Police face criminal charges for leaving overdosed teenager 'to die'

Gold Coast police officers could face criminal charges for leaving a teenager to die in bed after he overdosed on drugs.

The State Coroner says the officers could have saved Charlie Robertson and described their actions as inappropriate and incompetent.

In June 2015, the Rapid Action Squad raided a Nobby Beach unit.

They weren't looking for Charlie Robertson, but they found him laying in bed in his pyjamas.

They try to wake him by pinching him, giving him a sternum rub and even lifting the mattress up.

One officer can be heard laughing as another tries throwing water at his face.

None of the officers thought to call paramedics.

"Well he's breathing, he's snoring, yeah, but he's passed out," one officer is heard saying.

They leave the 19-year-old in bed - and he never wakes up.

"The family are shocked and appalled as to why an ambulance was not called," the family's lawyer said.

The Queensland Coroner said if he had been taken to hospital his chance of survival would have been "close to 100 per cent."

"They neglected their duty of care quite clearly, and there's evidence our boy would be alive today had police acted appropriately and with respect to my son," Charlie's father Graham said.

At the time of Charlie's death, front line officers weren't trained in recognising the signs of a drug overdose.

However, the coroner described the police officers' actions as "inappropriate" and "inadequate" and not showing the dignity and respect "any human would deserve."

The officers involved will now be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which will decide if they should face criminal charges.