March 2000 Volume 81 Number 3 "serving the protectors"
Police Expo 2000
By John Ballantyne

he Police Expo 2000 is set for a record attendance this year following the overwhelming success of the previous expo in 1998.

The expo, to be held on Sunday, March 26, at Fort Largs, will be a fun-filled day of entertainment and information for all age groups, and a rare opportunity for the public to see all sections of the police on show together.

There will be dramatic action-packed displays by the STAR (Special Tasks and Rescue) Group’s helicopter and dog squad, demonstrations by the popular Mounted Operations Unit, and performances by the internationally-acclaimed SA Police Band.

Police and emergency services facilities and equipment will be exhibited. Youngsters will have opportunities to ride in a police car, try out a computer-simulated virtual car chase, or abseil down a 12-metre-high wall.

Special celebrity guests at the expo will include stars of Channel Seven’s popular television series Blue Heelers, John Wood and Paul Bishop. During the day, Dorothy the Dinosaur and Friends will perform for children. Spectators can buy special roses for Dorothy at the expo (rose sale proceeds will go to the Variety Club of SA).

Record numbers are expected to attend the expo, according to co-chief organizer, Senior Constable Bob Fisher. The 1998 expo proved overwhelmingly popular, with 50,000 visitors attending (and the food vendors running out of food). A number of the visitors on that occasion had expected to spend only an hour or so at the expo, but found that they really needed a whole day even to get around to three-quarters of all the activities and displays.

Organizers conservatively estimate that, weather permitting, 80,000 people should come to the Police Expo 2000. They are expected to include people of all ages and walks of life.

Bob Fisher says that events like this can often influence young people’s career ambitions. He recalls how, 15 years ago, some children aged five to six attended an open day at Darlington police station. A number of them later in life joined SAPOL. “It was amazing,” comments Fisher. “The Advertiser found them and asked: ‘Why did you become a police officer?’ And their answers were because they went to a police open day at the old Darlington police station and experienced what police officers were about. As a result of that, they always wanted to be police officers! So that’s how important it is for people to experience what we do.”

The expo team is organizing a media publicity blitz during the lead-up to March 26, with advertisements in the print media and numerous radio and television interviews.

As a curtain-raiser on the Friday preceding Expo, the STAR Group and two senior members of SAPOL will abseil down the 31-storey Santos building in the city.

MOUNTED OPERATIONS UNIT

The ever-popular police greys from the Mounted Operations Unit will be prominent at the expo.

The unit is well known for its ceremonial duties at such special events as pageants, the State Opening of Parliament, and escorts of the State Governor and foreign dignitaries; and also for its variety of other police duties, including riot control, patrolling, and searches for drugs and missing persons and property.

At the expo, the unit will perform drill demonstrations (accompanied by music from the SA Police Band) and jumping displays, and also demonstrate some of its spectacular techniques for tackling civil disorder.

When South Australians at the expo see the police greys being put through their paces, they will be seeing world-class horsemanship.

Officer-in-charge of the Mounted Operations Unit, S/Sgt Tony Fioravanti, speaks with pride of how the Royal Thai Police, after reviewing all the mounted police units across Australia and New Zealand, finally selected South Australia’s unit as the best section in which to train their horses. Ten horses, which have undergone three months’ training in South Australia, have recently been sent to Thailand, along with an SA mounted police officer to assist in the instruction of the Thai police.

Visitors to the expo can view an exhibition, which shows the history of the Mounted Operations Unit from its origins in 1838.

On display on Fort Largs oval will be the unit’s police stallion, with his progeny of different ages. Children can enter a special competition for the naming of one of the police colts who was born on January 27.

As S/Sgt Fioravanti observes: “The public really do have an interest in the police horses, or the police greys. They love ’em!”

STAR GROUP

The STAR (Special Tasks and Rescue) Group is expected to draw huge crowds at the expo, with its action-packed demonstrations of rescuing hostages, a display of its facilities and equipment, and a 12-metre abseiling wall for youngsters.

The STAR Group - because of the high-risk nature of its operations and the professionalism of its dedicated team members - is no stranger to publicity. Its dramatic air and sea rescues regularly feature in the television news.

A spectacular highlight at this year’s expo will be a simulation of a hostage-taking drama to take place on the oval. STAR Group officers will be on hand to cordon off the area where the “hostages” are being held, and then attempt to resolve the situation through negotiation. After that, the tempo will quicken as a helicopter swoops over the oval and a number of STAR members fast-rope down to join the action.

During the course of the day, Expo visitors will be able to view and walk over one of the boats from STAR’s Water Operations section. They will also be able to see the interior of a police negotiators van, with its special facilities and equipment.

STAR Group will also have a special display tent with a number of photo boards illustrating the range of its activities.

Youngsters with a taste for action can try out a special 12-metre abseiling wall, with the help of qualified STAR Group instructors. This will be completely free of charge (compared to the $30 or $40 one would expect to pay at a normal rock-climbing gym).

The abseiling wall is expected to be particularly popular. Two thousand youngsters participated in it at the last expo.

Inspector Kym Zander of STAR Group believes that Expo removes many misconceptions about police work, and encourages young people to consider a police career.

He says: “We try to remove the hidden barriers which people perceive about policing... We have young members participating in all our displays, who are readily available to chat and talk to the people who approach them. And we believe, by showing the initiative of having all the different areas of the police, that people have that concept that policing is bigger than just a uniformed patrol officer or a CIB investigator.”

The STAR Group is always on the look-out for new recruits, and will be holding a number of selection courses throughout the year. Applications from interested police are always welcome.

So what does the STAR Group look for in prospective recruits?

Zander says: “We’re looking for the qualities of leadership, initiative, self-discipline, being able to work alone, and also - one of the most important things - working within a team environment, because police officers attached to this area can find themselves involved in a high-risk operation: (for example) firearms-oriented in the morning; and, in the afternoon, (it could be) flying to a remote cliff location down on the south coast, rescuing a child from a cliff-climbing or a bush-walking incident.

“So you’ve got to have an officer who can be flexible and change with the circumstances that confront them.”

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