NSW floods: Police deny deaths and missing persons cases are being under-reported

The region’s most senior police officer has moved to quash suggestions that there was an under-reporting of those who have died and are missing in the floods disaster.

The northern region police chief has quashed suggestions that the number of people dead and missing in the Northern Rivers floods was being under-reported.

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said the discovery of a man safe and well on Tuesday, who had been reported missing in the Lismore area, left the number of people unaccounted for to a single person in the Tweed area.

Mr McKenna fronted the media on Tuesday to speak of the continued police operation in the devastated areas and to debunk social media myths of rising numbers of deaths which had not been made public, confirming the death toll so far was five

He said he had heard of the rumour of multiple deaths in a Lismore hotel as well as other unsubstantiated reports.

Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said social media rumours of mass casualties in the floods disaster were wrong. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“I did hear a rumour early on of a number of persons possibly in a hotel in the Lismore area who were unaccounted for. I can tell you categorically that is not the case,” Mr McKenna said.

“Those hotels have all been searched. Those hotels have all been checked off.

“There is no one unaccounted for in any of those hotels, so I can quash that rumour for you right now. It’s not correct.”

Asst Comm McKenna said the only person unaccounted for was in the Tweed area but he was not able to provide further details for “operational reasons”.

An overturned car in Dawson St Lismore in the aftermath of the devastating floods. Photograph: Jason O'Brien

He had earlier pleaded with the public to report anyone missing to the authorities.

“I just want to make sure that anyone who has any information at all about someone who they think is missing or unaccounted for, go through the right channels,” he said.

“Contact police so that we can investigate those thoroughly.

He also added: “The social media information that we are seeing is not correlating with what has been reported to us on the ground.

“We have police, we have ADF, we have RFS, SES, all emergency services right through that Northern Rivers area working tirelessly day and night.

Defence Force personnel assist with the clean up in Lismore in the aftermath of the devastating floods. Photograph: Jason O'Brien

“We are going to every community that we are aware of, we are spelling to all those people and no one is talking to us right now about [people] unaccounted for, or missing persons.

“No one is reporting that to us.

“So if someone is saying that through social media, if it means you need to get a message to someone, then contact us directly so that we can chase that down and follow it up.

“That’s what we need to do.

“But ultimately the best way is to come to police in the first instance so we can make sure that everyone is safe.

Mr McKenna confirmed reports of burglaries in the Richmond police district “during this time on flood affected properties”.

He said the numbers of break and enters, as well as stealings, were not on an upward trend.

“It’s probably exactly the same sort of numbers we would get at any given time,” Mr McKenna said.

“There has been none in the Tweed Byron police district but I suppose it is just a bit more unpalatable at the moment, isn’t it, to think that people would go and prey on these victims who are already going through such a tough time.

“So we will investigate those thoroughly and if we find any evidence to support arrest and charging, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Mr McKenna said an extra 100 police were sent to the flood-affected areas last week to assist officers already based in the Northern Rivers, some of whom had continued to work despite losing homes themselves.

He said there were about 1600 emergency services personnel in the Northern Rivers with 700 defence personnel, with about another 900 to arrive.

“So I would like to say to the community, we are there in significant numbers, we are trying to work through things as fast as we can and the police themselves are very much committed in supporting those lead combat agencies,” he said.

“But I also say that we are there to ensure that the community is kept safe.”