Police Protection Directions (PPD)
What is a Police Protection Direction (PPD)?
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A Police Protection Direction (PPD) is a direction issued by the police to stop threats or acts of domestic violence where it would not be more appropriate for the matter to proceed to court.
A PPD can be issued by police when responding to a domestic violence incident or callout and is an on-the-spot direction that lasts for 12 months and has conditions similar to a Protection Order issued by a Magistrate.
What is a Review of a Police Protection Direction?
If you disagree with a PPD that has been issued, you may seek a review. PPDs can be reviewed by:
- The Queensland Police Service (a police review); or
- The Magistrates Court (a court review).
Police Review
A Police Review of a PPD must occur within 28 days of the PPD being issued unless exceptional circumstances apply. You can state these circumstances within an application for police review if required.
Only specified persons may make an application for Police Review following the issue of a PPD.
A Reviewing Officer (a Senior Sergeant or Inspector who receives your application) is required to conduct a Police Review of the issue of a PPD and decide whether the PPD issued should be confirmed or other action is to be taken.
The Reviewing Officer is required to consider and decide the Police Review on the circumstances that existed at the time the PPD was issued by the police officer. This includes any circumstances that existed at the time the PPD was issued, but were not known or considered by the police officer who issued the PPD. The Reviewing Officer cannot consider any events or circumstances that occurred after the PPD was issued when deciding the Police Review.
You can apply for a Court Review at any stage during the Police Review, however this ceases the Police Review.
More information on Police Review is available on the QPS website www.police.qld.gov.au/domestic-violence.
Court Review
You can apply for a court review at any time while a PPD is in force by filing the appropriate form with the court and attending the hearing of the application for review. At the hearing, the court hears all of the evidence and decides what the appropriate outcome of the review is. If you have a representative, they will come to the hearing. Otherwise, the magistrate will talk you through the process if you are representing yourself.
Regardless of who applies for court review, the court review process will always involve an application for a protection order with the police as the applicant and the same aggrieved and respondent as the PPD.
The court will consider the evidence and make a decision, which could be to set aside or end the PPD, dismiss the application for review or make a protection order.
Applying for Review of a Police Protection Direction
If you are applying for a police review of a PPD, you can:
- Submit the Application online for Police Review of an PPD via www.police.qld.gov.au/domestic-violence.
- Download the application via www.police.qld.gov.au/domestic-violence, complete on the computer, print and attend your local police station with the completed form.
- Your local Police station can also provide you with the paper version of the Application for a Police Review of a PPD to complete and submit in person.
You can find your closest Police station here https://www.police.qld.gov.au/stations.
If you are applying for a court review of a PPD, you will be required to fill out one or two forms:
- All applicants should fill out Form DV59A Application for Court Review of a Police Protection Direction .
- If you are the respondent on the PPD and you want the outcome of the court review to be a protection order naming you as the aggrieved, you should also fill out Form DV59B Police Protection Direction Respondent Application for Protection Order .
- The courts also have an information sheet available to assist you completing these forms.
You can choose from the following options to fill out the form or forms:
- Complete the form/s on the computer, print and file with a Magistrates Court
- Print the form/s, complete by hand and file with a Magistrates Court.
- Complete the form/s at your nearest Magistrates Court.
There is no cost to apply for a court review of a PPD.
Answer all the questions on the form/s and try to include as much relevant information as possible, including why you are applying for the review and the outcome that you would like from the review. You can attach extra pages to your application if there isn’t enough space on the form/s.
Once you’ve completed the form/s, file the application at a Magistrates Court in person or via post. In some limited circumstances you may also file the application by e-mail (see Electronically filed domestic and family violence documents for more information).
After you apply
Once you file the application with the court, police will serve the other party listed on your application and any other named persons listed on the PPD. The application for a court review will be listed before a Magistrate no later than 14 days after it is filed, or as soon as possible.
If you have concerns about your safety when arriving at, being in and leaving the court, complete a domestic and family violence safety form before going to court. A registrar will show the details on the form to court staff security officers and the domestic violence protection worker who will arrange for your safety, such as safe rooms and security. We’ll put the form on your court file, but it won’t be a part of your application and won’t be shown to the respondent.
The domestic violence safety form can be submitted when you lodge your application for court review, or any time after.