Policing the Torres Strait, Mer Island
While Bamaga police can claim they police the most northern tip of the Australian continent, the Thursday Island Police Division goes even further north, encompassing the islands of the Torres Strait which lay between the northern tip of Queensland to a few kilometres off Papua New Guinea.
The Torres Strait Islander people have a distinct culture which has slight variants on the different islands where they live.
Policing of the outer Island communities within the Torres Strait can be challenging due to their remoteness with access only by aircraft or boat.
Sgt Tina Edward looks out from her office in the sky on her one hour flight out to Mer (Murray Island).
One of the island communities that falls within the Thursday Island Police Division is Mer (Murray Island).
Mer is a small island of volcanic origin, populated by the Melanesian Meriam people and situated in the eastern section of Torres Strait.
It is situated 210 kilometres to the north east of Thursday Island and takes about one hour to reach by police airwing, or up to eight hours by police boat.
It has a population of about 450 people who speak Torres Strait Creole and Meriam.
Meriam Islands cluster – Dauar, Waier & Mer
Westerners began to settle on the island in 1872 when the London Missionary Society founded a missionary school.
Mer’s most famous resident was Eddie Mabo, whose decision to sue the Queensland government in order to secure ownership of his land, resulted in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the status of “terra nullius” which had characterised Australian law with regards to ownership of land.
Mabo Day is now celebrated across Australia on June 3 each year in recognition of this land rights decision.
Mer is policed by regular visits to the island by officers via police airwing or the police vessel Handran.
Police also undertake island stays when requested by the community or when there are events including sporting carnivals or community meetings.
The first response to any incident though, is given to the two resident Torres Strait Islander Police Support Officers (TSIPSO), TSIPSO Senior Sergeant John Noah and TSIPSO Senior Sergeant John Wailu.
TSIPSO Senior Sergeant John Noah during patrol on one of the many beaches of Mer.
Responsibility for the training, management and resourcing of the TSIPSO’s is the Cross Cultural Liaison Officer from Thursday Island, Sergeant Tina Edward.
Tina flies out regularly to provide training and support to the 35 TISPSO that are stationed across 15 island communities.
TSIPSO Senior Sergeant John Wailu receives training on the QPS computer systems from Sergeant Tina Edward.
While remote and difficult to access, Mer Island is a place of astounding natural beauty and rich in culture.
The Police Vessel Handran anchored off Mer
Source: Cairns Crime Alert
