Sydney Harbour quiet—until offshore crime hits

McNulty points to the importance of the Marine Area Command at a time when Australia’s maritime borders, and its coastal cities, are under constant threat from international crime syndicates importing unprecedented amounts of drugs – namely cocaine and methamphetamine – into the country. At the forefront of authorities’ efforts to stem the flow of illicit substances into the country, the Marine Area Command’s work has never been more vital. “Crime does not start at Bondi Beach or three nautical miles out to sea, crime starts

offshore,” McNulty says. “We don’t wait for it to come to our shores.” The command is an invaluable partner of the Australian Federal Police, tasked with intercepting drug smugglers offshore. Its strength, McNulty says, is not only its maritime law enforcement expertise, but its intelligence-gathering capabilities. Its detectives work closely with counterparts in NSW Police’s organised crime squad to safeguard the more than 2000 kilometres of coastline in NSW, stretching from Cape Howe in the state’s south, to Tweed Heads on the Queensland border. Of

extreme concern is the vulnerability of the South Pacific and its remote islands, which are increasingly used as a thoroughfare on the preferred trafficking route of international drug cartels flooding Australia with cocaine and methamphetamine. “The Pacific needs to be watched very closely,” McNulty says. There is, though, a brighter side to the Marine Area Command’s work. When the Herald joined two of the command’s constables, Nathan Bell and Jayden Stevens, onboard the Water Police 41 on an overcast and wet Sunday, the harbour is

quiet, braved only by the most dedicated sea lovers; one, a surfer, catches a rare wave breaking on the northern end of Shark Beach – just around the headland from where Nico Antic was attacked months earlier. Anglers wetting a line in the fleeting sunshine happily comply with routine checks. Out in the shadows of The Gap, a lone kayaker coasts over the rolling swell, his vessel moving in and out of sight. Such conditions offer an appreciation for the power of Mother Nature, Bell

says. Though at times uneventful, such day-to-day policing of the harbour is crucial, McNulty says, to building the skills officers will need when they are inevitably called on to carry out a high-risk operation offshore. “This is our job 24/7,” McNulty says. “We never stop.” Despite the often testing conditions, few officers in the Marine Area Command would willingly give up what they consider the best posting in NSW Police. “It does have its ups and downs, the job. We can have brilliant days where

there’s perfect weather, clear skies, flat waters, but that can all change in a matter of minutes, and we can be offshore recovering a body and dealing with some sort of traumatic incident for someone,” Stevens says. “You’ve sort of got to keep moving on.” Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.

Marine Area Command, Water Police 41, NSW Police, Australian Federal Police, Sydney Harbour, offshore crime, cocaine, methamphetamine, South Pacific, organised crime squad