Officers’ service recognised
Two Indigenous police officers had their service and dedication honoured last week in Pannawonica.
Senior Constable Liam Thomson and former Aboriginal police liaison officer Tuesday Lockyer were presented with Aboriginal Service Medals in recognition of their commitment to the community.
Ms Lockyer worked as an Aboriginal police liaison officer from 1995 to 2007 in Roebourne, and said the award came as a surprise.
“The town was pretty rough in those days. The Victoria pub was still operating so it was pretty full-on,” she said. “I joined a couple years after the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody and that was the reason why, to keep an eye on what was happening in town and just to make sure those incidents don’t happen while I was there.
“I had a lot of family support so it made it easier for me to liaise with the police and the people within the community because I know the language, so it made it so much easier.”
Sen. Const. Thomson spent the past two years working in Pannawonica and said he felt honoured and privileged to have received the award.
“I think it’s important that WA Police is recognising its Indigenous employees,” he said.
“It was really good. It was nice especially with all the mess that has been going on with BLM and all of that, it’s nice to have a positive kind of experience I guess as a person of colour.”
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