Be Crocwise with the Australian Border Force
Community Engagement Ranger Natasha Hoffmann delivered several Be Crocwise presentations to crews of the Australian Border Force (ABF) visiting Darwin, over the last few months.
Community Engagement Ranger Natasha recently delivered Be Crocwise presentations to the crews of two of the Australian Border Force (ABF) Cape Class Patrol Maritime Border Command ship while docked in Darwin. The presentations were part of a local area induction for the teams and the invitation from the ABF was a first for the Be Crocwise team.
With around 37,000 kilometres of coastline and an offshore maritime area of 45.1 million square kilometres to cover in the course of their duties, the ABF has their work cut out for them. Of course, not all of this area is within croc country, but whenever operations take place in North Australian waters crews need to know that saltwater crocodiles may be present and that steps must be taken to mitigate the risks they pose. It’s good to know that NT Parks and Wildlife can lend a hand to a team that has such an important job to do.
ABF crews can be called upon to patrol from a range of environments and the crew was particularly interested in the risks inherent in mangrove communities along the coastline. There was disquiet when Natasha’s audience were told that yes, it was quite likely that a large and potentially dangerous crocodile would be present in such an area.
Ranger Natasha tells us, ‘During my time with the crew, they shared stories of close encounters they’ve had with saltwater crocodiles while at work. One story was from an officer who had been out checking the hatches on the vessel. As he looked up and out across the water, a saltwater crocodile emerged nearby. The officer wisely decided not to continue working in that area until a little later. Another officer shared that when they were on a nearby island conducting a patrol they had come across a crocodile in the area and quickly retreated.'
The onsite Be Crocwise presentation is often delivered while the ships are docked at Darwin Port, but occasionally we have to deliver on other ships that are anchored in the Darwin Harbour. This means transporting via the ship’s boat across the harbour. The process of lifting the vessel out of the water and onto the ship was quick, efficient and very cool! A couple of lines were attached to the ship’s boat, then the crane system removed the ship’s boat out of the water, lifting it up and out in about a minute.
Being Crocwise is everyone’s responsibility, and this collaboration between NT Parks and Wildlife and the ABF will ensure that ABF teams can keep an eye on their own safety as well as the safety of the people they interact with during operations to protect Australia’s vast coastline.
