Blueprint magazine Issue 2 2020

Blueprint SOUTH AUSTRALIA POLICE MAGAZINE

Special Edition COVID-19 POLICE OPERATIONS CENTRE | BORDER PATROLS BUSINESS CONTINUITY | COMMUNITY SPIRIT

2020, ISSUE 2

Blueprint SOUTH AUSTRALIA POLICE MAGAZINE

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Police Operations Centre: The epicentre of our response

COVID Command:

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Assistant Commissioner Patterson

Protecting our borders

> Cadet experience:

Emma Berry

> Border patrols:

Airport gatekeepers

> Business continuity:

Northern District

© Copyright South Australia Police 2020

2020, ISSUE 2

From the Editor

Content

> Border patrols:

Blueprint is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License .

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t’s hard to believe how radically our world and our priorities have changed in a matter of months. The ruinous, widespread outbreak of COVID-19 has left little untouched, forcing entire countries into anxious hibernation, and plunging countless industries into crisis. As an organisation, SAPOL has had to be extremely agile, resourcing a multitude of novel, exceedingly complex functions in support of South Australia’s control agency, SA Health.

Pressure, of the variety that SAPOL has endured in 2020, can do one of two things. It can cause us to crumble, or reveal us to be diamonds. Under extraordinary pressure and immense public scrutiny, SAPOL’s sworn and non-sworn personnel have shone brightly, demonstrating their dedication and individual strength of character.

In this COVID-19 edition of Blueprint, we step inside the bustling Police Operations Centre and speak with Assistant

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• ST E P H A N I E J O H N SO N COVID Correspondent

ISSN 1448-1855 Editor: Stephanie Johnson Editorial Team: Superintendent Christine Baulderstone, Chief Inspector Colin Cunningham, Karina Loxton and Stephanie Johnson.

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Commissioner Craig Patterson APM, newly appointed as Officer in Charge of SAPOL’s comprehensive COVID-19 operations command.

Tracing the vast Victorian border from Naracoorte to Bordertown, we meet an eclectic mix of members staffing border patrols. Their uplifting stories shine a light on the spontaneous warmth and generosity of South Australia’s welcoming border communities, who’ve universally rallied to support SAPOL members deployed in inhospitable conditions, gifting everything from firewood to home-baked scones.

Elsewhere, at Mount Gambier, we meet Probationary Constable Emma Berry and discover what it’s like to graduate in the era of COVID-19.

At Adelaide Airport, we catch a glimpse of SAPOL’s intricate passenger processing operation.

We also check in on Elizabeth Police Station to learn how Adelaide’s Northern District is adapting to maintain essential services in the context of a global pandemic.

This special edition highlights a symbolic handful of stories to demonstrate the sustained, selfless and exceptional efforts of so many South Australia Police members in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and uphold community safety.

Designed & Printed by: Graphic Print Group

Photos: Australian Defence Force; South

COVER Probationary Constable Emma Berry and Sergeant Jade Hill on border patrol at Mount Gambier. Photo: Stephanie Johnson, SAPOL Marketing and Communications Unit.

Australian Police Historical Society; SAPOL CSIs; SAPOL Photographic Section; SAPOL Community Engagement Section; the University of Adelaide Library; Stephanie Johnson; various SAPOL contributors.

Blueprint is produced by SAPOL’s Awards, Marketing and Events Branch, Police Headquarters, GPO Box 1539, Adelaide 5001 Internal Postcode: 120 Tel: 08 732 24368 – Fax: 08 732 23289 Email:dlpolicegazette@police.sa.gov.au

Views and opinions expressed by contributors within this publication are not necessarily those of the South Australia Police, the Commissioner of Police or the Government of South Australia. Articles, photographs and other contributions are welcome from every SAPOL employee.

SAPOL treats indigenous cultures and beliefs with respect. To many communities it is disrespectful and offensive to depict persons who have died. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are warned this publication may contain such images and references.

THIS PUBLICATION IS PRODUCED ON PAPER FROM SUSTAINABLE FORESTS AND PRINTED USING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY VEGETABLE BASED INKS BY GRAPHIC PRINT GROUP.

I am immensely proud of the commitment of all SAPOL employees who are contributing to our COVID response.

Commissioner's foreword

‘Unprecedented’ has become a well-used word to describe COVID-19 but this may be somewhat misguided.

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t is not the first time we have had to close our borders, restrict gatherings or quarantine the infected.

Nor is it the first time we have suspended leave for police officers and repositioned personnel to respond to an outbreak.

The Spanish Flu of 1919 was in fact an insight into what we are experiencing now.

While the scale may not be on par with today’s pandemic, the challenges are the same – limiting the spread, educating the public on how to combat the disease and observe the required lifestyle changes, and policing compliance on the restrictions imposed for the greater good.

It is fair to say however, that it is certainly unprecedented for almost every living person. During my tenure as

Commissioner and my dual role as State Coordinator, SAPOL has been involved with a number of large scale emergencies that have had a profound effect on many South Australians – from the 2015 Pinery fire and the crippling statewide blackout in 2016 to the devastating Kangaroo Island and Cudlee Creek fires last summer.

While these events have impacted people’s lives and livelihoods, in some cases with tragic consequences, the sheer scale of the impact this pandemic emergency is having on our daily lives is unparalleled.

This emergency is not just for the few days or weeks we are familiar with and well equipped to manage.

COVID-19 has seen us operating under a Major Emergency declaration for six months now. Before this, the longest declaration under the Emergency Management Act was four days.

It is the first time we have had to coordinate such a prolonged, multi-faceted team effort across the state.

Our COVID response including border controls, compliance teams, hotel security and the Police Operations Centre function has been done at the same time as we are protecting the community through our business-as-usual policing service.

Every day presents fresh challenges and obstacles. The decisions we make are never easy and never taken lightly; they are not always popular; but they are always made with the objective of being consistent and proportionate to protect us all.

We are familiar with the concept of creating a firebreak to stop bushfires and our hygiene practices, border closures, and restrictions on gatherings and business operations, while difficult for some, are the firebreaks for this insidious virus.

There is no rule book or formula to show us we are on the right track. We have to rely on our collective emergency management experience and the expert advice of our health partners.

So far, SA has dodged the worst of the pandemic, not simply by good luck or good management, but our state’s strong position is overwhelmingly due to the goodwill of the community and their willingness to do what is required.

In addition to the public’s cooperation, the agility, collaboration and professionalism of SAPOL staff is the cornerstone of our ability to protect all South Australians.

Sadly, we are likely to be dealing with COVID for the foreseeable future, but I am immensely proud of the commitment of all SAPOL employees who are contributing to our COVID response, be it on the borders or performing compliance checks, those monitoring frontline policing duties or those who are undertaking critical support roles that keep us all on track.

Thank you to all.

• GRANT STEVENS, COMMISSIONER

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THE EPICENTRE OF OUR

COVID RESPONSE

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Located next door to the State Emergency Centre in a secure facility on Carrington St, is the Police Operations Centre (POC). The venue is the beating heart of SAPOL’s COVID-19 pandemic response, commanded by newly appointed Assistant Commissioner Craig Patterson.

WATCH VIDEO 1

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omprising 33 sworn personnel, the POC has been continuously operational seven days a week between 7 am and 11.30 pm since Commissioner Stevens’ Emergency Declaration in March.

During emergencies or significant investigations, Police Commanders have authority to activate the POC in support of their strategic operations, providing guidance and support to members in the field.

In response to COVID-19, the POC is coordinating the wholesale deployment of resources to personal compliance, business compliance and border patrol duties. It has never been active for so long, nor dealt with a crisis of this magnitude.

Currently serving in the role of Executive Officer is Chief Inspector Mick Fisher from Serious and Organised Crime Branch. He’s the Deputy Commander of the POC, overseeing the resourcing and operations of the centre.

Also embedded within the POC are Border Commander Superintendent Scott Denny, and Compliance Commander Chief Inspector Greg Hutchins, along with ADF liaison officer Major Aaron Tucker.

“Certainly, when I first arrived, the pace was frantic,” recalls Chief Inspector Fisher above the persistent din of ringing telephones. “Initially, I don’t know that anyone outside understood the extent of what was going on here.

“Essentially, we’re a task force that operates from the POC. We enforce, or cause to be enforced, compliance with the various Directions, via the Gold Patrols, Bronze Patrols and Border Compliance.

“We have eight members whose entire role is to enter COVID-19 related taskings on the system. That’s how we’re informing our troops in the field about their priorities on any given day.”

The Gold Patrols are tasked with enforcing personal compliance amongst individuals directed to quarantine or self-isolate.

Bronze Patrols, on the other hand, conduct checks of non-essential businesses and places where people gather, including entertainment precincts, cafés and licensed premises.

“Several call takers are answering queries from members of the public, as well as speaking with Gold Patrols, Call Centre, Communications and other sections of SAPOL,” says Chief Inspector Fisher.

Chief Inspector Fisher advises SAPOL’s Gold Patrols from his post as Executive Officer. Photos: SAPOL Photographic Section

Chief Inspector Greg Hutchins, Chief Inspector Mick Fisher and Superintendent Scott Denny, supported by ADF member Major Aaron Tucker coordinate the various activities of the POC.

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Right on cue, he pauses to answer an incoming call. “For example, that was a Senior Sergeant at STAR. He’s got a person in quarantine refusing to comply, so he was seeking advice. There’s a lot of that kind of interaction.

“The Gold Patrols are very good. They’ve been doing the job for so long; they’ve learned the Directions back to front.”

The recent deployment of

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a new system, requiring any person entering the state via Victoria to submit to a COVID swab within 24 hours and again after 12 days, will have a significant impact on Gold Patrols’ workload, explains Chief Inspector Fisher.

“If you’d said 12 months ago SA Police would be checking people’s compliance for a swab, or that we would close our border with Victoria, I would have looked at you sideways. But this

is our world in 2020, and these are our priorities as an organisation.”

Supporting SAPOL members deployed to the Victorian border is also a mammoth undertaking for the POC. “Just this morning, Murray Bridge Police arrested two people for jumping the border. We’ve managed it since and we’ll take it through court.”

“This week alone, we’ve

seen something like eight Victorians trying to get in.

If they’re not residents of South Australia they need to be escorted back across the border. We’ve had to coordinate that role.”

It is an endless balancing act to ensure that essential services and functions are maintained across the organisation, given the scale of resourcing required for the COVID-19 response.

Superintendent Paul

It is an endless balancing act to ensure that essential services and functions are maintained across the organisation.

Yeomans, who served as Executive Officer in the POC for 12 weeks, likens the running of the POC to building an airplane in mid-flight.

“We constantly had to identify the most appropriate response in the moment, while also planning for the future,” says Superintendent Yeomans.

“The most challenging aspect of the role was to appreciate the risk of

COVID-19 to the community and then develop and implement new processes in real-time to mitigate that risk.

