The police officer who reprimanded a woman for driving through flood waters minutes before she and her 13-year-old son were swept to their deaths has been demoted to administrative duties.
Acting Commissioner Ian Stewart revealed the posting this afternoon in a press conference in response to the Flood Commission of Inquiry interim report.
Senior Constable Wheeler will remain on administrative duties until the internal investigation in to his conduct on January 10, the day flash flooding rushed through Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley, has been completed.
The interim report has recommended better training for emergency call centre operators.
"I accept we have work to do in that area," he said.
"Those were extraordinary times we all faced.
"I would also like to highlight the significant and professional work done."
He said the Queensland Police Service had already started developing a better training program for emergency call centre operators and would implement it as soon as they are "satisfied" with it.
Senior Constable Jason Wheeler became the voice of under-trained emergency call centre staff after the tape of him taking Donna Rice's triple-0 call was played during the inquiry hearing.
Mrs Rice told Senior Constable Wheeler she was "stuck" in her car with her two sons Jordan 13, and Blake, 10, to which he responded: "Why did you drive through the flooded waters?"
At the end of the phone conversation he said: "You shouldn't have driven though it in the first place, OK."
It later came out the police officer had only two days of training before that fateful day when 1000 calls came in to the Toowoomba-based centre within an hour.
COMMENT: Read the Flood Report. The demoted cop classified the dying woman's
call as Code 3 - non-urgent. Perhaps, the QPS should consider sacking him.
call as Code 3 - non-urgent. Perhaps, the QPS should consider sacking him.
