Zarelda Dickens is getting used to turning heads as she patrols the dusty backroads and sun-drenched highways of the Kimberley.
The local Aboriginal people do a double-take when they see her coming in her police uniform.
Key points:
- There are 36 Aboriginal police cadets in Western Australia
- Zarelda Dickens is the first to be posted to remote community police station
- There are hopes that the cadet program will help overcome historical tensions
“When I pull local people over I see them looking at me thinking, ‘who’s this blackfella?’ — and they’re surprised and smiling,” she said.
“They always seem happy there’s an Aboriginal cadet and I reckon they open up to me more than a white man in a uniform.”
By her side is a white man in uniform — veteran Kimberley copper Neville Ripp.
The bulky, tall policeman was asked earlier this year if he had been willing to take on a rookie with a difference — a teenage girl from the Aboriginal community of Looma, where he is based.
“I couldn’t believe my ears,” Senior Sergeant Ripp said. “Why the hell wouldn’t we?
“And it’s been such a success — Zarelda has a beautiful nature.
It is an unlikely pairing, and one that is raising hopes the often tense relationship between police and Aboriginal communities in northern Australia