It was 2016, when my email notification pinged.
It was an email from the “Right to information unit” after I’d make an application to see how many police officers were accessing my private details on the police computer. I had very publicly been shining a light on some really horrific brutality incidents on the Gold Coast at the time,(which had instigated a review into the use of force called taskforce bletchley).
The document I received showed there had been over 1400 accesses to my name on the Qld Police data base called “Qprime”.

Keeping in mind, I had been seriously stalked by a police officer back in 2006 who eventually entered my home, and who had held my arms behind my back in handcuffs at a time when I was pregnant with my little boy, stating it was for an alleged traffic matter. He’d put his hands all over me and laughed at me as I both vomited and bled, and nothig was done by the QPS in response to this officer with a history. Absolutely nothing.
I had to sue them and him, self represented, as there wasn’t enough money in it for the lawyers at the time. The process of doing that was as traumatic as the assault itself, causing me a complete breakdown.

Perhaps that background explains why I cannot begin to articulate the anger, fear, anxiety, and overwhelm I experienced when my suspicions were confirmed in 2016 after receiving a document that showed particular officers had been searching my whereabouts on the police computer.
One officer in particular, had been looking at me for 6 years, and the reason why that raised alarm bells and so much angst for me, was that he was mates with the original officer, who I had taken successful action against, the one that had stalked and violated me. This officer looking me up was stationed over 2 hours away from my district, and had absolutely no reason to be searching me.

The fact that this was happening was all then exasperated, by what can only be described as a complete botched investigation into my complaint about these accesses to my private information. This was a road I had walked before, not only myself, but by the side of others. Police failing in investigations about themselves.

The protection racket fired up, commonly knows as the “double standards unit” at the QPS.
It was a woman that ran the investigation.
In my view there is nothing more disappointing than a woman who has fallen to her knees in order to make her way up or through the game of mates that exists within the QPS.

As a fellow woman, I want to let her know that what she did is worse than the ones who made these unlawful entries, because she was in a role to do something, to make a change, but instead for whatever reason, I say she deliberately covered for them. How is she not party to many offences people could ask?  Well, because none of the ones she investigated were charged with any offence. She played the role of an enabler in my view.
The investigation revealed that only 2 officers were not justified to be looking at my private information. I know that is not true, no reasons where given to me for the rest, except that they apparently “forgot” were “retired” or “deceased”.

They are not all this way. Good and  honest officers came forward to me with the truth about what was happening which I am incredibly grateful for.
As she no doubt now makes her way up the ranks for this outstanding effort, may my voice always ring in her head reminding her that she took the cheats way up. She let not only me down, but all women like me who have been violated.  That is the legacy she leaves behind.

The response to her doing that is mine.

I spearheaded a 4 year campaign to make sure this never happens again.
Throughout those years I have been highlighting the plight of a woman who was a DV victim that had her details both accessed and released by a police officer.

No different to my case, the investigation into that woman’s predicament was completely botched  in more ways the one.
The QPS bungling of the investigation and the repeated refusing to charge the officer involved was all too familiar to me, and I got right behind her because lets face it, there is nothing like personal experience to keep the fire in your belly alive.

I went to police headquarters attending a press conference to personally put the Police Commissioner on notice that I had questions that needed to be answered about all of this, effective immediately. I was told my QPS Media, I was not going to be welcomed back so again, and called a gatecrasher, so naturally, I responded in kind.

I wanted new laws implemented so that what I had been through and what this woman went through was not in vain.

I prepared a submission with recommendations, and gave very clear evidence at “IMPALA” an enquiry held by the Crime and Corruption Commission into data misuse. I left no stone unturned at that enquiry including calling out Commissioned officer who were throwing lower ranking officers under the bus for doing exactly what they were doing.

A change to the criminal code has now been proposed, and handed up to Parliament by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

It introduces a new Criminal Offence called
“Misuse of information by a public officer”

For accessing the information, they propose a 5 year term of imprisonment.
For using or disclosing the information, a proposed 10 year term of imprisonment.

I think these laws reflect the damage that is done to a person when they cannot feel safe in their own home and they are forced to leave in circumstances that can cause extreme trauma.

I have always said that you have to be part of the change you want to see, not just complain about things, and Im proud that I have been, under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

I think it’s fair to say that a new law and change to the Criminal Code is not a bad result for a “gatecrashing former swimsuit model” just quietly.

The civil matters for all victims of this misuse remain open.

(Video of my evidence given, and questioning the Police Commissioner can be found on my facebook page following the link below).

https://www.facebook.com/381084902026303/videos/2465234550462820

https://www.facebook.com/381084902026303/videos/330436667855208

Help me punch harder
This is relating to the case of the officer who released the DV victim’s details who I have been closely supporting. This is my personal plea for you to help me help her.
I have been pushing this case forward since 2016. I wanted to share a bit of what has gone on.
I will never forget this woman’s face when I sat with her and she told me about her address being leaked by officer Punchard to her former partner whom which she was hiding from because of the violence.

