Police meet with Indigenous elders in Carnarvon amid concerns of unrest in Cleo Smith fallout
Extra police arrive in Carnarvon and the WA police commissioner talks to Indigenous elders with fears of recriminations over the abduction of Cleo Smith.
Extra police have arrived in the West Australian fruit-growing town of Carnarvon amid concerns of unrest and recriminations over the abduction of Cleo Smith.
West Australian police commissioner Chris Dawson convened an emergency meeting of about 20 Aboriginal elders in Carnarvon on Wednesday afternoon to ask for their support to maintain calm in the community.
As social media simmered with accusations and theories about the 36-year-old Aboriginal man in custody over Cleo’s abduction, Mr Dawson told the elders: “You are influencers in your community and you can talk to people who are more impressionable.”
“You can be that voice of reason,” he said.
Police were deeply concerned that Aboriginal people in Carnarvon were being targeted and provoked by racists over the abduction of Cleo and they were also concerned by the possibility of violence within the local Aboriginal community as a direct result of the man’s alleged actions.
Mr Dawson told the elders police were in Carnarvon in big numbers to protect and serve everyone. He told them an entire group of people could not be held to account for what one person was believed to have done.
Referring to hateful posts on social media, Mr Dawson said: “Don’t read that crap.”
At the 2016 Census, Carnarvon had a population of 5528 and 18 per cent of residents were Indigenous. Nationwide, 2.8 per cent of Australians were Indigenous in 2016.
Some senior Indigenous people said they were concerned about vigilante action from non-Aboriginal people. They were also proud of the role their people had played in helping investigators.
One Indigenous elder told the commissioner the search for Cleo made her feel the unity in Carnarvon.
“We are all part of this town and we all have that feeling for the little one and her parents,” she said.
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