000 call on hold as boys crashed and died

Tag : Emergency Call

POLICE are probing claims that a 000 phone operator kept a call onhold for two minutes while two men pursued a stolen car thatcrashed, killing four boys. Police from the Western Australia internal affairs unit areexamining why the emergency call was left on hold for so long andwhy the call taker did not advise the two men to stop following thestolen car, which is believed to have reached speeds of up to130km/h.

The Sunday Times understands the men phoned police while tailing the stolen HoldenCommodore, but the call was mistakenly transferred to the PoliceOperations Centre.

By the time an operator responded, the vehicle had slammed into alamp post on Pinjarra Rd, Ravenswood, on June 27.

Three brothers Matthew Indich, 15, Benjamin Nannup, 11, and JeremyNannup, 10, and their 17-year-old cousin Quinton Humes, who wasbehind the wheel, died in the crash.

Another cousin, 17-year-old Beau Pickett, who was the front-seatpassenger, survived.

It is understood the police officer, who had recently returned towork in the 000 call centre after being on extended sick leave, hasbeen transferred to another unit, pending the outcome of theinquiry.

But crash investigators say there was no evidence to support claimsby the sole survivor that the stolen car had been"rammed" or chased at high speeds in the moments beforeit crashed.

"When the car came over the bridge and crashed, it was theonly car on that side of the road," Major Crash Sen-ConstableMike Jones told The Sunday Times .

"That's (the information) from witnesses who were going theother way.

"Earlier on (in the night), there was an allegation the carwas being followed, which obviously is still part of the biginvestigation.

"The two cars were seen by police in Pinjarra before it hadactually been reported stolen.

"There was nothing untoward with the cars that would havecaused the police, at that point, to turn around and follow thecars and try to apprehend them.''

Sen-Constable Jones said he could not comment on details about 000calls made on that night.

But WA Police spokeswoman Ros Weatherall confirmed an officer hadbeen removed from the call centre while police conducted aninvestigation for the State Coroner.

He had not been stood down, she said.

"This investigation involves looking at everything thathappened, including all calls received by police," MsWeatherall said.

"So while Major Crash has been conducting that investigationon behalf of the Coroner, police have also looked at the actions ofofficers involved in taking those calls.

"Police are looking at how a call taker responded to the callhe received."

WA Police Union president Mike Dean said he was unaware of anyinternal investigation into the conduct of a call taker on thatnight

Jon Humes, the brother of Quinton Humes, said police had told himthe boys had been followed by another car shortly before the crash.

"That's why Quinton was driving at the speed he was," hesaid.