She looked at me and asked, so where do I go? I need to keep my family alive, so can you tell me where I need to go to report this? I took a minute, knowing full well there was nowhere effective for her to go, and was contemplating on how to tell her the truth without sending her into a panic.
I knew that feeling well, I had experienced it myself when I had an officer stalk me many years ago and had to self-represent and bring civil action against him to get justice. Police oversight is dismal at best in this State, but at least I already knew that.

She was expecting to get an email address, or a phone number for where you complain to about police that commit acts like this, instead I started talking about the locks on her doors, shutting her social media down and different ways to drive her kids to school each day. Pure survival speak. I could see the penny dropping on her face as I revealed what to prioritise. I knew all too well my close friend and whistle-blower Rick Flori had spoken up about the unimaginable that went on inside the service for as long as Ive known him, and nothing resulted, so I knew she had little hope of anyone listening to her.

We want to believe that if a police officer does something like this, that there is some oversight agency that will sound an alarm upon learning of such a thing, and all hands will be on deck to sort it out as a matter of urgency, but the reality is there is nowhere to go. The sooner you can accept this harsh reality and you start watching your back, the better it will be I told her. Yes, it shouldn’t be that way, yes it wrong, yes, its unfair and its absolutely absurd too. I know all of that inside out, in fact better than most, but then my friend, there is reality. It goes against everything you learn as a kid that police are the ones that you can trust, I get that.

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By rights you should be able to go a number of places like State Ministers, the Crime and Corruption Commission or the Attorney General. But I know that hasn’t worked for anyone I have ever met, including myself. I suggested we do it anyway so that when we get passed around in circles through departments that go nowhere, we can at least show a list of where we went to, and who passed it around in a circle when it landed nowhere, that left both her and her family feeling under constant threat.

So we started at the CCC, they referred it the QPS. QPS were stonewalling us, so we went to the Minister for Women, the Police Minister, the Shadow Police Minister, The Premier, the Police Commissioner. Still nothing.

There was no option left but to stir a hornets nest up, and go to the media. It wasn’t what we wanted to do, we wanted to resolve the matter and for her to be able to breathe a little, but she was completely out of options.

Courier Mail ran the vile text exchange from the officer to the ex on the front page. People were quite rightly outraged.
Ethical Standards Command came and interviewed her and decided not to charge the officer. I knew 10 minutes into the interview there was no hope with them, and I was just shaking my head in disappointment. But I knew this lady had what it was going to take to keep going. She refused to give up. This was a fierce Mumma Bear protecting her cubs.
I then showed up to a press conference and asked the then Police Commissioner myself what the hell was going on. This was all very clear in my eyes, and asking these simple questions shone a light on what he thought was acceptable. Yes, I got called a DV crusader and a gate crasher too, but the only regrets I had was that I wore a white bra under a black top in a video that went viral of me questioning him. I am otherwise happy I did what I did that day. It was a step forward in this horrific predicament for her. I put him on notice and right to his face, that if he was not going to do something I would.

A breach of privacy case was then lodged in QCAT where this lady wanted to be compensated for having to move her entire family twice and the extra costs of protecting her family.
QCAT is supposed to be the peoples court. A simple effective way to resolve disputes in a way that is cost effective and fair. She desperately tried to settle that case, the QPS would not offer a thing.
She was up against a team of solicitor’s, barristers, and a Queens Counsel. She remained self represented the entire time.

The written submissions were complicated, lengthy, and a display of the apparent never-ending public purse that was available to fight her.
On one of the occasions, we showed up for a hearing and a member announced he had ‘vacated the matter’ – ‘vacated’. With no notice. No reason. This was familiar to me, because the same member had pulled the exact same thing on me. What are the chances of that? Same guy pulling the same stunt. He had already sent the other sides lawyer away, but I carried on so badly about him doing this again, now to this victim, that he then decided to hear the matter, yet without the other side’s lawyer present. I could not believe what I was seeing.

This went on and on, for another 2 years until we reached a final hearing. Again, QPS sent in a big legal team against this woman, who had lodged folders and folders of material. She requested when it came to asking Punchard questions, that one of her support persons be allowed to address him for her. She was denied. She begged. I pleaded. She was made to question him herself. The officer, still in a job, sat there, with her having to engage directly with him. My disbelief grew over this entire situation, I was sickened.

The Police Commissioner after public pressure mounted, pulled someone in to review the matter. That officer also failed to make the decision to criminally charge Punchard, and wouldn’t explain why to this victim. There was no choice other than to keep pushing. We knew what had happened was a massive breach of trust, was criminal, and put plainly- dead wrong. Yet still, it was uphill every step of the way, in fact I would describe the process as nothing short of gruelling.
The decision then got handed down that she had in fact won her privacy case and the QPS were to compensate her. They didn’t. They had 28 days to appeal, it lapsed.

The QPS then lodged an appeal after the due date to appeal. She has now phoned QCAT dozens of times for over 7 months, to ask if they have accepted the QPS appeal, they will not tell her. She asks to be paid the compensation they will not pay it. No one will give her any indication of what is going on, or why this nightmare is not ending.

