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Meet the WA police working the world’s biggest, most remote beat

The convoy of dusty police four-wheel drives rumbles to a stop at the peak of the Rawlinson Ranges. From up here, it’s not hard to believe we are standing on the edge of the biggest police beat in the world. The landscape is fit for an oil painting — the spinifex-dotted plains of the Great Victoria Desert stretch as far as the eye can see. Out to the horizon, the clouds have turned a tinge of purple, teasing that a rare dose of rain could be on its way. And nestled at the foot of the rolling range, in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, sits the Aboriginal community of Warakurna. This is Brevet Senior Sergeant Colin Johnston’s patch. He is one of WA’s outback cops who work not only in the biggest policing jurisdiction on the globe — the Goldfields-Esperance police district covers 1,034,013sqkm, a third of the entire State — but also the most remote. Warakurna sits just off the Northern Territory border, 300km west of Uluru. Though in WA, the clocks in Warakurna are wound forwards 90 minutes to Australian Central Standard Time. The Multi-Functional Police Facility at Warakurna is one of several in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, along with Blackstone and Warburton. The Lands span 250,000sqkm — an area bigger than England. Sen. Sgt Johnston has spent most of his policing career in the Goldfields but admits his job as the top cop in Warakurna is a “bit different” to what most would consider a normal day on the beat. In summer, the sun is up by 4am and temperatures in the late 40s make for long, hot days. “There’s not much of a sea breeze out here,” he says. Sen. Sgt Johnston likes to start his day at the local store, a popular meeting place for the community, where he tries to get a gauge of what is going on around the place — and if there is any trouble brewing. Another regular visitor to the roadhouse is Harry, Sen. Sgt Johnston’s dingo-like dog. He describes Harry as the “Red Dog of Warakurna Roadhouse”. Harry stays at the police station and is never far behind Sen. Sgt Johnston as he goes about his patrols. He rescued Harry, who was ridden with ticks, from the nearby community of Wanarn, where he pleaded with the nurse at the community’s health clinic — his namesake, Dr Harry — to help save him. “He told me, ‘no dogs allowed in the clinic’,” Sen. Sgt Johnston says. “But I said, ‘what about if I call the dog after you?’ He said no — but he did bring out some tweezers and some Betadine so we spent the next six hours de-ticking him. “We brought him back — and we didn’t suspect that he would live, but he’s around today.” Given the Ngaanyatjarra Lands straddles the borders of the NT and South Australia, the officers who work at the stations within it are given “special constable” status, which gives them jurisdiction in the other States. A WA officer is based at Kintore, which is on the NT side of the border, and an NT cop is based at Warakurna station. In the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, possessing and consuming alcohol is strictly prohibited. Cannabis is the substance that causes the most harm — and it is often smuggled in and sold for a heightened price. The abuse of the drug causes a plethora of social issues and it is often the children who are caught up in the consequences. And it is clear that the police officers who work in these communities do more than simply keep law and order. They are passionate about helping the kids, whether that’s making sure they don’t go to school hungry through a breakfast program, or setting up a movie night or bouncy castle outside the station. While they are a bit of fun, these engagement programs also help divert youth from offending because they’ve got something to do. Sometimes, it also provides a healthier, happier place to be than at home. And for Sen. Sgt Johnston, interacting with the kids is what gives him the most joy. “You go down to the community and the kids give you high-fives, they come over and ask you questions, that’s probably the biggest highlight,” he said. “You do a lot with kids who don’t have a lot of possessions at home, so they are very appreciative of what you’re doing. They don’t like to say it, but the way their body language is when they come to you with big smiles is very fulfilling.” There was a buzz in the air at Warakurna on the day STM visited, as the Warakurna Kangaroos had just thumped rivals the Warburton Eagles for the premiership cup. The Warakurna school kids had also just won the Warakurna “Desert Dust Up” sports carnival and the whole community gathered for a barbecue to celebrate. At the celebrations, Ngaanyatjarra Lands School deputy executive principal Craig Alexander said the local police played a hugely important role at the school and were often joining in the fun. “Having positive engagement with the kids just makes it easier to have conversations with them,” he said. “And I think police showing that interest in the kids builds up that relationship with them and shows the kids they care, and if you have that, you tend to have less issues in the community and they tend to listen to the police more.” Like Sen. Sgt Johnston, Brevet Sen. Sgt Karyn Meyer, who is the officer-in-charge at the Blackstone Multi-Functional Police Facility, also knows the importance of strong relationships. “The community engagement side of the police out here is amazing,” she said. “You don’t get the shops and the restaurants and all that, but what you get out culture-wise from the community makes up for it. “And the wide open spaces, and the quietness . . . and