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Calatzis, Mick --- "Cocos (Keeling) Islands policing" [1999] AUFPPlatypus 15; (1999) 63 Platypus: Journal of the Australian Federal Police, Article 7


Cocos (Keeling) Islands policing

"The drama of history loses nothing by reason of the smallest stage."

Andrew Wood-Jones, resident of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, 1905.

By Detective Sergeant Mick Calatzis

Perhaps the 27 atolls which make up the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are the least known of Australia's island territories. This is not surprising when you consider the location of the small coral islands in the classic atoll ring set in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean about 2750km west of Western Australia's coast and 1000 km west of another isolated but perhaps better-known Australian territory, Christmas Island.

They were discovered in 1609 by Captain William Keeling of the East India Company who called them the Cocos, or coconut, Islands, but to distinguish them from three other islands in the world also known as Cocos, they were renamed by British hydrographer James Horsburgh in 1805 as Cocos (Keeling).

The islands have a year-round average temperature of 27oC, with the mercury never falling below 20oC or climbing higher than 31oC. There are prevailing south-west winds most of the year while the cyclone season, or doldrums, is from October to March. Gentle trade winds blow from June to September.

The highest elevation point is just three metres above sea level and the south end of West Island floods at high tide when there's a swell. An outside reef provides some protection against the sea. Bird life is abundant and the coral atolls are covered with palm and coconut trees. The AFP's most recent arrival, Constable Steve Lane, said when flying in for the first time that the scene was a breathtaking vista which words failed to describe.

But the AFP has business on these islands — community and national policing — and while initially it may appear to be a posting to paradise, the reality is that during the two-year secondment the work will call on all the skills, tenacity, endurance and the professional and life experience which police officers and their families are able to draw upon. From its entrepreneurial beginnings, the island's population has witnessed many changes and since the 1980s has undergone steady transformation to better align its standard of living with mainland Australia, a process in which the AFP has become an essential contributor.

The main inhabitants of the islands are Cocos Malays, who are devout followers of the Islamic faith, and mainland Australians. A settlement was first established by John Clunies-Ross, who had started a phosphate mine on Christmas Island and then ventured further west, in the early 1820s. He brought a workforce from the former East Indies to harvest coconuts and was joined by his brother, Captain James Clunies-Ross in 1842.

The islands became part of the local shipping and trading route and have witnessed some significant historic events including Australia's first recorded naval battle — the sinking of the infamous German ship, Emden, by HMAS Sydney during World War I. A strategic airstrip was built on West Island during World War II with Spitfires and Mosquitoes using the base and 8,300 allied personnel stationed there at one stage. A telegraph cable station and Catalina flying boat base were located on Direction Island. Direction Island was shelled by the Japanese during the war.

The islands have been an Australian Territory since 1955 following an ‘in-principle' agreement in which British sovereignty was transferred because of Australia's interests in the airstrip which was used by QANTAS as a stopover for flights between Perth and South Africa. Living conditions on the islands later became a human rights issue and after a referendum in 1982, more than 90 per cent of the islands' voters wanted full integration with Australia. A United Nations mission was brought in to monitor the referendum.

The progressive application of mainland standards by the Commonwealth Administration, has seen the introduction of social and economic reforms including those in the areas of housing and education and in the establishment of a Cocos cooperative society. A series of significant fraud, theft and assault investigations undertaken by AFP members in Perth and Christmas Island and action by the former Cocos (Keeling) Official Secretary in his capacity as the Commissioner of Police, prompted a review of legislation and in 1991 it was recommended that the islands should have their own police service. The AFP took on the community policing role the following year, and operates under the applied Western Australia legal code.

The permanent police contingent on the islands is currently made up of two AFP community policing officers and a Special Constable from the local community. In my role as Sergeant and Team Leader, I am ably supported by Constable Steve Lane and local Special Constable Rosie Arkrie. A further two special constables will soon be recruited to join the team on a casual basis to provide more assistance in meeting the ever-changing and increasing demands of policing on the island.

The special constables bring with them many complementary skills, including cultural expertise and knowledge of the language and their roles are continually being developed with strong emphasis on policing skills. Their significant efforts are integral to policing on CKI and this has been recognised previously by the AFP with the awards of Commissioner's and ACT Regional certificates, while Special Constable Arkrie's skills in giving evidence were complimented recently by a visiting magistrate. Their task is made more complex because they are policing their own community — a situation which is never easy.

The AFP maintains an education program for schools and the local community on the role of police. As part of that program recently and with community consultation, a book titled ‘The Cocos Police and You', was published in both Malay and English, and has been well received. It outlines basic information on the role of police, official procedures, the origins of laws and how they are applied, how the court system operates, the rights of victims, and community procedures for local contingencies.

The AFP's role on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is diverse with a variety of functions including community and national policing, customs and immigration services, and emergency services management. There is a strong emphasis on the helping role of police to the community.

The short eight years of the AFP's presence on the island has been dotted with incidents such as the apprehension of refugee boats and foreign fishing vessels, suspicious deaths on board foreign fishing trawlers, coordination of ocean-going medical evacuations, coordination of sea rescues of local and foreign craft, as well as local matters such as theft, fraud, burglary and road safety. Throw in the emergency management coordination needed for Tropical Cyclones Pancho in 1996, during Detective Sergeant Shane Connelly's post, and Allison in 1998 during my duty, and one could never say that life is boring in the Indian Ocean.