Meanwhile a random officer that had never spoken to the victim, and who works at the photo graphic unit, randomly called up one day after 2 years of us pushing, to say he has charged Punchard. Im not complaining about that part, just that it seemed odd. Nothing had changed from the day we made first complaint back in 2016.

Instead of pleading guilty right away, this got dragged out for even longer, with Punchard’s union lawyer arguing QPS had botched the entire thing from the beginning. That’s about the only thing we can agree on. In fact, botched is an understatement. They were pressured to be accountable for once and it was so foreign to them, it seemed they didn’t know what to do, or how to do it. Its not how they operate.

When the matter eventually came before the court he pleaded guilty. He did it. The worst possible thing you could do to a DV victim. What he did is only one leg of this problem it is how the QPS responded.
As it stands he is still a serving police officer, and the victim has not been paid a cent in compensation for what this mess has cost her, and is now in the exact same vulnerable position she was to start with when this began.
If you are in disbelief, are disgusted, and want change. I ask that you stand behind me to support this woman, by sharing what I have written, in the hope that we can collectively say NO MORE.

Getting through your storm right now

When we know that a storm is going to hit, we are usually forewarned by the tv or our phone. If there is a chance we might lose electricity, we prepare some candles. If hail is predicted we park our cars undercover.
Throughout our life, various storms pass through, but they come in the form of illness, domestic violence, childhood trauma, financial hardship, loss of employment or income, family breakdown, divorce, and poor mental health to name just a few, and while there are often red flags leading up to some of these things, when we look back in hindsight, more often than not, there is no forwarning.
In my first book “Flirt with Justice” https://reneeeaves.com/flirt-with-justice/ I share my own personal story, and talk about the various storms that I weathered over a number of years. Sharing my story inspired thousands of people to stand strong through their own adversities by reading about how a long legal battle affected me mentally physically financially and emotionally.
When I realised sharing my story had the ability to lift others up, I very quickly wanted to extend on that. We all have a story, we all have adversity and we all experience battles, but the truth is not everyone has the same level of support when a storm hits.
It is for that reason I am now sharing some practical information to support you right now in whatever it is you are currently experiencing in your own life. Some more than handy hints and tools that I have picked up along the way, insight that I know will support and serve you if a storm is passing through your life.
This mini eBook is my gift to you. My way of holding a torchlight if you are experiencing any ongoing darkness, trapped emotions or if you are feeling lost about where next to turn.
For me personally, one of the biggest lightbulb moments I have ever experienced was when I was in a domestic violence relationship and a social worker gave me a very basic brochure that had an illustration of a circle that showed the cycle of abuse. It was a picture of a wheel that described examples of where the cycle of abuse begins, and what that looked like. It described very simply how in the beginning tension builds, how the tension progresses to the next stage on the wheel in the form of an argument or an acute explosion, and how it moves to the honeymoon phase, again outlining what that phase actually looks like, being the apologies, feelings of relief, promises of a better future, and offers to attend counselling etc, then eventually ending up right back at the beginning of the wheel at the tension building phase again.
For me it was like a massive gush of relief to be given this information. I was in a complicated situation that I was finding hard to articulate, and hard to get out of because I was right in the middle of the darkness. Explaining this pattern in a brochure served as an incredibly useful diagnostic tool for me. Once I felt there was a diagnosis of what was going on, I noticed a shift within myself, in that I was able to start focussing on the possibility of a cure. I found this simple picture of nothing more than a circle with some arrows and words, to be the single most helpful and powerful piece of information I have ever received that actualised change in my life.

Grab a piece of paper and a pen, because I am going to use my experience to be the umbrella in your storm for a moment. This simple exercise will shine a light so that you can more easily identify where you are currently at, and what you can actually do to help yourself move through any storm.

1. Ask yourself what are the primary feelings I am experiencing right now? For example, if you have just lost a loved one the stages of grief can often be denial, isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. If you are experiencing an injustice it might be fury and feelings of revenge. If you are sick, fear may be your dominant thought. If financially things are not good you might be experiencing feelings of helplessness or frustration. Whatever it is that you are feeling write it down (it can be more than one thing).
2. What are the causes of what you are feeling right now, form a list of possibilities?
3. In this list of possibilities, you have just created, go through each one and honestly answer if there is anything you can do to change any one of them.
4. Now is your chance to get creative, start thinking about solutions to the things you actually can change and note them down.
5. For the things that you believe you can’t change, use what I call the onion technique, where you keep peeling the layers until you get to the core of why this feeling is strong enough to interrupt your peace. Think really deeply, is it an old wound that hasn’t healed therefor keeps showing up in other areas of your life and with other people in your life because you haven’t addressed or accepted those same feelings or that same lesson?
6. Could it be possible that your feeling is serving as a deliberate road block to put you on another path?
7. Is there any chance you could be over reacting?
8. Are you avoiding the same feelings that repeat in various areas and times of your life?
9. What is avoidance costing you?
10. Do you think you have the ability to accept the feelings that have come up as they and be at peace with them, without trying to change them?