Media Release
More Australian Federal Police officers arrive in Grantham
Interstate support for the Queensland Police Service continues today with the arrival of a further 15 Australian Federal Police officers in Toowoomba this afternoon.
A temporary Police Facility has been established in Grantham to provide safety and security to affected communities in the Lockyer Valley, including the Murphy’s Creek area.
“We will be providing a 24/7 police presence in the area to assure the community that they are safe as they deal with the heartbreaking clean up,” Grantham Police Acting Inspector Mark Wheeler said. A significant contingent of the AFP, 44 specialist members, has already been assisting with the search operation in the Lockyer Valley.
“These extra AFP officers will be deployed on each shift with QPS officers and will provide security to affected communities to ensure that as the population transitions back to their homes, they can do so with the reassurance of having a continuous police presence.”
Acting Inspector Wheeler said the support shown by police services across Australia was inspirational.
“We have received unquestioned support from services across the country,” Acting Inspector Wheeler said.
“Officers have volunteered to come to Queensland to assist in a job that is quite confronting and overwhelming at times.
“Without their support our job would have been a lot harder.”
Twenty people are confirmed deceased with 19 people in the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley areas and one person in Brisbane. There are nine people still unaccounted for and their whereabouts remains unknown.
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