Pittwater Life January 2018 Issue

ter) Line
Pittwater Life hitched a ride with the Broken Bay
Water Police to find out what goes down on a
summer Sunday. Words & photos by Matt Cleary.
NOT A BAD VIEW: Who said a desk job was boring? Through the window of the 'office' at Holmeport Marina at Church Point.
from Sydney Water Police,
thumps down and shoots up.
The sea cops ride it out; bums
perched on seats, anticipating
the bumps. For the journo it’s
like being in one of those spiralling
Russian space planes.
Cooksley half turns to me,
smiles.
“You get seasick?” he asks.
“Not yet,” I reply. “Give it
time.”
We round up the jetski
riders, four men in their 20s,
out for some rollicking water
action. Watt checks licences,
life jackets, and a “behaviour
label”. One fellow doesn’t have
one. He’s owned the craft a
week. There’s an impromptu
lesson in water safety and sealane
rules. There are breath
tests.
“Booze and water do not
mix,” says Cooksley. “And a
nice day out can turn into a
tragedy.” It’s not delivered as
tired cliché. It’s a statement of
fact – when people drink on
boats it’s dangerous.
Our run today is called
HVP – High Visibility Policing.
It’s more about PR than
arresting baddies. It’s not so
much about “busting” anyone,
though do a bad thing and
they will. It’s more: Hello,
citizens, the police are here
to help. Also: don’t do a bad
thing. Often their presence is
enough.
We pull up to a couple of
lads on a speedboat, fishing
for Jewfish in a bumpy, freeflowing
bit of water called
“The Rip”.
“Catchin’ any?” asks Watt.
One of the lads proudly
holds up a monster.
“Look at that! Where’d you
catch that?” asks Watt.
“Can’t tell ya,” says the
CHECKS PLEASE: Making sure everything is in order with a jetski crew.
man. “It’s a secret.”
We repeat the good cheer
with several other anglers. In
a typical conversation Watt
will ask: “Get any bites? Had
the boat long? Anything to
drink today? Beautiful day!
Can you read out your licence
number? How are your fire
extinguishers? That one looks
a bit rusty! You’ve got another
one? It’d pay to keep that one
handy, no? Ladies, tell me, do
you bait your own hooks?”
And so on.
We enjoy a takeaway coffee
at Killcare Wharf and talk of
“good busts”. Recently a boat
stolen on the Pittwater turned
up near Hamilton Island. Another
fellow was stealing batteries,
hundreds of them. The
team built a case and arrested
the man, found his garage full
of them. On Christmas Day in
2016, at little Parsley Bay near
Brooklyn on the Hawkesbury
River, police intercepted a
boat carrying 500 kilograms
Continued on page 16
News
The Local Voice Since 1991
JANUARY 2018 15