“There’s also a physical component. Officers working in the POC are clocking long hours, as in any emergency scenario. But SA Police members have a knack of standing up and being counted when it matters.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that our emergency

practice in responding to bushfires has served us well during this period.

“You need only consider where South Australia sits on both the national and world stage to feel pride in the achievements of SAPOL and SA Health thus far.

“It’s satisfying to know that I played a role in our initial response, helping to navigate through uncertain waters.

“I’m enormously proud of the team that supported

WATCH VIDEO 2

me in the POC during that time,” says Superintendent Yeomans. 

A glimpse inside the busy POC, as personnel keep a watchful eye on COVID-19 bulletins, along with CCTV of the designated medi-hotels. Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section

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Newly appointed Assistant Commissioner Craig Patterson in Adelaide CBD. Photo: Stephanie Johnson

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

ONE-ON-ONE WITH SAPOL’S COVID-19 COMMANDER WATCH VIDEO 3

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It’s been a noteworthy year for Assistant Commissioner Craig Patterson APM. In June he was awarded with an Australian Police Medal during the Queen’s Birthday Honours, acknowledging his exemplary service to South Australia.

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ow he’s stepped up to an Executive appointment as Assistant Commissioner of COVID-19 Operations Command.

The newly created position reflects SAPOL’s ongoing strategic commitment to the COVID-19 response, handing Assistant Commissioner Patterson ultimate responsibility for enforcing community compliance with Commissioner Stevens’ restrictions.

“I love a challenge,” says Assistant Commissioner Patterson. “With respect to COVID-19, there’s always a problem to be solved.

“I’m always saying, ‘When I get a quiet week, I’ll do this or that’. There hasn’t been a quiet week yet. We’re in a completely different environment than what we’re used to.”

Promoted to the rank of Officer in 2004, Assistant Commissioner Patterson is among SAPOL’s most experienced and widely recognised detectives.

As Detective Sergeant at Major Crime Investigation Branch, Assistant Commissioner Patterson led the investigation into Australia’s most infamous and complex serial killings.

His painstaking inquiries into the 1992 disappearance and subsequent murder of 22-year-old Clinton Tresize, began to unravel the depraved deeds of killers John Bunting,

Robert Wagner and James Vlassakis, eventually leading to the grisly discovery of eight victims’ remains at Snowtown on 20 May 1999.

In the intervening decades, Assistant Commissioner Patterson has distinguished himself in a range of managerial roles across South Australia Police, as Officer in Charge of Traffic, Ethical and Professional Standards Branch and Serious and Organised Crime Branch. Since 2017 he’s also coordinated SAPOL’s response to the persistent threat of terrorism.

“Throughout my career I’ve been involved in some very significant investigations, moving through Crime and Counter Terrorism. In a sense, this is no different.

But, it’s a lot more complex.”

Assistant Commissioner Patterson says SAPOL is focused on ensuring that complacency does not creep into the South Australian community.

“That’s our biggest fear.

To sustain our efforts for the long haul we need to keep people engaged and alert to the threat.

“We need to ensure they’re aware of the current restrictions and continuing to follow SA Health advice with regard to sanitizing, cleaning their hands and social distancing.

“Because we’ve seen what can happen, and happen quickly, if people do become complacent. We need only look to the recent cluster at Thebarton to see how quickly it can spread. It can change very quickly.

“We’ve been very successful so far because we’ve brought the community on board.

We haven’t been heavy handed. The minority we’ve come down hard on, and cautioned or issued with expiations, have been blatant disregarders,” says Assistant Commissioner Patterson.

Assistant Commissioner Patterson is uniquely qualified to speak on the topic of industry compliance with COVID-19 Directions, having

previously served as Officer in Charge of SAPOL’s Licensing Enforcement Branch (LEB).

“Currently, the entirety of LEB, supported by additional officers, 36 in total, are tasked to the Bronze Patrols, enforcing compliance in the business sector.

“They already have the skill set. Those members are closely linked in with Consumer and Business Services, and deal with the industry in the course of their normal business.

“Initially, they’ll educate and speak to venue owners.

Certainly we’ve found that the majority of licensed venues are compliant. Most have Responsible Persons already.

They know what’s expected of them and this is simply an extra requirement they need to comply with.

“Where we’ve found venues to be non-compliant or operating without a COVID Safe Plan, we’ve shut them down. Since we’ve taken that harder stance, in the past few weeks, we’ve shut down 57 businesses as of mid August.

“The overwhelming majority are doing a really good job.

I’ve seen it firsthand. They’re doing the social distancing and ensuring they’re under capacity.

“We’re just beginning to roll out the COVID Marshal system. In the case of a smaller venue like a café, an employee can fulfill that role. But venues for over 200 people, including larger shopping centres, will need a dedicated Marshal.

“They’ll be tasked with ensuring that every person visiting the venue is doing the right thing. We’re asking business operators to take on that responsibility and help to keep the virus at bay.

At the end of the day, the police can’t be everywhere,” says Assistant Commissioner Patterson.

“We’ve also changed our model at the Adelaide Airport in recent days. We’ve engaged and trained 33 civilians – predominantly flight attendants from the aviation industry. They’re now working

side by side with uniformed SAPOL members to meet and process all the incoming passengers.

“It’s going to enable us to bring in more civilians when the aviation sector comes back online. It’s also releasing some of our sworn members to return to operational roles.

“We’ll always have supervisors and a number of operational officers on the border. They bring an authority and the appropriate training to respond in volatile situations, should the need arise. But the civilian model has proven to be very successful.

“We’ll be living with border controls for at least 12 months – possibly longer.

From a SAPOL perspective, we cannot sustain all these resources alone. So we need to explore how we can improve our systems moving forward,” says Assistant Commissioner Patterson.

“We have over 120 people down on the Victorian border and 89 ADF members deployed in support. Who would have imagined that we’d be working side by side with the ADF? Historically speaking, that support has been quite difficult to obtain.

It’s relatively easier now,” says Assistant Commissioner Patterson.

“We’ve managed to shift our workforce into an entirely new dimension. I don’t think too many officers would have imagined, joining SAPOL when they did, that they’d be out on the South Australian border wearing a mask and gloves.

“Their efforts in this difficult and often tedious area have not gone unnoticed. They are appreciated.

“It’s vital that we keep ahead of the game and continue supporting all South Australians to gain a deeper understanding of how and why their lifestyles and responsibilities have changed, and will continue to change for the foreseeable future,” ends Assistant Commissioner Patterson. 

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PULLING

IN THE SAME DIRECTION

Chief Inspector Adam Rice and Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford outside Police Headquarters on Angas Street. Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section

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Reflecting in September on the early days and weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford searches for a single descriptive word – “chaotic.”

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he National Cabinet would meet, often into the night, and we’d then receive a phone call advising us of what had been announced,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

“Following those National Cabinet meetings we would consult with SA Health, and of course, the State Coordinator, to decide on our position.

Then we’d craft a Direction that we felt was proportionate to the risk here in South Australia.

“We moved very quickly.

In the space of one evening, we wrote something like six Directions introducing a significant number of internal restrictions, as well as border controls,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

In his role as State Controller Police under the State Emergency Management Plan, Assistant Commissioner Noel Bamford serves as SAPOL’s direct liaison with Dr Chris McGowan, Chief Executive of SA Health, as well as the state’s Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier.

He’s supported in this function by Chief Inspector Adam Rice, who coordinates the various individuals and agencies that have input into the Directions.

Chief Inspector Rice meets daily with Professor Spurrier or her deputies, as well as consulting with the Crown Solicitor and Office of Parliamentary Counsel to

draft the Directions.

“Effectively, these Directions are changes to legislation. We are drafting legislation within hours, that would ordinarily take weeks, months and possibly years to write,” says Chief Inspector Rice.

“Dealing across Government is always a complex undertaking. It’s typically quite slow. When you’re dealing with multiple large agencies, nothing happens quickly.

“The speed at which COVID-19 has moved, and the speed of the decision making across Government, has been unlike anything I’ve seen before,” remarks Chief Inspector Rice.

“We were very much burning the candle at both ends in those early weeks,” agrees Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

He believes this vigorous early effort stood South Australia in good stead to contain the disease.

“SA Health speak about COVID-19 in terms of ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ movement. Macro movement is about people entering South Australia or moving around within the state. Micro movement is about close contact between individuals and physical distancing.

“They’re both significant factors in spreading the disease. So our Directions addressed both,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

As State Controller Police, Assistant Commissioner Bamford is also tasked with advising the State Coordinator on appropriate measures and strategies to manage the ongoing crisis.

“Essentially, I’m doing much of the legwork to keep Commissioner Stevens informed of how SAPOL is responding to the pandemic, and how the state is travelling more broadly - with one eye to whatever is on the horizon.

“As the Control Agency for COVID-19, SA Health is

responsible for bringing the virus under control.

“In the beginning, we ensured a whole of government approach was taken to support SA Health to build capacity into the public health system. Not only in the areas of COVID tests and effective contact tracing, but also ensuring there were sufficient hospital beds, respirators and equipment ready to go.

“We support their activities, reaching into other agencies to enlist additional help as required. In addition, the State Coordinator makes Directions under the Emergency Management Act aimed to control the spread of the disease.

“Once we reach an accord with SA Health, taking on board the advice of Professor Spurrier, Chief Inspector Rice goes to work drafting the Directions.

According to Assistant Commissioner Bamford, Chief Inspector Rice has been pivotal in ensuring the right people are consulted and those Directions have rolled out smoothly.

“Whenever a problem has arisen, it’s been Adam’s phone that has rung in the middle of the night.

He’s been the one to find a creative solution and resolve the issue,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

“Another factor that has proven central to our success is that the South Australian community came along with us. It was a conscious, deliberate strategy, shared by both SA Health and the State Coordinator.

“We chose to focus on education and community compliance, rather than enforcement. In doing so, we earned a huge amount of cooperation and goodwill,” he says.

The 2020 Easter weekend fell at a critical juncture in South Australia’s battle to flatten the COVID curve.

Assistant Commissioner Bamford reveals that, prior to

that weekend, SA Health and SAPOL agonised over whether to issue blanket stay-at-home orders, or force the temporary closure of caravan parks.

Ultimately, Commissioner Stevens stood alongside Professor Spurrier and strongly advised that community members stay home.

“The public themselves took up the banner and played their part. A number of rural caravan parks refused bookings,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

In early June, as multiple jurisdictions scrambled to challenge the legality of planned Black Lives Matter rallies, Commissioner Stevens granted an exemption for the mass gathering to proceed in Victoria Square.

“The organisers played their part, encouraging everyone to keep a safe distance. The rally was respectful and came off without a hitch,” says Assistant Commissioner Bamford.

“We’ve made all of those decisions very consciously. We are lifting restrictions as soon as we are able, to allow the community to live as normal a life as possible.

Assistant Commissioner Bamford explains the COVID Marshals represent a longerterm strategy to assist with the enforcement of physical distancing. They’re measures designed to minimise the risk and slow the spread, should COVID-19 get back into South Australia.