To suggest that the ‘police officer's lot is never easy' is perhaps even more relevant to policing on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands — AFP officers are trained for many variables in emergency management, but coordinating a cyclone emergency for the safety of 700 people is probably as far outside the training model as anyone can get.

The island's two population bases are 10km apart, separated by a lagoon susceptible to variable sea conditions, so negotiating the waters in uncertain conditions is frequently a part of the day's work. West Island is populated predominantly by about 120 mainland Australians while Home Island has a population of more than 600 people, mostly Cocos Malays.

Apart from the difficulties imposed by the distance between the islands, policing must be undertaken with the greatest care to stay in keeping with cultural expectations and customs such as respect for the home environment, announcing yourself when approaching a house, and respecting the head of the household, who is always a man.

Tact must be used when obtaining statements from other members of the house, such as thanking the head for allowing you to enter his home to obtain a statement from someone else in the family. What otherwise may be a simple investigation for community police on the mainland with standard requirements of obtaining facts from various sources, may be quite a complex one for Cocos (Keeling) Island police, more so as they must be constantly aware of balancing the investigative process with the need to observe factors such as respect for significant religious days and prayer time.

The tradewind season of June to October, is also the yachting season. During this time Direction Island, about 11km across the lagoon, becomes a safe haven for international yacht travellers and so a third population base is established. The AFP provides customs and immigration services and operates in conjunction with an officer of the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. As the period coincides with the tradewind season, the journey to and from Direction Island and clearance procedures can take up to four hours.

While police services are a generally accepted part of society in mainland Australia where policing dates back 150 years, the situation is not quite as straightforward for police seconded to the islands as they are relative newcomers given that the island's inhabitants have been there since the 1820s. It is not unusual, for instance, for an AFP officer's spouse to be approached by a Cocos local asking them to endorse a document for which they have no official authority, or to make guarantees about official business on behalf of their partner.

But while there may be difficulties to overcome, the diverse nature and scope of duties on the islands lends it to being one of the most satisfying areas of the AFP in which to work. Your day may begin with undertaking a routine customs search at the post office but you could easily end up with the task of coordinating a sea search and rescue operation.

The scant resources call on every piece of training and policing experience with which an officer is equipped. The AFP's resources on the islands include a 6.5 metre jet police launch the ‘Putri Duyong' that, loosely translated, means Princess Mermaid. The ‘Putri' is the main source of transport on the islands for the AFP.

The community also has access to a 17-metre ocean-going vessel, the ‘R.J. Hawke', owned by the Commonwealth. This can be used for search and rescue operations and more recently we coordinated the rescue of two Parks Australia rangers when their boat had engine failure and was drifting westerly near North Keeling National Park, some 20km north of the atoll.

Strong family support is integral to the capability of a police officer on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The isolation of the post, wide-ranging demands of the job and living in a small community mean that an officer's family will need to make many lifestyle adjustments. But there are also many advantages and unique experiences to be gained by those who have a spirit for adventure.

Commonwealth Territories Policing is responsible for the overall policy direction, management and administration of policing on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This task is undertaken in cooperation and consultation with the Territories Office of the Department of Transport and Regional Services and other Commonwealth authorities such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Defence, and Attorney-General's, which are all key stakeholders in this Australian territorial outpost. Apart from administration and operational support, CTP also takes an active interest in the welfare of each AFP member's family in the remote territories.

Nothing, except the native vegetation, grows on CKI because of the high concentration of sand and salt, however, efforts are being made to establish a hydroponics farm. Food is flown in weekly by charter but is very expensive while the local fish is plentiful and good eating.

Policing in Cocos is incomparable to any other type of policing I have done and is arguably a complete test of anyone's leadership and diplomatic skills. But this unparalleled experience has a legacy of ongoing benefits to the many spheres of professional policing.

A challenging outpost

The Cocos (Keeling) outpost has undergone reviews during the past two years. The addition to the team of an AFP constable became effective in March this year, providing support and relief to the sergeant, while the two casual special constables, who will be recruited soon and the permanent special constable are fundamental to the AFP in carrying out its responsibilities on the islands.

The families accompanying AFP members make an enormous commitment in taking a CKI posting.

Only two of the islands are inhabited — West Island has about 120 people, mostly Australian mainlanders and about 600 Cocos Malay people live on Home Island. Awareness of the cultural differences and respect for religious customs are important aspects which must be considered by AFP officers and their families in going about their day-to-day life and carrying out policing responsibilities.

Domestic organisation is quite crucial and time-consuming with grocery orders being freighted from Perth by ship every six weeks with the additional costs of freight levied per cubic metre. The ship recently broke down which meant a further six-week wait to re-stock pantries and a subsequent capacity load on the vessel because of the back-log. This in turn led to some freight being rejected forcing many people to turn to the very expensive alternative of flying-in supplies, and consequently, the planes were full and the island's mail was off-loaded. Relying on the local co-op store, which is expensive, holds no guarantees either as it is also subject to the same transportation fates.

Just about all consumables, apart from tins and items packed in glass, are refrigerated to protect them from ants, weevils and rodents and to prevent mould, while most people from the mainland make their bread in an electronic breadmaker, as well as turning their culinary skills to creating items such as ice-cream, yoghurt, cream cheese and baked goods.

There are two health centres and a doctor. In emergencies people are ‘medivaced' off the islands.

Many of the AFP officers and their spouses have devoted much of their time to the CKI community and frequently try their hand at new skills. Some of their involvement has included volunteering for the fire and rescue service, news reading on the local radio station, tutoring in English, organising blue light discos, and community fund raising events such as auctions and fetes, involvement in school committees and working at the local library.


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