Inspector Allen joined the Police Service in November 1986 and has served in a wide range of areas.  He is currently appointed as the manager of Operational Training Services at the new Wacol police training precinct, providing oversite to the development and implementation of operational skills training for all police.

He was formerly the Officer in Charge of Queensland’s largest station – Brisbane City and had performed duties as OIC at Fortitude Valley, OIC Indooroopilly Division, Operations Tactician for Brisbane West District, a team leader with the Public Safety Response Team and a team leader in the Tactical Crime Squad.  He has lectured at the Qld Police Academy, worked at Brisbane Mobile Patrols and served at several suburban stations.

In 2011 Corey travelled overseas on a Churchill Fellowship studying police engagement of young homeless and rough sleepers. He worked and lived in difficult areas where homelessness is high in New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.  This experience helped develop local programs engaging young homeless persons in Brisbane successfully diverting young people from homelessness using cultural and community of origin connections.

In October 2013 Corey was awarded Alumnus of the Year for Griffith University School of Criminology and over all Alumnus of the Year for the faculty of Arts Education and Law.

Career highlights include the receipt of five National Crime and Violence Prevention awards between 2010 and 2015 for initiatives including “Project Patch” addressing social needs of affordable housing, the City Police Vulnerable Persons Strategy guiding a long term approach to strategic policing in the City, the Joined Up Street Team Patrols where together front line police and youth workers conduct face to face outreach in the hot spots around the City after hours, the Smart Start alcohol harm intervention project, and the Youth Cultural Hot Spot Patrols.  The Youth Cultural Hotspots project was also the 2013 State Child Protection Award winner.

Inspector Allen was a Queensland finalist in the local hero category Australian of the Year Awards 2010. He was made a Paul Harris Fellow in 2010 by Rotary Brisbane Mid City in recognition of his commitment to the community through his personal example and the leadership shown to police in the City.

His 2016 TEDx Talk “Fighting Crime with Empathy” is compulsory viewing for police recruits and criminology students.

Inspector Allen was awarded the Australian Police Medal in January 2020 acknowledging his contribution to the improvements in policing approaches to homeless and vulnerable persons.

His community focused approach has extended and been supported by his family.  Together with his wife Tracey they have been foster parents to a number of young children in emergent situations and have three children of their own.