“We are trying to be agile so we can respond quickly in case of a real threat or vulnerability, but not to overreact. It’s a very fine line.

“The community trust we’ve enjoyed, and the willingness of South Australians to go along with what we’ve asked of them, is predicated on our doing everything as close to perfectly as possible,” concludes Assistant Commissioner Bamford. 

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Senior Constable First Class Donna Farr of Eastern District Volume Crime checks a truck driver’s details at the Glenelg River Road checkpoint in Donovans.

Photo: Australian Defence Force

A CHALLENGE

STRETCHING BEYOND BORDERS

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Speaking on 24 March, Commissioner be deployed to designated checkpoints on a 24/7 basis, for the foreseeable future.

On 24 March, Commissioner Stevens as the State Coordinator signed into effect the first Cross Border Travel Direction relating to COVID-19, ordering individuals entering South Australia to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days, excepting prescribed Essential Travellers.

WATCH VIDEO 4

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his preliminary Direction saw vehicles entering or re-entering South Australia via nine heavily-utilised roads waved down, and asked to provide their personal particulars. Non-Essential Travellers were duly issued with notifications, advising them of their obligation to travel without delay to a nominated address, and immediately self-isolate.

The Declaration’s intention, according to

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, was to target the volume of traffic entering South Australia, rather than stopping every single vehicle crossing the expansive border.

Speaking on 24 March, Commissioner Stevens declared that SAPOL officers would be deployed to designated checkpoints on a 24/7 basis, for the foreseeable future.

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with respect to our policing response to COVID-19 has been done by Local Service Areas. It’s been very reassuring to come here and to see firsthand what a great job they’ve done.

A heavy vehicle driver is stopped at the Bordertown checkpoint.

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WATCH VIDEO 5

The Cross Border Travel Direction has subsequently undergone multiple significant revisions. Police officers have been deployed to 21 separate sites, complemented by SA Health and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel.

Inspector Michael Walsh has recently arrived in Mount Gambier to serve as Forward Commander on the Limestone Coast.

The District Duty Inspector based at Eastern Adelaide was previously posted to a COVID Compliance role in the Police Operations Centre (POC).

“There’d been conversations about beginning to scale down, because demand on the POC

was lightening off.

“In mid-June it was beginning to look like the borders would reopen. Then within a week, everything flipped 180 degrees.”

On 6 July Victoria reported a record daily increase of 127 new COVID-19 cases. Within days, the ADF, at the invitation of the Commissioner, deployed 60 men and women to the South Australian border, stretching from Berri to Mount Gambier in support of our border operations.

“The deployment of the ADF coupled with an increase in the number of checkpoints was beginning to stretch the capacity of the Senior Sergeants here in Mount Gambier,” Inspector Walsh explains.

“So I was sent here to coordinate our response on the Limestone Coast. It’s my role to ensure there’s consistency across the entire border.

“A lot of the heavy lifting, with respect to our policing response to COVID-19 has been done by Local Service Areas. It’s been very reassuring to come here and to see firsthand what a great job they’ve done.”

The Mount Gambier checkpoint, located 15 minutes’ drive from the city,

is a pop-up pavilion of sorts.

A modest fire burns day and night between two folding chairs. There is no phone reception or internet signal.

By the midway point of an uneventful 12-hour night shift, the temperature has dipped to a chilly 6°.

“I’ve been deployed to this site since the very first shift,” says Senior Constable Stephanie Cooper, a general duties member from Mount Gambier.

She gestures to the rudimentary shelter overhead.

“In the beginning, none of this was here. I really can’t complain. The conditions have improved a great deal.”

Inspector Walsh agrees.

“In the early days of the Cross Border restrictions, those nine sites were more or less fending for themselves.”

“Now we’re offering longer shifts and have transportable offices at each of the 21 sites. They’ve all got lighting, generators and Mobile Desktop Tablets (MDTs). We’re working hard to ensure those sites are comfortable.

“We’ve been able to obtain some extra aerials and we’ll be sending those to sites with the greatest need. I’m hopeful that every site will have good coverage in the near future.

“Logistically speaking, every site is unique. One

of our bigger challenges is transporting adequate firewood to each of the checkpoints, because it’s getting so cold at night,” says Inspector Walsh.

Confronted with the practically impossible task of patrolling countless potential crossing points, SAPOL has also deployed six roving patrols in the Limestone Coast region.

“There’s capacity for those roving patrols to swap in and out with static staff. Each roving patrol is supporting a cluster of static sites, doing equipment runs and so on.

“We’ve also been able to utilise ADF members as codrivers. They don’t drive the vehicles, but they’re certainly helping us to manage fatigue,” says Inspector Walsh.

While it’s doubtless warmer in the car than in the roadside shelters, the roving patrols encounter their share of challenges, driving rural roads in pitch darkness.

“There’s a lot of water over roads and mobs of 20 kangaroos around. The driving conditions are quite hazardous.”

Inspector Walsh has done his share of country driving.

He spent 20 years in the country and served as Officer in Charge at Port Lincoln for eight years.

ABOVE: Inspector Michael Walsh, Forward Commander for SAPOL’s border operation on the Limestone Coast.

BELOW: Border Site #41, located outside Hynam on the Wimmera Highway. Photos: Stephanie Johnson

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Mount Gambier General Duties member Senior Constable Stephanie Cooper at the Mount Gambier checkpoint.

Photo: Stephanie Johnson

“I jumped at the chance to come out here,” he smiles.

“I just miss this type of policing.”

For each four-day rotation, 65 sworn personnel are required to staff static and roving patrols.

“In some respects, it’s like starting fresh each time,” says Inspector Walsh.

“It’s been great to have the ADF come and join us. They’re coming in pretty positive and have been able to inject their

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own strategies and methods to assist us.”

According to Inspector Walsh, drivers entering South Australia via the 21 checkpoints have been overwhelmingly compliant with Directions.

“The vast majority of people are trying to do the right thing,” he says.

“Very few are trying it on, attempting to cross the border via backroads and so on.

“Certainly, you can see

the fear in people’s faces, approaching the checkpoints thinking ‘Am I going to get through?’

“These people are not the enemy. The virus is the enemy. We’re working with them as best we can.”

There’s a long road ahead for Inspector Walsh and for the checkpoint staff.

A six-member Transition Committee, including Police Commissioner Stevens, has been appointed to consider

the lifting of restrictions, in a coordinated effort to restore the state’s way of life and economy to something resembling normal.

That committee will need to see a marked reduction in community transmission of COVID-19 before the Cross Border Direction can be relaxed.

The current extent of community transmission in Victoria is such that ‘Stay at Home’ restrictions now apply to more than 3.5 million residents.

Members at the Mount Gambier checkpoint jest that they’ll be stringing fairy lights to the region’s ubiquitous Radiata pines come Christmas time.

“We’ve got no way of knowing how long this will stretch on for,” says Inspector Walsh. “But I’m quite willing to see it through to the end.” 

Brevet Sergeant Matthew Jose of Hindley Street Depot speaks with a driver on a rainy evening at the Donovans checkpoint. Photo: Australian Defence Force

SA Health personnel process cheek swabs at the Bordertown checkpoint.

Photo: Stephanie Johnson

Drivers entering South Australia via the 21 checkpoints have been overwhelmingly compliant with Directions. The vast majority of people are trying to do the right thing.

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The majority of people have been so understanding and so appreciative of what we’re doing.

FROM MOTORCYCLE DUTIES

TO BORDER WATCH

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BELOW: Sergeant Silvano Dovi on border duties.

This morning, Sergeant Silvano Dovi has scarcely had a moment to catch his breath.

Provisionally stationed in a draughty ‘Driver Reviver’ style shed at the edge of the Dukes Highway, 20 kilometres outside Bordertown, the Motorcycle Supervisor from State Traffic Enforcement Branch has already phoned SAPOL’s COVID Compliance Hotline no fewer than five times.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Sergeant Silvano Dovi in his day-to-day role as Motorcycle Supervisor at State Traffic Enforcement Branch. Photo: SAPOL CSIs

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his is my fourth deployment to Bordertown,” says Sergeant Dovi. “Prior to today, I’ve only called that number once or twice before.”

He is speaking in the context of an escalating crisis, unfolding five hours’ drive away, in Greater Melbourne.

As community transmission of COVID-19 soars in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, South Australia’s borders have been locked down to all but preapproved Essential Travellers entering via Victoria.

“It’s certainly becoming more complex,” says Sergeant Dovi. “The Directions are continually evolving, and it can be difficult when those Directions don’t neatly fit the scenarios we’re seeing.

“It takes a bit of work, and a bit of critical thinking, to drill in to people’s individual stories.”

State Traffic Enforcement Branch has been impacted by the ongoing requirement for sworn personnel at the border.

“There’s a team of 11 motorcycle officers at Holden Hill, including myself. Just the other day, I had one other person. The rest were either leaving for the border or coming back.”

“But that’s not unique to us,” explains Sergeant Dovi.

“I’ve had to say to my guys, ‘It’s here. We need to jump on board, and do our bit’. At the end of the day, that’s what we do. We’re here to help people. I give full credit to the team, who’ve embraced the change.”

By lunchtime, Sergeant Dovi has rerouted two drivers without the appropriate documents back into Victoria.

A distinctive gold-coloured sedan with no number plates

has been turned around twice and has returned for a third try.

But according to Sergeant Dovi, the general level of compliance has been very good.

“The majority of people have been so understanding and so appreciative of what we’re doing,” he says. “They understand why we’re here.”

“On the flipside, we’ve encountered the odd person who’s trying to do the wrong thing. And you have to explain that unless they’ve got an application to come in, they’re not coming in.”

Gesturing to the luckless sedan driver, Sergeant Dovi explains, “He’s attended here without applying online. That

Direction has been in place for a while now.

“The majority of people, you take at face value,” he says.

“Most are honest.

“The cross border people, in particular, have been fantastic. We’ve had a local bring us firewood. This time ‘round, and on the previous three occasions when I haven’t been here, they’ve even delivered food out here.

You can’t speak highly enough of the country people.”

“We’ve come to accept that we’ll be here for a long time to come. You’ve just got to embrace it and get on with the job.” 

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SNIFFING OUT BORDER EVADERS I’ve been deployed here to be seen and to send a message.

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Senior Constable First Class Josh Bourne and PADD Dog Pluto conduct heavy vehicle screening at Bordertown.

Photos: Stephanie Johnson

A queue is beginning to form at the Bordertown checkpoint. Heavy vehicles carrying fuel, feed and a truckload of live pigs idle patiently, as Senior Constable Josh Bourne and his Passive Alert Drug Detection (PADD) Dog Pluto leap to action. The pair works quickly, to prevent the queue from snaking onto nearby Dukes Highway.

