Former Queensland Police commissioner Steve Gollschewski dies months after retiring amid cancer battle

Former Queensland Police commissioner Steve Gollschewski has died, months after retiring from the top job amid a public and painful fight against cancer.

Gollschewski stepped down in February after 46 years with the Queensland Police Service (QPS), saying he wanted to focus on his health and family.

The top cop had returned to work in September 2025 after taking six months leave to undergo treatment following an unexpected stage four cancer diagnosis.

At the time, he said treatment had been highly effective and he was determined to return to the job.

Six months later, Gollschewski returned to police headquarters at Roma St, telling 7NEWS he still had work to do.

Gollschewski joined the then Queensland Police Force in 1980 and built a career across organised crime, intelligence, anti-corruption and counterterrorism before being appointed commissioner in 2024.

But it was as the stoic face of Queensland’s COVID response frontline that Gollschewski gained wider recognition on the national stage.