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Australian Federal Police - Platypus Journal/Magazine |
Tradition born in Cyprus broadens role of policing
By Kate Levings
The AFP's commitment to peace interests has long been illustrated by its involvement in United Nations and multi-national forces around the world.
Since the organisation's formation in 1979, almost 700 members have taken part in the UN civilian police force in Cyprus, 50 have assisted Indonesian Police with pre-election duties in the lead up to East Timor's independence ballot, 20 have been deployed to Cambodia, 32 to Mozambique, 25 to Haiti, 18 to Bougainville, two each to Thailand, Somalia, South Africa and Vanuatu and one to Namibia.
Testimony to the element of danger which exists when assisting such regions in overcoming dispute, three Australian members lost their lives while in Cyprus before the formation of the AFP.
On July 26, 1969, Lew Thomas of the South Australia Police, was killed in a motor vehicle accident; Pat Hackett, of NSW Police, was also killed in a car accident, on August 29, 1971; and on November 12, 1974, Ian Ward, also of NSW Police, was killed by a landmine.
However, luck was on the side of then-Chief Inspector Jack Thurgar in 1979, when he risked his life by walking into a minefield to rescue a seriously-wounded Greek Cypriot farmer who had fallen victim to a mine.
In a suburb of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, Mr Thurgar saw the farmer drive a tractor straight into the field and onto a mine, ripping the tractor in half.
Although a victim of mines himself (Mr Thurgar was injured by a mine in Vietnam in the early 1970s), he followed the tyre tracks of the tractor [1], picked up the man and carried him to safety. He was awarded the Star of Courage by the Australian Government in February 1980, and was commemorated in 1997 for his act of bravery.
Footnote 1: Historical sources correct this account that Mr Thurgar did not follow tyre tracks but walked into the minefield.
As part of United Nations peacekeeping operations in areas affected by conflict, police play an essential role in supporting military peacekeepers and international diplomatic initiatives towards achieving and maintaining sustainable peace.
UN police are generally unarmed and focus on facilitating community interaction, investigating alleged breaches of human rights, and providing training for local police, with a view to maintaining the peace after periods of dispute or other internal disturbance.
AFP members deployed to UN missions typically have a broad variety of responsibilities during their period of secondment. While liaising with local authorities in an effort to maintain peaceful relations between former warring parties, other functions carried out by AFP officers include investigating criminal offences, advising authorities of strategies to reduce disturbance to the peace, providing scientific support to investigations, resolving disputes between civilians, and escorting civilians through disputed areas.
The AFP's longest-running peacekeeping commitment has been with the United Nations Civilian Police in Cyprus. Australia contributed police from various state and territory jurisdictions when the Cyprus mission was established in 1964, but the AFP took on the responsibility for providing officers when it was formed in 1979.
A contingent of 20 officers is still maintained on the island, with teams of 10 members deployed on a rotational basis for six months. The commitment is assessed at the renewal of each six-month mandate.
The AFP team is part of a group of about 1300 UN peacekeepers, and is responsible for protecting the area inside a buffer zone marked by a demarcation line, which runs the breadth of the island and varies in width from several metres to several kilometres. Turkish Cypriot police are responsible for the area north of the buffer zone, while Cyprus police look after the area south of the zone.
Although peace is generally well maintained, outbreaks of violence have occurred on the island. In August 1996, just a few weeks after contingent Commander Barry Carpenter warned his troops of the potential for the ostensibly-idyllic location to erupt into dangerous conflict, demonstrators advanced into the buffer zone after the funeral of a young Greek-Cypriot who had been beaten to death by a Turkish mob.
Turks shot two British UN peacekeeping soldiers during the demonstrations while AFP peacekeepers Dave Hall, Geoff Whiley, Peter Crozier and Peter Schiller were also caught under fire between angry Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
AFP involvement with international missions has increased steadily since it first extended peacekeeping assistance in 1989 beyond its Cyprus commitment. The organisation currently provides more than 70 members to UN missions, including Cyprus, Bougainville and East Timor.
Commissioner Mick Palmer suggests an increase in demand is not the only factor influencing the growing numbers of AFP personnel involved in peacekeeping operations — "Australian police involvement in international peacekeeping is an increasing feature in our police profession," he says.
"It is increasing because not only is it needed, but because we, as Australian police, have proven to the world at large we are damn good at doing it."
The AFP's peacekeeping history is varied, and has included missions in Thailand, Somalia, Mozambique, Haiti, Bougainville and more recently, East Timor.
The first peacekeeping mission involving the AFP which comprised a significant civilian police component working independently of the military took place in the south-west African country of Namibia in 1989. AFP fingerprint expert Jim Herold assisted with UN-conducted elections in that country.
Commissioner Palmer said the mission was the first to use a model that the UN now uses extensively in peacekeeping, where the different but complementary roles of police and the military are acknowledged.