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hile the drivers and their freight are permitted entry to South Australia under Essential Traveller provisions, members are taking no chances. Following the unlikely discovery and subsequent arrests of four stowaways attempting to evade detection in a Perthbound freight carriage, Dog Operations Unit has been sent to the Victorian border to screen incoming vehicles.

“I’ve been deployed here to be seen, and to send a message,” explains Senior Constable Bourne, rewarding Pluto with a handful of biscuits.

“We’re hoping to minimise the number of people trying to enter South Australia without an application.

“Every single driver I’ve spoken to has been more than happy for me to look inside their cabs, to confirm that they’re the sole occupant of

the truck. They’re not trying to hide; they’re just going about their jobs,” says Senior Constable Bourne.

Today’s tasking to Bordertown marks Senior Constable Bourne’s third 12-hour shift at the Victorian border, following shifts at Renmark and Pinnaroo.

“I’m only the first Dog Operations handler to be deployed here, but I’d guess we’ll be here for a while yet,” says Senior Constable Bourne.

The cancellation or postponement of mass gatherings, including festivals and large-scale community events, has seen a number of Dog Operations’ handlers seconded to perform other duties, including COVID-19 compliance checks.

“There’s been an impact on our regular activities because of the closure of licensed premises. But we’re still

getting called out to house searches, car searches and freight searches, so in that sense, our day-to-day job hasn’t changed,” says Senior Constable Bourne.

Senior Constable Bourne is no stranger to country South Australia, having worked in Port Lincoln prior to his tenure at Dog Ops. Speaking of his family, he recalls, “We spent six years in Port Lincoln and it was perfect for us. Ultimately, we moved back to Adelaide after the birth of our second child, to be closer to family.”

Of his four-legged colleague, Senior Constable Bourne says, “Pluto came to us from Border Force and I trained him from the word ‘go’. He’s great at home with the kids and fantastic to work with. I wouldn’t want to change him for anything.” 

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GRADUATING TO THE FRONTLINE Within a matter of months, COVID-19 has fundamentally reshaped the processes, procedures and everyday behaviour of almost every employee within SAPOL.

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o living SAPOL officer has previously had to consider that simply standing in close proximity to others, or breathing in an enclosed space, could spread a highly efficient and potentially lethal pathogen.

While a great many have been forced to adopt new, novel ways of working, recent graduates of the Police Academy have never known different, joining the frontline at a singular moment in the state’s history.

Among their number is Probationary Constable Emma Berry. The former Flinders University student graduated from the Police Academy on 27 May. “I previously studied Law and really enjoyed learning about the legal system.

Policing seemed like the perfect fit for me,” says

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Probationary Constable Berry.

“I knew I wanted to be involved in the community, and needed a role that would challenge me. I’ve always aspired to a career where each day is different from the last.”

The 24 graduates of Course 41 completed an accelerated nine-month cadet course, due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

“We were originally scheduled to graduate on 11 June. That date was brought forward because of an urgent need for more officers on the frontline,” says Probationary Constable Berry.

“COVID-19 hit just before our planned out-phase or in-field training. Instead of the traditional out-phase, we underwent a fortnight’s training strictly focused on fishbowl-type scenarios inside the Academy, using our instructors as role-players.

“I found it very helpful.

It gave us exposure to responding to taskings and investigating offenders.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on non-essential gatherings, Probationary Constable Berry and her fellow graduates did not enjoy the traditional fanfare of a public ceremony in front of friends and family members.

“We’d all looked forward to celebrating that day with

the people we love, so it was disappointing that they couldn’t be present.

“Our graduation was certainly different to the ones we’d seen before. We weren’t able to march out onto the Parade ground with the Band or horses,” says Probationary Constable Berry.

“Instead, our graduation took place indoors, with only our course and Academy staff present.”

To the cadets’ surprise and delight, course mentors included photographs of the graduates’ proud families in a slideshow presentation, and hosted a special breakfast for the graduating class.

“We’ve since received a video copy of our graduation, so that our family and friends are able to watch it back with us.”

Probationary Constable Berry, who’s long been drawn to country policing, settled on Mount Gambier as her preferred posting after extensive research.

“I could not be happier with my decision to move here,” she reports. “Everyone at Mount Gambier Police Station has been so supportive and welcoming, which has made the move so much easier.

“I’ve been able to work in a number of nearby towns, including Robe and Port MacDonnell, as well as staffing the border checkpoints.”

Probationary Constable Berry has been working at the border since her very first week in the Limestone Coast.

“It’s been very rewarding to work alongside the ADF and SA Health. There’s a large contingent of Victorian residents who rely on our town for education and work.

“We’ve enjoyed great support from the local community. Everyone has been so understanding and supportive of the border restrictions.”

While Probationary Constable Berry understands that she’ll be undertaking COVID duties for some time to come, she’s looking ahead to the future.

“I’m focused on working as a general duties patrol member, but eventually, I’d like to pursue a path in Prosecution or the Family Violence Investigation Section,” says Probationary Constable Berry. 

Our graduation was certainly different to the ones we’d seen before.

THIS PAGE AND ABOVE LEFT: Probationary Constable Emma Berry on border duties at Mount Gambier alongside Sergeant Jade Hill.

Photos: Stephanie Johnson LEFT: Probationary Constable Berry is sworn in as a South Australia Police officer on 27 May. Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section

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Community Constable Ebani Frankel of Sturt Police Station enjoys a cup of coffee brought by local Mount Gambier residents Maria, Lynn and Lynn at the Glenelg Highway border checkpoint in Myora. Photo: Australian Defence Force

ALL IN THIS

TOGETHER Brevet Sergeant Pete Tellam with Naracoorte CFS Captain John Pallant.

RIGHT: Ambulance officers from Naracoorte deliver coffees and smiles to Brevet Sergeant Tellam and Constable Tim Peacock at the Hynam checkpoint.

Photos: Brevet Sergeant Pete Tellam

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WATCH VIDEO 6

On an improbably green, picturesque stretch of the Wimmera Highway, encircled by grazing livestock and gumtrees, sits Border Site #41. It’s about 18 minutes’ drive from nearby Naracoorte, situated halfway between Hynam, South Australia and Apsley, Victoria.

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o date, Brevet Sergeant Pete Tellam of Road Policing Section, who is ordinarily based at Sturt Police Station, has been deployed to Site #41 on four occasions.

He’s grown accustomed to both the locale and the locals, who’ve graciously opened their arms to SAPOL personnel stationed at the Victorian border.

“There’s an endless supply of names. From the very beginning, Naracoorte and Hynam residents have gone over and above to make our stay more liveable.”

He singles out Hynam CFS Captain John Pallant, 72, and his wife Sonia, for

special mention.

“They’re a lovely couple who’ve done so much to look after the coppers at Hynam,” says Brevet Sergeant Tellam.

“When I first arrived, I didn’t have the slightest clue what to expect. I sort of fell into it.

“Thankfully, John was able to give me the lay of the land. He explained where everything was, and how everything worked.

“He’d sit with us beside the fire over a coffee and pick out the oncoming trucks by their lights and colour schemes.

He could tell us who was local to the region and who wasn’t.

That kind of input was so helpful to us.

“John’s just given everything of himself. He provides so much firewood; he’s blunting his chainsaw once a week. He receives no remuneration and expects nothing for it. He’s truly a phenomenal chap,” says Brevet Sergeant Tellam.

“Meanwhile, Sonia’s quite happily cooked us up a roast chicken and vegetables.

They’ve brought me a roast dinner. Who does that? These people do.”

Prior to the recent restrictions on cross border community members, Brevet Sergeant Tellam says residents from the Victorian townships of Apsley and Edenhope would also drop in on Site #41 to deliver scones and cakes.

“Really, it’s the same story on either side of the fence.

The Victorians based just over the border are a part of these communities. They’ve thanked us for risking our own health and told us how much they appreciate what we are doing.”

Everyday heroes can and do emerge in the unlikeliest of places. During an especially chilly stint at the isolated Renmark/Wentworth checkpoint, Brevet Sergeant Tellam and his partner were touched by the unexpected generosity of a passing truck driver.

“It’s a dirt track in the middle of nowhere. There’s absolutely nothing there, save for a transportable office and a generator that could probably power Adelaide.

“We were continuously foraging for firewood to keep the fire going. The conditions were really challenging.

“This hulking Goliath of a bloke, who must’ve been 6’5”, rolled up on us. He asked whether we needed anything and whether we had enough firewood. We had a bit of a chinwag and he wandered off.

“When he returned, he’d not only brought us firewood.

He’d brought us this brilliant homemade fire kit, which he’d

gone off and made for us.

It was just amazing.”

“I’ve even befriended a pair of ambulance officers in Naracoorte. They’re absolutely cracking people.

If ever they have a chance, in the course of their shift, they’ll drop by to check that we’re okay and to bring us a coffee.

“Whatever they’ve given us, they’ve reached into their own pockets to pay for, or made themselves,” says Brevet Sergeant Tellam.

Celebrating his recent birthday whilst on deployment at Naracoorte, Brevet Sergeant Tellam says he was astonished when a handful of locals delivered a homebaked birthday cake to the checkpoint.

“I’ve been a copper for 30 years. I’ve never experienced anything quite like the outpouring of love and support we’ve received.

“If you’re looking for the good amidst an absolutely awful situation, it’s been the wonderful people we’ve met, who are so invested in us.

“They have welcomed us into their communities so gratefully and with such a heart-warming concern for our wellbeing. Honestly, it blows you away,” he concludes. 

Brevet Sergeant Pete Tellam and Sergeant Andy Luke at the Victorian border. Photos: Brevet Sergeant Pete Tellam

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A little thanks goes a long way A

simple and heartfelt expression of gratitude, emerging from a Salisbury East classroom, has touched SAPOL officers from Adelaide to Andamooka, in the state’s Far North.

In early July, a group of Year 1 students at Tyndale Christian College gifted SAPOL with a bundle of lovingly decorated, mosaicstyle ‘Thank You’ cards. The cheerful cards, containing a handwritten greeting, thank SAPOL members for everything they are doing to keep the community safe.

Students prayed over the cards and for the hardworking officers who would receive them.

In turn, Tyndale parent Sergeant Ryan Nicholls of Human Resource

Development Branch happily sent the cards onto members working in regional South Australia.

He’s since received photographs from grateful recipients in a range of Local Service Areas and sections, including Mounted Operations Unit and Dog Operations Unit, posing with the colourful cards.

“It’s a timely reminder that many people in the community are grateful for the things that we do. Many of us get busy at work and tend to forget that,” says Sergeant Nicholls. 

Mounted Operations member Senior Constable First Class Sonia Wellings at Thebarton Barracks.

Photos: SAPOL

Roxby Downs General Duties Supervisor Sergeant Tristan Fantinel poses with a card at the Andamooka Opal Fields.

INSET: Constable Peter Kalkanas and Brevet Sergeant Alex Chuykrom at Ceduna

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Students from Frances Primary School make the most of their opportunity to sit inside a police vehicle.

