Police to face deaths probe
cer Jeanette Young commended Townsville residents on following the advice of health professionals as the clean-up began.
“People shouldn’t be going back into their homes until they’re told it’s safe,” she said.
Ms Young said people should be extremely careful while operating generators, to ensure they didn’t overheat, and urged residents to have a qualified electrician check over their appliances.
She also confirmed the Townsville Hospital was fully operational and said people needed to take their health and safety seriously while dealing with germs while cleaning.
“The floodwaters and the mud that will unfortunately be left behind
Australian Red Cross Society:
Redcross.org.au/disaster
The Salvation Army:
13 Salvos (137 258) Salvos.org.au (select “disaster relief”)
St Vincent De Paul Society of Queensland:
(07) 3010 1002 Vinnies.org.au/donate
Unitingcare Community:
1800 001 953 uccommunity.org.au/disasterrelief
Givit:
www.givit.org.au Visit www.qld.gov.au/emer gency/emergencies-services/ help-disaster for more information on the flood appeal. are very dirty. People need to be very careful dealing with it,” she said.
Ms Young urged people to wear boots and gloves while cleaning, cover up any cuts and check their tetanus shots were up to date.
She also recommended people throw out all food that had come into contact with floodwater, as well as any food that was in the fridge – if the power had been cut off for more than four hours.
Food in the freezer might last longer if the freezer remained closed.
“We don’t want people getting gastroenteritis on top of everything else they’ve been through,” she said. AN INVESTIGATION is in progress into the conduct of police, following the death of two men during flooding.
The bodies of Troy Mathieson, 23, and Hughie Morton, 21, were discovered in an Aitkenvale drain.
Members of Ethical Standards Command have flown into Townsville from Brisbane to start an investigation into the deaths, which is standard procedure.
The men were last seen by police in the early hours of Sunday morning, when the city’s flood crisis was at its worst.
It is understood police were chasing the men from the scene of an alleged break and enter at the Dan Murphy’s liquor store on Ross River Rd, Aitkenvale.
Police found the bodies on Tuesday afternoon near the Aitkenvale Library once the floodwater level began to drop.
Fingerprint analysis confirmed the men’s identity later in the afternoon.
Ethical Standards Command’s goal is to ensure the community has full confidence in, and respect for, the Queensland Police Service.
The matter will be treated as what is known as “a death as the result of police operations”.
The process will scrutinise police operations during the initial contact the men had with officers, as well as the subsequent search.
Kandace Wyles, who said she was a cousin of the men and had grown up with them, was left devastated by their deaths.
“I try to be strong … I had a big cry,” she said.
“They (the family) are not coping at all. We’re just all upset. They were beautiful boys.”
Ms Wyles said family had flown from Palm Island to Townsville following the deaths. Public condemnation of the pair because of the looting allegation upset Ms Wyles.
“It (the comments) was disrespectful. There was no need because we know they’d done wrong, but there was no need (for it) when they were reported missing,” she said.
Ethical Standards Command would investigate the deaths for the State Coroner with oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission, police said in a statement. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.