Aboriginal trackers help seek UK tourist

The police draw on their knowledge of local conditions

By Dominic Hughes in Alice Springs

For hundreds of years, police in Australia have turned to Aboriginal trackers when faced by the vast expanses of the Australian bush.

The skills of the Aboriginal trackers, honed over generations, remain an important part of the armoury of the Australian police

Even the infamous outlaw Ned Kelly feared the renowned powers of indigenous Australians to find people who did not want to be found.

Now those powers are being used again in the search for the man who attacked British tourists Peter Falconio and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees.

While there is a special unit in the Australian police made up of Aboriginal trackers, the men called on in this case are civilians.

Familiar with the territory

They come from Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory.

Similar groups have worked in Queensland and Western Australia.

The police draw on their extensive knowledge of local conditions, their expertise in bush craft - knowing how to survive in the Australian wilderness - and their ability to deduce who has been where.

They see signs that the untrained eye might miss.

The smallest things can give a clue.

Disturbed rocks or crushed vegetation can all tell a story of people passing through an area.

In a celebrated case, Aboriginal trackers used a single footprint in the sand to help find a wanted person.

A police spokesman says that trackers are used quite frequently, not just to bring in wanted people but also to find those who may have got lost.

Vast outback

When dealing with the vast areas of the Australian outback the police need all the help they can get.

The Northern Territory is six times the size of Britain, and is criss-crossed with dirt roads and unmarked tracks.

In these conditions knowledge of the back blocks of the Australian wilderness becomes essential.

Modern day trackers are treated very differently when compared to previous eras.

In Ned Kelly's time, in the 19th century, the contribution they made to attempts to catch Australian outlaws were completely ignored by the authorities, reflecting the racist attitudes of the time.

Search for tourist

In this search, the Aboriginal trackers have been scouring the land around Barrow Creek, about 150 miles north of Alice Springs.

They are looking for any sign of Peter Falconio or the man who attacked him.

But it is hard, rocky terrain, not best suited to their skills.

Police say their failure to turn up any new leads is no reflection of their ability.

Meanwhile the skills of the Aboriginal trackers, honed over generations, remain an important part of the armoury of the Australian police.