School’s in session at the border W

hile SAPOL’s Community Engagement Section has necessarily cancelled or curtailed traditional school visits due to COVID-19 restrictions, one tiny country school comprising just 29

enrolled students has instead come to visit SAPOL. On Friday, 31 July, students from Frances Primary School stopped in on Senior Sergeant Neil Hodgson and Sergeant Andrew Skein during their

deployment to the Victorian border, walking to the static checkpoint in isolated Frances.

Students enjoyed a presentation about the role of SAPOL and were especially

delighted to try their hand at activating the lights and sirens of a SAPOL vehicle, returning to school with a ‘showbag’ of fun items. 

Senior Sergeant First Class Neil Hodgson educates Frances Primary School students about the role of SAPOL in the community. Photos: SAPOL Community Engagement Section

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OPERATION

COVID-19 ASSIST IN DEFENCE OF OUR STATE’S BORDERS

Gunner Lachlan Wybrow (left) and Gunner Jarret Hallahan (right) of 16 Regiment Royal Australian Artillery with Constable Bret Sellar (centre) at a border checkpoint in Renmark.

Photo: Australian Defence Force

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I’ve heard from a number of ADF personnel that they’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to see and understand what it is we do on a daily basis.

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Brevet Sergeant Paul Zuromski pictured on Kangaroo Island on Australia Day, during Operation Bushfire Assist.

Brevet Sergeant Paul Zuromski has learned from bitter experience that life does not always unfold according to a plan.

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n September 2011, the highly active Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reservist and father of two young children was employed on general patrols in Eastern Adelaide and ran a busy diving business outside of hours.

While preparing to deploy to the Solomon Islands, the ordinarily fit and healthy Senior Constable received a crushing diagnosis. Having endured multiple months of exhaustion and muscle loss, he discovered a sizeable lump in his abdomen, only days prior to a pre-deployment appointment with the Army’s Medical Officer.

“I was quickly diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive form of cancer,” recalls Brevet Sergeant Zuromski.

“Doctors removed a 2.5 kg tumour from my abdomen.

I completely bled out during the surgery and went into cardiac arrest. I was lucky to survive. I had to be revived

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with CPR and underwent a number of blood transfusions.

“When I recovered, I returned to Eastern Adelaide.

Afterwards, I moved on to State Tactical Response Group, but I found that I was too tired because of recurring issues resulting from the cancer,” says Brevet Sergeant Zuromski.

“Consequently, I began working at the Academy on permanent day shift, as a Course Mentor. That’s where I had the chance to use a lot of my military skills, teaching drill and instructing lessons.”

Brevet Sergeant Zuromski first enlisted as an Army Reservist during his own training at the Academy, as a police cadet.

“I and a couple of fellow cadets all signed up. Joining the ADF was something I’d always wanted to do, even as a little kid,” says Brevet Sergeant Zuromski.

While based at Port Lincoln in 2003, Brevet Sergeant Zuromski began parading as a truck driver in the Royal Australian Corps of Transport.

“Later, when I returned from Yalata, I transferred into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. Today, I am acting in the role of Platoon Sergeant for 2 Platoon, Alpha Company 10-27, Royal South Australian Regiment.”

To date, Brevet Sergeant Zuromski has completed three stints on the Victorian border, with a fourth scheduled in the coming weeks. It’s clear that years of Defence Force training and operational experience have prepared him well to thrive in the remote, ofteninhospitable conditions.

“From my personal perspective, the operations with SAPOL have not been the least bit uncomfortable.

Working extended hours is nothing compared with the Army. We get to go home and enjoy excellent conditions.

“I’ve heard from a number of ADF personnel that they’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to see and understand what it is we do on a daily basis.

“That’s especially true of those on roving patrols, down in the South East.

“They’re listening to SAPOL’s radio channels for the first time and they’re astounded by the volume and kinds of activities that happen every day.

“Really, it’s opening their eyes as to what police actually do. Many are so excited; they’re hoping to pursue careers with SAPOL,” says Brevet Sergeant Zuromski.

At the time of writing, 95 ADF members are supporting SAPOL at border control checkpoints. A further seven are currently providing logistical support to SA Health. Approximately 3,476

Brevet Sergeant Zuromski with fellow A Company 10-27 RSAR 2 Platoon soldier Sergeant Braedon Baulch during Operation COVID-19 Assist. Photos: Brevet Sergeant Paul Zuromski

LEFT: Superintendent Scott Denny, COVID-19 Border Commander (left) and Major Richard Moyses, JOSS-SA Liaison, conduct strategic planning during Operation COVID-19 Assist at Police Headquarters.

Photo: Australian Defence Force

ADF personnel have been deployed around Australia in support of ‘Operation COVID-19 Assist’.

“I think for the ADF, it’s an enormous commitment,” says Brevet Sergeant Zuromski.

“They’re accustomed to supporting the nation, whether that be locally or abroad. A significant number, including Reservists, have just returned from operations overseas.

“Several members from my Battalion have recently returned from Afghanistan.

A number were also involved with Operation Bushfire Assist.”

During Operation Bushfire Assist, soldiers from the Army’s 9th Brigade were temporarily stationed on both Kangaroo Island and in the Adelaide Hills, in support of those communities worst affected by the deadly January blazes.

“The ADF enjoyed great support from the public during Bushfire Assist.

The degree of positivity in the community was just fantastic. I think everyone’s been incredibly supportive of Defence working side by side with SAPOL. “I’m sure the public hope to see that relationship continue into the future,” concludes Brevet Sergeant Zuromski. 

ABOVE: Sergeant Cassie Hartley during a meeting with Australian Army personnel at Police Headquarters. Photo: Australian Defence Force Brevet Sergeant Zuromski preparing to dock RHIB HMAS Glenelg in the Cocos Keeling Islands, 2750 kms northwest of Perth. Photos: Brevet Sergeant Paul Zuromski

Brevet Sergeant Zuromski on patrol.

Brevet Sergeant Zuromski attending National Police Remembrance Day at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

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THE GATEKEEPERS: HOLDING THE LINE AT ADELAIDE AIRPORT 30

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Since the onset of COVID-19, an estimated 52,000 visitors and returning South Australians have streamed into SA via Adelaide Airport.

Constable Sophie Matthews of Southern District Public Transport Policing and Constable Dinesh Sharma of Eastern District Public Transport Policing process incoming arrivals at Adelaide Airport. Photo: Stephanie Johnson

There’s never been a shortage of reasons to visit South Australia. Boasting a bounty of natural, cultural and culinary treasures, the self-styled ‘Festival State’ has multitudes to offer travellers.

WATCH VIDEO 7

S

ince the onset of COVID-19, an estimated 52,000 visitors and returning South Australians have streamed into SA via Adelaide Airport. Their highly individual reasons for entering the state have never come under closer scrutiny.

Officer in Charge of STAR Group Combined Operations, Inspector Dave Scutchings, is responsible for managing arrivals into every South Australian airport,

including Adelaide Airport.

He says that assessing each traveller’s unique circumstances is among the most difficult aspects of SAPOL’s role at the airport.

“Everybody has a different story,” says Inspector Scutchings. “Each of those 52,000 people has their own reason for coming to South Australia, and of course, each person thinks their reason is as valid as the next.”

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Prior to COVID-19, passengers disembarking via the domestic terminal might’ve seen the expectant faces of waiting friends and relatives. Now, they’re directed into queues for immediate screening by uniformed police officers.

SAPOL’s makeshift airport station, wedged between Gates 20 and 21, is a bustling hive of activity staffed by 28 police officers, their supervisors, Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police (AFP) and SA Health personnel.

Passengers seeking entry to South Australia must have completed a Cross Border Travel Registration, irrespective of where they have travelled from, and must verify their identity, as well as explain the purpose of their visit.

Supported by SAPOL’s Central Assessment Unit (CAU), sworn members then identify whether incoming passengers are classified as an Essential Traveller, whether they are subject to self-quarantine directions, or whether they can travel without restriction, as in the case of passengers arriving from identified Low Transmission zones, being Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Inspector Scutchings explains that the comparatively small number of passengers flying in from Victoria and New South Wales, identified as High Transmission Zones are processed in a different location, and provided with additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to mitigate the ever-present risk of transmission.

“Initially, assessing whether people’s personal circumstances fit the criteria for ‘compassionate grounds’, or determining what qualified as an ‘essential skill’ for this state was very difficult.

“We’re in a situation that none of us has ever seen

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before. Passengers arriving from Victoria – Victorian residents who don’t satisfy the criteria to be here as Essential Travellers - are being escorted to a nominated quarantine hotel by SAPOL. “They’re being lodged, and as quickly as we can, we’re booking them on a return flight to Melbourne. That sort of operational process is unheard of. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

“Yesterday, a family of five arrived. They just wanted to escape Victoria. They’d moved out of their rental and claimed they were coming here to live with family. Unfortunately they didn’t meet the criteria. So they’re required to return to Victoria.”

Inspector Scutchings says the contingent deployed to Adelaide Airport, many of whom come from general duties policing, have faced a steep learning curve.

“Some are detectives or have joined us from Traffic.

They have turned up here having never worked in this kind of environment, or with this kind of legislation.

“They’ve had to learn a great deal in a short space of time. I mean, even down to the correct procedure for putting PPE on and taking it off. If you don’t get it right, you risk being exposed to COVID.” The AFP has jurisdiction over the Adelaide Airport, since it is situated on Commonwealth land.

Australian Border Force personnel also assist in the domestic terminal to ensure passengers’ compliance with

stringent border controls.

“We’ve had to very quickly build relationships with the AFP, Border Force, Adelaide Airport Limited and of course, the airlines, to ensure that as key stakeholders, we’re all working together.

“When our operation first began, we were necessarily imposing ourselves onto the various airlines. There was a degree of angst and uncertainty about why SA Police were coming in, seeking to board their aircraft and take control of their passengers.

“We’ve worked extremely hard and put a great deal of effort into ensuring we engage with the airlines, so that everyone’s on the same page. This has paid dividends. We’ve reached a position where the airlines are working very closely with us to minimise the impact not only on their business but the travelling public. It has been and remains a joint effort.”

About 8 o’clock every Tuesday, between 40 and 150 passengers arrive at the Airport’s international terminal via a Singapore Airlines freighter.

Inspector Scutchings explains that international arrivals are processed within the Customs area, and then escorted through a roped-off ‘hot zone’, extending from the International Arrivals gate all the way outside to a waiting coach.

“No one can enter or leave the designated hot zone without PPE. International passengers have no contact

with members of the public.

They’re simply escorted outside to the buses.

“We’re expecting a small number of repatriation flights or private charter flights in the coming weeks. Those inbound flights are capped at 150 people per flight. At any one time, we’ve got capacity for about 1,200 passengers in quarantine, across four hotels.

“About once a week, we’ve learned of an unannounced international arrival to the domestic terminal. They’re people who’ve arrived in New South Wales or Victoria from overseas, and have been released from quarantine early by the respective health agencies.

