Qld premier says reward Morcombe case cops

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says the undercover police officers who brought schoolboy Daniel Morcombe's murderer to justice should be rewarded.

Serial pedophile Brett Peter Cowan is due to be sentenced in the Supreme Court on Friday after a jury found him guilty of murder, indecent dealing and interfering with a corpse in December 2003.

The prosecution case succeeded after jurors were shown footage of Cowan confessing to the killing of 13-year-old Daniel in the presence of undercover police officers posing as members of a national criminal syndicate.

Asked if these officers needed to be rewarded for their undercover work in 2011, Mr Newman agreed with the sentiment.

"There are many ways that they can be acknowledged and rewarded for their efforts," the premier told reporters in Houston, Texas.

"Just getting this result, having the satisfaction of bringing a predator like this to justice is reward enough for their great efforts."

But Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, who decides such rewards, expressed dismay that undercover police methods needed to be aired before a jury to secure Cowan's conviction.

"The more widely it's known, the less effective it becomes," Mr Stewart told reporters in Brisbane.

Mr Newman paid tribute to the Morcombe family, including Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise, for setting up the Daniel Morcombe Foundation to educate children about predators.

"I also thank the Morcombes for their calmness and dignity, and grace under all the trials and tribulations of the last few years," he said.

"They'll be an inspiration to everybody.

"They have just done amazing things since in terms of helping educate our kids and protect them against such predators, and we thank them for the work that they have done."