In early 1989, Superintendents Barry Carpenter and Bill Kirk were seconded to work with UNBRO in Aranyaprathet in north-eastern Thailand to assist the UN and the Thai government to improve security and protection of 300,000 displaced Cambodians located in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodia border.
The AFP members established, trained and equipped a 1267-strong police force of Cambodian refugees, and also convinced competing political parties or influential groups to support the police, established a traditional Cambodian court and prison systems, and wrote a criminal code and regulations for police, the court and the prisons.
In May 1992, 10 AFP members, led by Superintendent Bill Kirk, were deployed to Banteay Meanchey Province in an area under the shared command of Cambodia factions including the Khmer Rouge.
Along with German and Tunisian police, and later the addition of Indian and French police, the group patrolled an area which covered 2500km2 and extended to the Thai border, where refugee camps were set up and the UN had forged good relations with Khmer camp police.
While there, the contingent helped to establish a UN police presence, which:
• investigated human rights violations;
• fostered a calm environment conducive to holding free elections;
• controlled and supervised the factionalised local police; and
• provided training and development for local police.
The first contingent was replaced by another 10 AFP members in February 1993, led by Superintendent Bob Bradley. From July 1992 to August 1993, more than 200 cases involving the death or injury of 355 people were investigated by contingent members. The AFP peacekeepers also trained 438 police, which represented 42.9 per cent of the total police personnel in the Thmar Puo k district.
In May 1993, Superintendent Bill Kirk was seconded to UNOSOM II as senior police adviser to the special representative of the secretary general to provide advice on the need for police monitors and, where possible, organise the development and training of a civilian police authority in Somalia.
In November the same year, a second superintendent, Barry Carpenter, was appointed as the director of police services and deputy director of justice in Somalia. His task was to control and direct UN police to help re-establish the Somali Police at local and regional levels to restore peace, stability and law and order.
Unfortunately, the mission was not provided with enough support staff and its objectives subsequently became unrealistic.
A 16-member contingent of AFP personnel, led by Superintendent Bob Bradley, joined a police component of 1144 to the UN Operation in Mozambique in 1994. The operation's mandate was to verify the demobilisation and disarmament of forces and the withdrawal of foreign troops, to assist and monitor the organisation of elections, and to coordinate humanitarian assistance.
The AFP contingent was dispersed across the country in headquarters and police posts, undertaking tasks ranging from regional and provincial commanders to investigations and operations officers. This was the first time since the first deployments to Cyprus in the 1960s that Australian civilian police were broken up and deployed into small units.
A second contingent was deployed from September to December 1994, and was led by Superintendent Geoff Hazel.
In 1994, Superintendent Clive Banson served with the Commonwealth Observer Mission in South Africa working with South African police.
During the first part of his three-month deployment, Superintendent Banson's mission was to assist in training soldiers of the National Peacekeeping Force, which aimed to facilitate security during the first national elections in South Africa to include the black vote.
The second part of Superintendent Banson's tour of duty was as a delegate with the United Nations Observer Mission during the conduct of the elections. He was part of a group which included prominent Australian state and federal government office holders and official representatives from other Commonwealth countries.
An Australian contingent of 30 officers from the AFP, Victoria Police and Queensland Police Services were part of a multi-national force deployed to Haiti in November 1994 to help restore democracy to the island plagued by human rights abuses.
As part of the International Police Monitor component of Operation Uphold Democracy, the group, led by Commander Alan Bird, monitored and mentored the Interim Police Security Force over a six-month period, facilitating the restoration of confidence within the community so that matters could be reported without fear of IPSF retribution. Authority and responsibility was handed over to the UN Mission in Haiti police in March 1995.
Members of the Australian peacekeeping contingent received service medals from US Ambassador Genta Hawkins Holmes on behalf of the US Government at the US Embassy in Canberra in August 1997. The medal citation said that the Australian contingent, through individual and collective efforts, gained the professional respect and personal admiration of their fellow police officers from the 17 other participating countries.
After New Zealand-based peace talks in October 1997, four AFP members, Andrew Brown, Andrew Clarke, Robert Edwards and Alf Turketo, were deployed to Bougainville as part of a Truce Monitoring Group.
Their role was to observe, monitor and facilitate the peace process; investigate and report any breaches of the truce; provide a liaison function; and discourage potential truce breaches.
The TMG ended on April 30, 1998, and was replaced by a Peace Monitoring Group to which the AFP maintains its contributtion of two members. Each team serves two months on the island.
Former TMG member Ben McDevitt says the facilitation of the peace process has been advanced because most Bougainvilleans have openly embraced it."While knowing their future is uncertain, these people yearn for a restoration of peace and normality which many of us take for granted," he said.
