violence and Death Review Advisory Unit.
