Five police officers excited to join top team on Thursday Island
Policing on the Torres Strait offers new challenges and an opportunity to work closely with communities for a cohort of officers recently posted to Thursday Island.
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Five newly-arrived officers assigned to a key police station in the Torres Strait bring a solid variety of experience and backgrounds as they look forward to working with their local community.
Officer in Charge Thursday Island Station Acting Inspector Torres Strait Patrol Group Anthony Moynihan said Senior Constable Paul van den Bos, Senior Constable Paul Van Pelt, Senior Constable Andrew McKie, Senior Constable Ash Currie and Acting Senior Constable Mira Al-Tamimi are now part of the tight-knit Thursday Island police team.
They operate across a massive 48,000 sqkm, including 16 inhabited islands out of thousands dotted across the Torres Strait.
Act Insp Moynihan said officers’ duties included patrolling territory from Thursday Island to Papua New Guinea.
“Once a fortnight five officers rotate on a schedule to go out in the police vessels, live aboard there for up to a week at a time and visit one of the four clusters of our patrol group,” he said.
“The officers attend duties include school engagements, health clinic visits, managing licensing issues and maritime safety and education.”
Snr Con van den Bos, whose career includes five years at Mt Isa and eight years at Gordonvale (Cairns), said he was thrilled to be at Thursday Island.
The 43-year-old said he had visited the area previously and loved what he had seen.
“Coming to work here was something that has been a career ambition,” he said.
“I had family who lived here for about 10 years and strong encouragement from my partner.
“It is as beautiful as I thought.”
Senior Constable Paul Van Pelt, 31, previously worked on Mornington (Kunhanhaa) Island on the Gulf of Carpentaria as well as in Brisbane and Logan.
And after working at Mornington Island and Mt Isa, Acting Senior Constable Mira Al-Tamimi said she was stoked with her new positing.
“This is a great opportunity,” the 24-year-old said.
“When you have a really good community like here, it’s great to be proactive and go above and beyond.”
Thursday Island Water Police
Officer in Charge Thursday Island Water Police Acting Sergeant Senior Search And Rescue Operations Jason Jesse, 53, said his highly competent crew comprised of Senior Constables Neal Whalley, Nyall Appleyard, Tonia Bradford and Senior Police Liaison Officer Thomas Pedro.
“We do between 50 and 60 reported rescues a year,” Act Sgt Jesse said.
“Prior to having good mobile phone communications and reliable four stroke boat engines on the Torres Strait, the number of rescues was up near 300.”
Act Sgt Jesse said as a key part of QPS Water Police operational water command, they provide the vessels and support to the regional officers who they transport on vessels to the other and outer islands.
He said they also work closely with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on missions such as the recent rescue of Adea Tabuai, after his boat capsized.
Without a lifejacket, flare or emergency beacon aboard, Mr Tabuai managed to cling to a piece of wood adrift in the open ocean, at one stage circled by sharks.
Act Sgt Jesse said being part of a successful rescue was “the best.”
“To be able to send someone home to their family and being a big part of part of a rescue response is a great feeling,” he said.
“This is why I joined QPS.”
However, despite similar high-profile incidents, Act Sgt Jesse said while marine policing was not glamorous, it was incredibly satisfying.
“We work closely on joint-deck patrols with other agencies including AMSA, Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Queensland Boating and Fishing and Fishing,” he said.
“Our vessel Conroy is involved with a deployment to one of the four clusters of islands every fortnight so officers from general duties, Criminal Investigation Branch and Child Protection Investigation Unit can travel there.
He said police visit the four main island clusters on a rotating basis.
“As part of these patrols we perform some marine enforcement with a focus on education and safety talks at schools and to community meetings,” he said.
“For the year we have a set plan for those policing model patrols and in the downtime we fit in enforcement patrols to the west of Cape York to the Station River, then patrol down the east of Cape York.”
Act Sgt Jesse said the majority of people try to do the right thing and have their own safety gear or use the “grab bags” containing safety equipment which are freely available at police stations.
But there are occasions where despite extensive searching, some people lost at sea are never found.
In 2019 five people, four adults and one child were lost when they set out in a seven-metre boat from Badu Island in the northwestern island group around 50km north of Thursday Island.
The vessel departed Badu Island with plans to travel to Dauan Island located 11km south of Papua New Guinea with a 22-year-old man, 47-year-old man, 21-year-old woman, 21-year-old woman and a 9-year-old boy.
But they never arrived.
Although police located life jackets and an emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB) among other material on the boat, those people were never found.
Act Sgt Jesse said they appreciate when people do let friends and family know when they are heading out.
“If Mr Tabuai had not let his family know, it could have been a much different story,” he said.
Other incidents they have attended range from community support to land-based search and rescue, Act Sgt Jesse said.
Act Insp Moynihan, who has been stationed on TI for three years, said he was really proud of all the dedicated officers in his team, each of whom brought excellent skills to the team.
“Everyone on Torres Strait deserves the same level of professional response as those who live in urban areas,” he said,
“No matter the time of say or night we will head out as needed.”
Act Insp Moynihan said he hoped to encourage Torres Strait residents to consider policing as a career.
“Policing is a fantastic career and Thursday Island offers a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills and engage with the community.”
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