STATE police and the WA Fishing Industry Council have partnered up to monitor the seas for suspected drug trafficking, WA Police announced today.
WA is the largest single policing jurisdiction in the world and includes almost 13,000 km of mainland coastline, with about 500 commercial fishing boats operating across the WA coast.
Police commissioner Chris Dawson said the recent seizure of more than 1 tonne of cocaine, ecstasy and methylamphetamine at the Abrolhos Islands highlighted the important role the fishing community can play in protecting our borders.
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READ NOW“In that case, initial concerns about the yacht were reported by fishermen,” he said.
“Fishermen continued to provide information regarding the unusual movements of the crew as officers responded and ultimately seized the illicit drugs and arrested two men.”
Participating members of the fishing industry will have a direct line to the State Operations Command Centre to report suspicious activity observed at sea in addition to the Crime Stoppers hotline.
“Our fishing people know their ocean like others know their lounge rooms so to the extent we can assist our WA Police in protecting our shores against law breakers then we will,” WAFIC chairperson Ron Edwards said.