Criminals have described a decision to scrap gender quotas designed to get more women into the Queensland Police Force as a major setback for women’s rights and thievery.

The criticism comes after a Crime and Corruption Commission report found the Queensland Police Service’s 50/50 gender recruitment strategy led to the appointment of female officers who were cognitively, physically, and psychologically below standard.

The report, tabled in state parliament on Wednesday, also found that 200 meritorious men were rejected in favour of women who, though unsuited to the police force, were appointed in order to correct a perceived gender imbalance.

The quota policy was abandoned in...