“We automatically, and very quickly, treat those passengers like our current international arrivals.

They’re issued with a mask, segregated from other passengers, and escorted to a quarantine hotel.”

Inspector Scutchings likens his role managing SAPOL’s Airport operations to a fastmoving bushfire.

“There’s something different every day. The moment you think you’ve got everything in place, something else will pop up.

That’s been the theme every step of the way.

“Overall, the professionalism shown by SAPOL and our partner agencies in an entirely foreign and new environment has been exceptional.” 

Inspector Adam Cartland at Adelaide’s Pullman Hotel, as staff prepare meals for delivery to quarantined guests. Photo: Stephanie Johnson OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: Uniformed officers process incoming passengers at Adelaide Airport, and RIGHT: Inspector Dave Scutchings PHOTO: SAPOL Photographic Section

HOTEL QUARANTINE

FACILITATES SAFE REUNIONS

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delaide’s lavish Pullman Hotel, nestled in leafy Hindmarsh Square, is currently home to some 400 guests. They come from every walk of life and have travelled from a multitude of different countries.

Irrespective of where they have come from, or how they have arrived in South Australia, they are now subject to the same strict, mandatory process.

They must jointly endure 14 days’ supervised quarantine, entirely confined to their rooms under the attentive guard of SAPOL and private security personnel.

Inspector Adam Cartland, who is ordinarily posted to Internal Investigation Section, manages SAPOL’s ongoing security overlay operations at the Pullman, alongside a further four hotels in metropolitan Adelaide, and one regional site at Mount Gambier.

He’s been seconded to the role since April, with the arrival of the very first COVID-19 repatriation flights.

“As of September, we anticipate four international flights arriving to Adelaide Airport every week, each capped at 60 passengers, in

addition to special charter flights and ADF personnel returning from deployment,” says Inspector Cartland.

“We crosscheck the flight manifest in advance, so we know precisely the number that boarded. In conjunction with our airport operations, passengers are then escorted

by SAPOL to the quarantine hotel. We facilitate their arrival to the site and ensure their whereabouts in the hotel is securely managed.

“At any given time, we know exactly who is in each room.

We sight every guest’s ID on arrival and conduct regular door-to-door compliance checks, dressed in full PPE. “Additionally, we have MSS Security personnel posted on every floor in an observeand-report capacity. They’re instructed to feed back any concerns to SAPOL with respect to guest movement.

The performance of security personnel is routinely audited

by SAPOL, who also monitor hotel CCTV on a 24/7 basis.

“In the initial stages, we were dealing with relatively small numbers and had the opportunity to refine our process, achieving what the Health Minister has called a ‘nation-wide benchmark’.

“Every new site brings added risk and added complexity. But we’re confident that we have arrived at a model that’s robust and scalable.

“The various hotels have been great. They’ve been forced to adapt to a whole new model of service delivery.

“Guests aren’t allowed to leave their rooms. That requires the provision of food and delivery services, supplying all of those creature comforts that we take for granted,” says Inspector Cartland.

Inspector Cartland acknowledges that continual collaboration and engagement between many different stakeholders has been central to the success of South Australia’s quarantine process.

“SAPOL has a long history of working in partnership with other Government agencies, but we’ve thrown hotels, security companies and other external players into the mix.

“Everyone has set aside their egos and come together to effectively get the job done with a single goal in mind.

“Every individual that’s involved, from the security guard to the Probationary

Constable on compliance checks, to the porter delivering the bags, understands the importance of their unique role in the process and the kind of scrutiny we’re under.

“Ultimately, we welcome that scrutiny. I think it mitigates complacency and keeps us focussed on our goal. We have a huge responsibility to maintain the health and safety of our community,” says Inspector Cartland.

“It’s given me pause to reflect on just how fortunate we’ve been, showcasing South Australia’s ability to reunite families and loved ones within a safe, supervised setting.

“It has been tremendously rewarding to be a part of something bigger than myself.

“I sincerely thank all the SAPOL members who have dedicated their time and efforts during hotel quarantine duties. I am incredibly proud of them for the vital role they have played in keeping our community safe,” ends Inspector Cartland. 

WATCH VIDEO 8 VIDEO AVAILABLE SOON BLUEPR INT IS S U E 2 ~ 2 0 20

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> SPE CIAL EDITION CO V ID- 1 9

On 1 July, SAPOL unveiled a new online system for individuals seeking to enter South Australia.

T

he online system was developed within weeks by a dedicated Information Systems and Technology Service team, overseen by Inspector Jake Stubing.

To process the anticipated flurry of Cross Border Travel Registrations, the organisation also resourced an entirely new function,

known as the Central Assessment Unit (CAU), co-located with SAPOL’s Call Centre at Police Headquarters.

Helmed by Detective Chief Inspector Cath Hilliard, the CAU is staffed by an eclectic mix of sworn, non-sworn and external personnel, sourced from recruitment agencies

by Human Resources Management Branch.

Civilian members of Expiation Notice Branch sit shoulder-to-shoulder with temporary staff and musicians from the Band of South Australia Police.

Initially, the team consisted of just 30 members, supported

by a small contingent from Metropolitan Operations based at the Police Academy.

To keep pace with demand, CAU has since expanded to 86 members, bolstered by external staff.

“The unit runs 16 hours per day, 7 days a week,” says Chief Inspector Hilliard. “It’s our role to process the Cross Border Travel Registrations, pre-approving prospective travellers prior to their arrival in South Australia.

“We’re here to ensure consistent decision making so we can provide a fairer and more streamlined service.

“For every application, we step through a range

of different assessments, consistent with the current Cross Border Direction. In some cases, we’re engaging with SA Health, as the control agency. In others, we are speaking directly with applicants or their employers.”

Between 1 July and 31 August, the Central Assessment Unit received an overwhelming 154,200 cross border travel registrations, receiving 9,000 registrations within the first 24 hours.

On average, diligent CAU members process 1,600 applications each and every day.

“Our members have been

Members of the Band of South Australia Police, (left to right) Constable Catherine Scholz, Sergeant Nigel Oaklands, Senior Constable First Class Jaqueline Hatcher and Senior Constable First Class Mark Lawrence are among a number of Band personnel deployed to COVID duties in the Central Assessment Unit.

Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section

Consistency

is key

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WATCH VIDEO 9

trained to make the best decisions they can, instructed by a group of supervisors who support them on a day-to-day basis,” says Chief Inspector Hilliard.

“Naturally, we always have to allow for unforeseen circumstances triggered by changes to the Emergency Management Directions. A change to the Directions can create a surge in activity.

We’re very mindful that the transmission of COVID-19 is still a real and imminent threat to South Australia and critical decision making is required.”

Concentrating responsibility with the Central Assessment Unit has helped to alleviate

considerable pressure on frontline personnel, effectively reducing the requirement for officers to rely on their own subjective assessment.

“We can speak with patrols in real-time via radio and phone, or via email.

“We also have an on-call function, meaning we’re still responsive and approachable after hours,” says Chief Inspector Hilliard.

“That can include emergencies or time critical situations. For example, we have assisted in cases where an individual has required urgent approval to travel across jurisdictions under compassionate grounds.

“Many applications are

very clear cut. Others can be incredibly complex in nature.

“Whilst we tend to focus on where we need to improve in our decision making, it’s important to emphasise that there’s a lot of great decisions being made by this diverse group of people, who have come together to support this new capability.

“The ongoing working relationships with SA Health, other government agencies and internal SAPOL teams have certainly contributed to improved consistency in determinations.

“Our external staff have brought a varied and highly valuable range of transferrable skills. Some

have joined us from dispute resolution roles in local government. Others have been recruited from airlines and bring excellent customer service experience.

“We have asked this group to step up, under intense external and internal pressures in a very dynamic environment. They’ve had to make difficult decisions that have an impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.

“Some are very much out of their comfort zones. But they’ve warmed to their duties and are very much committed to their roles,” says Chief Inspector Hilliard. 

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> SPE CIAL EDITION COV ID - 1 9

STOPPING THE SPREAD OF

MISINFORMATION

On 2 February, the World Health Organisation reported fewer than 15,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide.

Published alongside this figure was an entreaty for countries to prepare their communication networks and community engagement staff, in anticipation of a widespread pandemic.

H

istory corroborates that, in the event of a large-scale emergency, reaching the widest possible audience with timely, credible information can save lives, moderate fears and maintain public confidence in authority.

As Officer in Charge of SAPOL’s Communication

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and Engagement Branch, Superintendent Christine Baulderstone understands the critical importance of accurate public information.

She is the Manager of Public Information in the State Emergency Centre, under the State Emergency Management Act. “Essentially I’m responsible for ensuring that the public information released across every Government agency, including SA Health as the Control Agency for COVID-19, is timely and accurate.”

Initially, Superintendent Baulderstone was posted to the State Control Centre (SCC), activated by SA Health.

The SCC was predominantly staffed by CFS, SES, Police and Health personnel, as well as representatives from Education and Local Government.

In a more typical emergency scenario, such as a bushfire, Superintendent Baulderstone would monitor public information once released to ensure consistency of messaging, supported by nine other Officers of Police.

With only one officer available, Superintendent Baulderstone activated the Public Information Functional Support Group (PIFSG) plan, enlisting members of the SA Water Communications team to undertake this monitoring in real-time. ”This is the first time I have had to activate the PIFSG plan. The support I received from across Government was fantastic.”

“Ordinarily, we’d watch Facebook and the Internet.

We’d listen to TV and radio bulletins, to ensure that information being released in the public realm was accurate.

“COVID-19 was a whole new world, given the nuanced information coming out of each Government agency.

“For example, the Department of Transport was publishing information in relation to public transport.

The Department for Education was publishing advice with respect to school closures. The sheer volume of information was overwhelming.

“We recognised an urgent need to create a single, reliable point of truth. So, we established a dedicated website (www.covid-19.sa. gov.au).

Stopping the spread of misinformation goes hand-in-glove with slowing the spread of COVID-19.

Accordingly, Superintendent Baulderstone ensured that the same information was flooded across every available platform, to capture the largest potential audience.

“We publish every message to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and the dedicated website. We have to ensure that wherever a person chooses to go, they’re finding the exact same information.

“We ask other agencies to do likewise. Ensuring the broadest spread of information means there’s less opportunity for myths or misconceptions to crop up.”

“The Directions can be quite complex. When we identify similar comments or misunderstandings from the public, we update our Frequently Asked Questions to clarify the finer points.”

Superintendent Baulderstone and her staff have been working disagreeable hours under extraordinary time constraints,

supported by members of SAPOL’s Marketing and Communications Unit and Media and Public Engagement Section, to communicate the content of new COVID-19 Directions.

“We usually sight the Directions at extremely short notice before publication.

They’re typically published on a Friday. In the case of one Cross Border Direction, we received the signed document at 8.00 pm. All of the information had to be published by 12.01 am the next morning,” says Superintendent Baulderstone.

