Dr Katrina Chiu1
1Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service, Brisbane, Australia
Biography:
Dr Katrina Chiu is Deputy Director of the Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service and has clinical governance responsibility for the Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre. She has more than 25 years' experience working across a range of forensic mental health services in Queensland. Dr Chiu is an expert in the assessment of general violence, sexual violence, stalking, and threats, and has a particular interest in the assessment and management of individuals displaying fixated behaviours.
Abstract:
The Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (QFTAC) is a multidisciplinary partnership between the Queensland Police Service (QPS) Security, Counter-Terrorism and Forensic Services Command, Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service (QFMHS), and Forensic Child and Youth Mental Health Service (Forensic CYMHS). Established in 2013 and modelled on the United Kingdom Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, QFTAC was created to identify, assess and manage individuals displaying evidence of fixation towards public office holders and other public figures.
In 2016, QFTAC expanded its remit through Project Solus to address the emerging threat of lone-actor grievance-fuelled violence (LAGFV). Using a consultation-liaison model, QFTAC combines specialist policing and forensic mental health expertise to facilitate early assessment, intervention and coordinated risk management. Structured behavioural assessment, information sharing and joint management planning enable tailored responses that prioritise early intervention while reducing risk to individuals, potential targets and the broader community.
As Australia's first operationally funded joint police and mental health threat assessment service, QFTAC has developed significant expertise over more than a decade of service delivery. The recent inclusion of Forensic CYMHS has further strengthened the service's capacity to respond to young people presenting with complex fixation and violence-related concerns. This presentation describes the evolution of QFTAC and demonstrates how sustained collaboration between policing and forensic mental health services can support effective threat assessment, early intervention and community safety while maintaining a therapeutic, person-centred approach.