getting to know the culture of the Aboriginal people out here, getting to know what makes them tick, and then, on the other hand, helping them to better their lives. “I know this mob so well now, and seeing them — especially the kids — grow up, having a better life, those small improvements that we can try and do to empower them to do better for themselves and make their own decisions for what is right or wrong. “You can definitely make a difference.” When she was posted to Blackstone last year, she became the first woman to take charge of the station since it opened 14 years ago. Sen. Sgt Meyer said being the first woman in charge brought some challenges. But they were far outweighed by the positives, especially when dealing with other women. “The local women do like speaking to a female, because sometimes some of the experiences they have, or the things that have happened to them, is difficult, and not culturally not really appropriate for them to speak to a male officer about it,” she said. South-west of the Lands, on the edge of the Western Desert and at the start of the Canning Stock Route, sits Wiluna. It’s home to the Martu people. Wiluna’s officer-in-charge, Sergeant Adrian Warring, has been a policeman for almost 25 years, 14 of which he spent as a detective before taking up the job. It is his first country posting. “The community is the big thing that I’ve taken on,” Sgt Warring says. “It took me some time to build the trust, and I’d heard about that before I came here.” Trust is particularly important when it comes to relationships with the community’s elders, like Rita Cutter and Lena Long. They are an invaluable source of information and guidance. “Rita sits under a tree next to her house, and the reason she does it is she sits and looks up at the birds and protects the birds because the kids come with their gings and she chases the kids away,” Sgt Warring said. “So I just sit down with her and just talk with her. And that’s what I’ve done, bit by bit, with all of the families that live here. And it’s just changed life around.” Lena was born at Well 7 of the Canning Stock Route — her mother was a stockwoman who was herding cattle when she gave birth. Afterwards, she jumped back on her horse with her newborn and continued on her way. She talks of her childhood at the Wiluna and Karalundi missions, and working for 24 years at Sandstone’s National Hotel before returning to Wiluna. “Wiluna was a nice place, no drinks. It was a nice, peaceful place,” she said. “Everyone enjoyed being here. But then this pub was opened to everybody, all these desert people who came in, and that’s where everybody got introduced to drinking. Then nobody would look after their children, everybody went wild on the grog.” When speaking to locals in Wiluna, it is clear the pub is a sore point. It closed in mid-2017 due to financial problems. It means there is now no longer a place to buy liquor. Locals describe Wiluna as being the “wild west” when the pub was around, with stories of violence spilling out of the venue day after day. Now people have to drive to Meekatharra, Leinster or Sandstone to buy booze. Sgt Warring says there has been talk of plans to bring alcohol back to the town, which he is firmly against. Like all communities, alcohol is a major contributor to issues such as domestic violence. Lena admits she was a big drinker when she was young, but has since given it away to look after her grandchildren. “Now I get on with the police here, “ Lena says. “If ever they need help, I help them out, too.” It is also the Wiluna police who help get the kids to school. They take up secondary employment to drive the school bus out to the Bondini Aboriginal reserve, getting them to class in the morning and returning them after the school bell. About 420km south-east of Wiluna is Laverton, one of the bigger police stations in the Northern Goldfields. For Sgt Craig Woods, life has come full circle. He had worked near the town as a fly-in, fly-out worker 25 years ago when he met with the town’s sergeant at the time and was encouraged to join the force. “I spoke to him about joining the police, and now I’ve actually got his position,” he said. Sgt Woods’ colleague, Sgt Gillian Simpson, has spent most of her career in the bush, including in Carnarvon when four-year-old Cleo Smith was snatched. She admits Laverton is one of the most remote places she has worked. But, like Sgt Woods, she loves it. “I’ve been a police officer now for 20 years and I still love getting up in the morning and coming to work,” Sgt Woods said. “You might be searching for someone lost in the bush, you might be going to a domestic, you might be going to a house fire, you might be saving someone’s life, you might just be doing paperwork in the office, but you never know what you’re going to do that day.” Goldfields-Esperance District Inspector Ken Foster oversees the Northern Goldfields-Esperance police region. He says he has a great deal of admiration for the work his officers do. For him, it is most rewarding to see younger officers who take up a desert posting hone their skills — often much faster than in the city. “They don’t have an inspector who can just drive in, so they’re thinking on their feet and it’s really rewarding seeing them grow and holds them in good stead for the rest of their career,” he said. “What they take back with them is just unbelievable. Plus the experiences of working in these areas is just an amazing thing to look back on over their career.”

The West Australian exclusiveMeet the WA police working the world’s biggest, most remote beat

exclusive
Meet the WA police working the world’s biggest, most remote beat