“Within very tight deadlines, we’re trying to interpret the Direction, write our FAQs and create social media content.

I also write a public-facing release, and an internal email communicating changes to staff.

“Meanwhile, up in Emergency and Major Event Section, there’s an entire team of people scrambling to communicate the changes to our frontline staff.

“People don’t see the extent of the work that’s going on after hours. We’re regularly up until midnight, trying to get everything squared away.

“Can this role be frustrating? Yes. Tiring?

Absolutely. I mean, I enjoy reading legislation, but it’s starting to wear thin,” she smiles.

“Still, it has been very rewarding to see the various Government agencies join together and roll out this messaging successfully,” says Superintendent Baulderstone. 

WATCH VIDEO 10

ABOVE AND INSET: Superintendent Christine Baulderstone is managing the Public Information function in response to COVID-19.

Photos: SAPOL Photographic Section

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Our members’ safety is our foremost concern.

THE ENGINE ROOM “We had 36 hours.

When Commissioner Stevens assumed the role of State Coordinator, Emergency and Major Event Section (EMES) had only 36 hours to establish the first six checking stations,” says Inspector Wendy Mazik.

“W

e necessarily built the entire process within two days. We had to determine, from an operational perspective, precisely what it meant to close the border. What would our members do when they stopped a vehicle entering South Australia? What questions did they need to ask? What information should they capture? What paperwork would they issue?”

As Officer in Charge of EMES, Inspector Wendy Mazik oversees the planning, logistics, operational

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communication and resource deployment on behalf of COVID Command. EMES comprises 20 highly organised planning and support staff.

Every day, the group confront and solve the myriad of operational and logistical challenges arising from SAPOL’s COVID-19 response.

“Our officers have been asked to undertake a role and functions that did not exist just six months ago.

“Here at EMES, it’s our responsibility to translate the State Coordinator’s Directions into an operational context, ensuring we’ve provided sufficient clarity for our people on the ground to do their job,” says Inspector Mazik.

Keeping on-duty members abreast of continually changing Directions is an onerous task. Inspector Mazik says new or revised Directions typically come into effect at 12.01 am on any given day.

“It’s especially difficult for those members who happen to be on the border as the Direction is updated.

For part of their shift, they’ll be operating under one Direction,” she says.

“Then, at the stroke of midnight, the Direction

will change, and they’ll be expected to operate, with accuracy, under the new Direction. So, when we are providing operational advice, there’s an element of time criticality.

“We’re also tasked with getting our people where they need to be. For border operations in particular, that is a mammoth logistical exercise in movement planning.

“Every week, we facilitate hundreds of movements to and from the state’s borders, utilising the Band bus, other hired buses, SAPOL fleets and EMES’ own 12-seater vehicles.

“Our colleagues in the ADF then transport SAPOL members from their accommodation to the static checkpoints each shift,” says Inspector Mazik.

Given the strictly limited number of hotels in certain locations, it’s no easy feat for EMES to accommodate the hundreds of SAPOL members deployed to the South Australian border.

“We try to spread the support to the local communities as best we can,” says Inspector Mazik.

“Ultimately, our choice of

hotel boils down to whether our members on night-shift will be able to get adequate rest during daylight hours,” she says.

EMES has also established 21 functional checking stations along the Victorian border and one additional station at the SA/NSW border.

Two checking stations are co-located with Primary Industries SA personnel but there are a further 20 which have been established from the ground up.

“We’ve had to secure shelters and lighting to properly protect our members from the elements. A number of our checking stations are quite literally located in the middle of a forest. They’re very dark, very cold locations.”

Inspector Mazik says they’re already turning their minds to what will happen if the current conditions continue into summer. The team are thinking about how they’ll keep members sheltered from extreme heat and the working conditions they are going to be faced with.

“Our members’ safety is our foremost concern. Every step of the way, we’re checking and double-checking with SA

LEFT: A coach carrying SAPOL officers returns from the border. Photo: Senior Sergeant Kelly Pusey RIGHT: Inspector Wendy Mazik of EMES conducts strategic planning at SAPOL Headquarters with Major Patrick Trainor, Plans Officer JTG629.4 and Superintendent Scott Denny. Photo: Australian Defence Force

WATCH VIDEO 11

Health that the protections we have provided to our members are suitable for the roles and functions they are performing,” says Inspector Mazik.

“For example, those in public-facing roles need to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

“Distributing that PPE to Adelaide Airport and to the Gold and Bronze Patrols is relatively simple. But ensuring that it’s spread across 22 checking stations up and down the border, and to the roving patrols, is more difficult.

“In the early days, our most urgent consideration was simply access to toilets. Now, we’ve established a kind of gold standard with respect to what is needed at each static point.

“Each checkpoint needs to have an ATCO hut. It needs to have a toilet, lighting and obviously a power supply through the use of generators. A fire pit for sub-zero conditions; fridge, microwave, and kettle are the bare minimum to sustain our tireless border workers on extended shifts. The static sites also need step-down signage, so that drivers aren’t

WATCH VIDEO 12

flying around the corner at 110 kilometres per hour and eflares and traffic cones to assist in funnelling drivers.

“We quickly recognised that our checking stations needed red and blue flashing lights, so that members of the public would know we were there.

That meant our fleets needed to be on 24/7, draining the car battery and fuel.

“So, after a good idea was proposed by an experienced operational member, we devised a system to mount flashers on the huts. We engaged with Fleet Services who provided old red and blue flashers along with Radio workshops who built the units. The result has provided a safe working environment whilst literally saving hundreds of hours in refuelling runs.

“There’s just so many logistical considerations you would never even think of,” says Inspector Mazik.

She cites the example of operational equipment.

Ordinarily, members’ musthave items, such as radios and firearms, would be issued out at the commencement of each shift.

“The problem is, in a typical country location, our firearms

safes are much smaller than those in the metropolitan Districts. They might be equipped to carry two or three guns.

“When you have 15 to 20 operational members deployed to a region, it becomes a juggling act.

Where do those members store their firearms overnight?

“We’ve had to tailor our solutions to each location. In some locations, members are now handing their equipment off to the next shift,” says Inspector Mazik.

Managing SAPOL’s fleet at the border is similarly challenging, meaning EMES has been working in close collaboration with Fleet Services.

“A number of our vehicles have reached their quota of mileage within a very short space of time. Some roving patrols can cover close to 1000 kilometres per day, policing the unmanned closures on backroads.

This means they are due for a service every 10 days providing another logistical challenge to swap them out while this occurs,” says Inspector Mazik.

As 20 of EMES’ planners

wrestle with the complexities of COVID, a further four are currently trying to implement recommendations arising from the 2019-2020 Keelty Review and concurrent activities responding to the Bushfire Royal Commission and preparing for the looming bushfire season.

Inspector Mazik credits EMES’ success in juggling these demanding concurrent responsibilities to a close-knit team culture.

“This group is truly exceptional at what they do.

They’re the best of the best,” she says.

“Whilst their core business is planning, they’ve still had to step outside of their comfort zones, work exceptionally long hours to solve complex issues and get the job done and have done so with good grace and utter professionalism.

“It has been a massive amount of work to support SA Health, as the control agency.

The efforts of this team, and of SAPOL as a whole, have been nothing short of extraordinary,” says Inspector Mazik. 

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> SPECIAL EDITIO N CO V I D- 1 9

PREPARING FOR THE WORST, PLANNING FOR THE NOW How does an organisation begin to prepare for the contingency that 50 per cent of its members could be taken ill with a highly infectious, previously unheard of virus? One man who’s had to grapple with that thorny question is Chief Superintendent Dean Miller, Coordinator of SAPOL’s Governance and Capability Service.

I

n his day-to-day role, Chief Superintendent Miller’s job centres on strategic planning, envisioning how SAPOL might look in 10 years’ time, and devising actionable steps to achieve that vision. In the context of COVID-19, he cannot plan so far in advance.

“This is a very unpredictable

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situation,” says Chief Superintendent Miller. “We’re not sure what tomorrow holds. We’re trying, as best we can to keep looking forward.

“Our strategic focus hasn’t changed. It’s still about protecting the community. It’s still about community service.

But we’ve had to become more flexible in the way we fulfill that commitment.

“We’ve had to pull so many staff from the various Districts, Local Service Areas and branches to respond to the threat of COVID-19. How we can ensure our continued service delivery is always in the forefront of our minds.”

Chief Superintendent.

Miller oversees the Business Continuity Response Management Team (BCRMT). The BCRMT maintain dynamic records, accounting for the number of available members, and the number of sworn and non-sworn personnel who are undertaking COVID duties.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that the majority of COVID responsibilities require IMOST (Incident Management and Operational Safety Training) qualified officers. While we’re trying to reduce the pressure on our Districts and LSAs, it’s their operational staff that we need in the first instance.”

To alleviate the demand on operational officers, SAPOL has begun looking further afield, bringing in civilian employees from other Government and external agencies to resource entirely new functions including the Central Assessment Unit which processes border applications.

“It’s no secret that many people are doing it tough in the current environment,” says Chief Superintendent Miller. “They’re struggling to find work and to support their families. If we can provide them with an opportunity, it’s another way we can assist the South Australian community.”

Chief Superintendent Miller explains that certain functions are necessarily performed by uniformed personnel, citing the example of SAPOL’s presence at the South Australian border.

“We’re working alongside ADF personnel. We use the SES, and various other volunteer agencies in the country where possible, to assist with logistical considerations. But, at the end of the day, it’s a policing environment.

“The community wants to see a SAPOL uniform because it provides a sense of reassurance that things are under control. We’re not accustomed to seeing the Defence Force “So, whilst we’re in a position where the ADF can support us, we still need to take the lead.”

Chief Superintendent Miller says he’s been overwhelmed by the number of SAPOL staff volunteering to work in challenging conditions at the state’s borders.

“People have been willing to leave their families, to make childcare arrangements for their children. They’ve raised their hand to go to the border for a week at a time.

You might say, ‘It’s only a week’, but a week is a long time in COVID terms.”

SAPOL’s Planning and Audit Officers, along with EMES (Emergency and Major Event Section) staff have played a critical role in deploying some 400 members to the border.

Chief Superintendent Miller says he has been astounded by their efficiency.

“There’s dozens of factors at play that you wouldn’t necessarily think of. There’s only so much accommodation in those border regions, and we’re pushing 400 people to those locations.”

“I can’t speak highly enough of the members at EMES. The job they’ve done transporting members to remote locations, ensuring they’re housed and have the equipment they need, is truly incredible.

Whatever we’ve asked, they’ve done. Usually, they’ve done it within minutes.”

Chief Superintendent Miller is acutely aware that, from a planning perspective, COVID-19 represents an entirely different kind of emergency.

“Historically, we’ve focused our continuity planning around emergencies like earthquakes or power outages. This is a health crisis, meaning we’ve had to prepare for the very real possibility that we could lose a significant proportion of our staff to sick leave.“ As the novel coronavirus began to gather steam in Australia’s eastern states, Chief Superintendent Miller and the BCRMT raced to ready SAPOL for the worst.

