Queensland police have defended the time it took to charge an officer with murdering his baby son, saying expert evidence in the case had taken months to obtain and verify.
The 38-year-old senior constable was charged with murder on yesterday morning, 18 months after his two-month-old son succumbed to "fairly significant injuries" at Victoria Point in Brisbane's east.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the baby's death was immediately considered suspicious and the officer was suspended "about a month after the incident".
Mr Gollschewski also defended the decision not to release any information about the incident before Saturday, including the fact an officer was suspended on suspicion of a child's murder, because detectives needed to maintain "the integrity of the investigation".
He said the officer had been on suspension on full pay but this would be reviewed now that charges had been laid.
Queensland Police Service pays its senior constables between $68,894 and $82,638 a year.
The officer is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