"To be involved to any extent in assisting progress towards that goal is an achievement of which we can be proud."
The monitoring group's role is to record, locate and arrange disposal of arms, ammunition and explosives; monitor and report on ceasefire compliance; promote confidence in the peace process; provide information to Bougainvilleans about the peace process; assist the Bougainvillean constabulary with training; and assist in other matters aimed at democratic resolution of the conflict.
In January 1998, Federal Agent John Ross commenced deployment in Vanuatu as a training adviser to the Vanuatu Police Force under the Defence Cooperation Plan. In January this year, a second officer, Federal Agent Dale Small, deployed to the island as an adviser to the Commissioner of the local police.
The AFP prepared a team of 60 members for the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor in June this year, with 50 deployed later that month while 10 were reserves.
The team was joined by civilian police from various other participating countries to form a multi-national civilian police service in the lead-up to East Timor's self-determination ballot.
In a highly volatile environment and led by former National Operations Manager, Alan Mills, their brief was to observe, advise, and monitor the Indonesian Police, assist election officials and help supervise the escort of ballot papers and boxes to and from the polling sites.
However, as tragic events unfolded in the weeks following the ballot, most UN staff were evacuated, with members returning to Darwin in stages. Four members had remained in the UN compound in Dili until the final phase of the evacuation of UN staff and hundreds of East Timorese refugees. All AFP members involved in the initial stage of the UNAMET eventually returned safely to an emotional welcome from family and friends, and warm recognition from the Australian public.
On arrival at Canberra Airport, Detachment Commander Tony Curtis told The Canberra Times that the mission had been challenging both emotionally and physically. "We are glad to be back. It was most difficult and one of the most challenging missions we've been involved in," he said in the news report .
Perhaps a comment during a radio interview by Prime Minister John Howard about former National Operations Manager, Alan Mills, is a reflection on the high esteem in which all our members who participated in the mission are held.
"I spoke last night to Alan Mills who is the Australian Federal Police Commander of the civilian police contingent in East Timor . . . He is doing a fantastic job and I was filled with admiration for the calm professionalism that he was displaying in a very difficult situation."
— Prime Minister John Howard on Radio 4BC,
September 7, 1999.
In a message to the AFP contingent in East Timor, Mr Howard said: "In extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances you are acquitting yourselves magnificently and have brought credit to the Australian Federal Police. . . . You have done a great job and the whole Australian community is proud of you".
Sharing the Prime Minister's admiration for the contingent on their return to Darwin, AFP Commissioner Mick Palmer told the Todayprogram's Steve Liebmann that he felt enormous pride for the members.
"They've all gone through traumatic circumstances . . . many faced extraordinary danger and there were countless examples of courage, resourceful and inspired leadership. They're pretty impressive people. You couldn't be prouder," he said.
Australian law enforcement's involvement with peacekeeping in Cyprus arose after hostilities between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the 1950s, however the island's 8000-year history has been marred by battles for ownership.
The Greek and Turkish feuding of recent times stems from a Greek rebellion against the Turks in 1821, which led Turkey to transfer administration of the island to Great Britain, after more than 300 years of control.
In 1914, when Turkey entered World War I against Great Britain, the British formally annexed Cyprus from Turkey.
Despite its history of violence, it wasn't until a 1950 ballot that the fighting really came to a head. The ballot found that 97 per cent of Greek Cypriots wanted a union between Cyprus and Greece — a concept strongly opposed by the Turkish Cypriot population, which made up 18 per cent of the Cypriot community.
In the years following the ballot, the Archbishop of Cyprus, Makarios III, worked through the UN for Cypriot self-determination. The National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters was born to throw off British rule and create a union with Greece.
In April 1955, a bloody four-year battle began between Greek and Turkish Cypriots over ownership of the island. In March 1956, Britain expelled Archbishop Makarios from the island, although international pressure led to his return the next year.
In 1959, a treaty of guarantee was signed by Britain, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, forbidding claims to union of the island with either Greece or Turkey.
On August 16, 1960, Cyprus became independent for the first time in 3500 years, with Archbishop Makarios as its president. The island chose to remain a member of the Commonwealth, and became a member of the UN and the Council of Europe.
In 1963, President Makarios tried to change the constitution to name the Turkish community a minority, causing renewed fighting between the island's Greeks and Turks. This led to the establishment in 1964 of a UN peacekeeping force, comprising contingents from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland and Ireland.
The peacekeeping force also contained a civilian police force of 200 people, including 40 Australian police. At that time, the UNFICYP totalled 7000.
In 1975, the Turkish Army invaded Cyprus, and has owned 38 per cent of the island since.
UNFICYP is maintained on the island, although it is significantly smaller — there are currently around 1000 participants, of which 20 are AFP members.
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URL: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AUFPPlatypus/1999/24.html