“If we’d lost 25 per cent or more of our staff to the virus, and still been required to perform border patrols, in

addition to our normal duties, we’d have had to make some difficult decisions.

“I’m certain the community understands that we’re going to be impacted by staff illness, but if they ring for a patrol, they still expect a patrol to attend.

“We’ve done a great deal of strategic thinking about how we would cope in that scenario, to maintain our essential functions, and in turn, the confidence of the broader community.”

The provisional cancellation of sworn and non-sworn leave, rescinded on 19 June, was among a number of

special measures enacted to ensure that SAPOL could maintain essential services.

“The decision was not taken lightly,” says Chief Superintendent Miller. “We knew that cancelling leave would have an impact on members’ wellbeing. We were already working in a highly charged and stressful situation. We naturally considered the impact on members’ families and their mental health.

“We also considered particular functions that could be rolled back or closed for a period of time, to enable the redeployment of staff.

“Among our essential functions are general patrols, STAR, Comms and the staffing of our stations. We had to first determine how low their staffing numbers could get before they required additional resources.”

Chief Superintendent Miller has a better insight than most about how rapidly COVID-19 has shifted the paradigm for SAPOL. Still, he’s been taken aback by the speed and severity of the pandemic.

“We’ve seen firsthand how quickly this virus finds a foothold. It absolutely explodes, wreaking havoc on the most vulnerable members

of our community.

“I cannot emphasise enough how well our staff have risen to this challenge. It truly gives you a great feeling about SAPOL. We’re a very close-knit organisation.

“It hasn’t surprised me. But, it does give me confidence we’ll get through this thing. I just know that we’ll come through it better than we were before, and better prepared for the future,” says Chief Superintendent Miller. 

THIS PHOTO AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Chief Superintendent Dean Miller and SAPOL’s Business Continuity Response Management Team. Photos: Sarah Craig ABOVE: A meeting of SAPOL’s Business Continuity Executive Management Group at Police Headquarters.

Photos: SAPOL Photographic Section

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> SPECIAL EDITIO N CO V I D- 1 9

BUSINESS, BUT NOT AS USUAL There’s a timeworn adage that crime doesn’t take a day off. Busy members from SAPOL’s Northern District can attest that, even in the context of a devastating global pandemic, crime does not self-isolate either.

G

iven the impressive number of operationallyqualified SAPOL officers now flanked at the South Australian border or conducting door-to-door checks on returned travellers, you could be forgiven for forgetting that uniformed officers still have a crucial role to play in investigating crime and upholding community safety.

Sergeant Brian Stone, a general duties supervisor at Northern District, says it’s proven extremely challenging to prioritise and risk manage everyday taskings given the sheer number of personnel deployed to COVID-19 duties.

“There’s simply no capacity to backfill, through no-one’s fault. But the workload is increasing exponentially.

When members do return from COVID duties, there’s no respite. They’re straight into it,” says Sergeant Stone.

Sergeant Stone oversees an eight member District Policing Team. Tomorrow, he’ll lose four members to local Gold Patrols (personal COVID compliance checks), and to the staffing of a designated quarantine hotel.

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Fellow supervisor, Sergeant Stuart Smith, says he’s been allocating tasks to himself to alleviate the burden on staff.

“Before I allocate an investigation, I’ll conduct background enquiries and look at what I can take on myself. Sometimes I’ll come to work, dive in to a job and then glance at the clock and realise it’s time to go home,” says Sergeant Smith.

“We’re forced to triage occurrences based on what we believe to be important.

That person who’s necessarily been triaged to the bottom of a pile – their incident might be the single worst thing that’s ever happened to them but it needs to be assessed pragmatically.

“Recently, I had to ring a victim and explain that their investigation was progressing more slowly than usual, due to the COVID-19 response.

“Eventually, they understood. But, it was the first time they’d had any contact with police. They’d never been a victim before and expected a response within 24 hours,” says Sergeant Smith.

Sergeant Stone agrees.

“We’ve always worked with the expectation that we’ll be on the front foot and do things in a timely manner.

“But it’s simply not possible in the current environment.

We’re still attending taskings.

We’re still backfilling our cells and stations. We still have our normal summonses and warrants,” he says.

“It’s a juggling act,” concludes Sergeant Smith.

“We’ve got to maintain our service to the community and make certain we’re looking after our members’ welfare to ensure they’re coping with the extra demands and added responsibilities.”

Northern District Victim Contact Officer, Senior Constable First Class Dawn Henderson, says she has been in regular contact with victims to explain why their matters are taking longer than usual.

“When I assisted with COVID-19 duties no one was available to relieve my role,” she explains. “I returned to a significant number of contacts which I’m still trying to catch up on.

“Certainly, I’ve had to assess and risk manage those contacts, starting from the most serious offences and working my way down.

“Thankfully, people have been very understanding given the circumstances,” says Senior Constable Henderson.

“Because of COVID, I’ve had to restrict my face-toface contacts. But victims still need a service, so I’m constantly on the phone,” she says.

As Brief Quality Control Officer at Northern District, Sergeant Scott Hoang and his small team examine and quality assure apprehension files, ensuring they are fit to progress to prosecution.

“Like Dawn, I’ve had to manage my share of risk. My job doesn’t stop. The files don’t stop. So, I do the best I can to risk manage bail matters, serious offences and so on.

“Fortunately, my job’s very much computer-based.

When I was on COVID patrols, I’d be vetting work on my MRT (Mobile Rugged Tablet) during quiet periods, or while travelling from one location to the next. Effectively, I’d be doing two jobs at once,” says Sergeant Hoang.

It’s proven extremely challenging to prioritise and risk manage everyday taskings given the sheer number of personnel deployed to COVID-19 duties.

Workforce Planner Tarah Cashmore and Planning Sergeant Jodi-Lee Black keep constant tabs on Northern District members via a daily staffing report. Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section

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> SPECIAL EDITIO N C OV ID - 19

Sergeant Scott Hoang has been on the road undertaking COVID-19 patrols, in addition to his day-to-day role as Brief Quality Control Officer at Northern District. Photo: SAPOL Photographic Section OPPOSITE PAGE: OPPOSITE PAGE: Northern District Victim Contact Officer, Senior Constable First Class Dawn Henderson, has remained in constant phone contact with victims during COVID-19.

We’ve always had a can-do attitude. The rapport we enjoy among our peers and with our management staff here in the Northern District is second-to-none.

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Workforce Planner Tarah Cashmore says Sergeant Hoang’s story typifies the work ethic of Northern District members.

“We’ve always had a can-do attitude. The rapport we enjoy among our peers and with our management staff here in the Northern District is secondto-none,” she says.

Ms Cashmore was undertaking preparations for Phase 2 of SAPOL’s District Policing Model (a major organisational restructure) in early March when COVID-19 began making inroads in South Australia. Together with Planning Sergeant Jodi-Lee Black, she prepares a daily COVID-19 staffing report, to manage the continued resourcing of critical functions in the Northern District.

“We’re keeping constant tabs on more than 500 people via our daily report.

“We need to know of every member that goes absent. We need to know the proportion of sergeants to other staff, and how many people are deployed to COVID duties.

“From a planning perspective, we’ve had to tackle so many different challenges including cancellation and reinstatement of annual leave.

We’ve also had to ensure we’re doing the right thing by our vulnerable people.”

Ms Cashmore has recently learned that Northern District members currently deployed to Gold Patrols are to be extended for the foreseeable future.

“We’ve just got to roll up our sleeves and find people.

We’ve got to do what we can

with the people we have on the ground,” she says.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Black is responsible for rostering Northern District members to COVID-19 duties, including the local Gold Patrols.

“I returned from Gold Patrols in June. I’ve been off the road for a very long time, so I loved the experience.

“Initially, I didn’t have a great deal to do in my everyday role. I am the Planning Officer for emergencies and events, and all of the community events had stopped.

“Ultimately, I was brought back from Gold Patrols to manage the resourcing impost of COVID duties.

“Basically, Emergency and Major Event Section coordinates what needs to be done, and then I do it. I organise the people. I guess you’d say I’m the font of all COVID knowledge,” says Sergeant Black.

“On any given day, I could tell you how many staff we’ve got on COVID duties, and what they’re doing. Today, we have 15 on Gold Patrols and a further five across the various hotels.

“We’ve taken out so many people to go away and do other things. The members who’ve been left behind - who are still doing patrols – have been forgotten, in some respects, because they’re not doing COVID tasks.

“But, they’re picking up a huge amount of the slack and continuing to deliver a policing service to the public,” concludes Sergeant Black. 

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Moments in Time NOT WITHOUT PRECEDENT: THE 1919 PANDEMIC

O

n 28 January 1919, all passenger traffic between South Australia and Melbourne formally ceased, in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to contain the worsening spread of Pneumonic Influenza in Victoria. Within the 21 days prior, Melbourne had recorded 26 deaths and approximately 100 cases per day and all indoor and outdoor gatherings considered not necessary for carrying on the business of the State were formally prohibited… although the regulations were not proposed to interfere with cricket matches.

As public speculation swirled around the mysterious death of a returned solider at Adelaide Hospital, SA’s Central Board of Health braced for an imminent outbreak. Then Chairman of the Board, Dr. W Ramsay Smith, urged precautionary conduct and the wearing of masks, and even implored civic-minded South Australians to tie a white handkerchief around their left arm as a public symbol of safety and service.

By 31 January 1919, The Adelaide Register reported that an order had been issued suspending annual leave for South Australia Police officers.

Tent accommodation at the SA Police checkpoint, Lake Littra.

The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society cancelled its popular ‘Show’, then held in March, and the Showground pavilion was hastily repurposed as an isolation facility. Arrangements were made for the Defence Department to assist the states with extra personnel and medical equipment.

A number of officers were duly sent to close the border gate on the Old Sydney Road at Littra (Chowilla), 64 kilometres north of Renmark.

The Littra Police Station had been formally closed 34 years earlier, meaning the six men deployed to the remote border location were housed in temporary tent accommodation.

The quarantine blockade was lifted shortly thereafter, on or about 21 February.

By April 1919, over 300 residents of Port Pirie had contracted the illness. Residents were not permitted to leave without a permit, as the entire town and surrounding area was placed into quarantine.

On 5 April 1919, eight constables were reportedly rushed from Adelaide to Port Pirie to assist in enforcing the quarantine.

Foot Constable James Slee was stationed at nearby Warnertown, to check on train passengers and others passing through the region by road. After a month, the quarantine restrictions were lifted, and he and the other constables returned to Adelaide.

Between 14 February 1918 and 24 June 1919, nine South Australia Police officers aged between 25 and 62 died from Pneumonic Influenza.

With thanks to John White APM OAM LEM. To learn more, see ‘More Than Just Bricks & Mortar – History and reference book of South Australia Police Stations 1838 – 2018’.