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CANBERRA - Reconnaissance teams and troops will today begin work preparing about five Aboriginal settlements for the deployment next week of police officers sourced from the Australian Federal Police and the states.
The teams, supported logistically by the Army, will also assess the infrastructure needs of the townships.
Prime Minister John Howard said: "People are going there to help, going there to save and protect, they're not going there to scare people and steal children."
Mutitjulu leader Bob Randall said the community near Uluru was waiting to see what happened next. "It appears to be high security. All we are doing is waiting to see what happens but we all think this is a terrible way to go about it. I mean this is heavy stuff."
Northern Territory Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour said she believed the details of the intervention to prevent child abuse were very flimsy. "Anger is starting to build because people don't know the details." she told ABC radio.
Eleven officers yesterday flew out of Canberra bound for Darwin, where they will undergo training before being deployed to communities. NT police said a training and induction programme had been designed.
One of the AFP officers, Tracey Duck, who has served in East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons, said she was looking forward to it. "It's going to be quite difficult but I think if we showed a lot of compassion ... we're going to make a difference."
All states except Western Australia will contribute police to the intervention. South Australia may send five officers rather than the 10 requested.
- AAP
