Four Queensland Police Service (QPS) members are the first police officers in Australia to be awarded the national Diploma of Police Bomb Technical Response, after they graduated from a six-week course run by the Explosive Ordnance Response Team on Friday, December 3.
Constable Joe Berra, Constable Chris Worger and Constable Phillip Kelly from Townsville, and Constable Lo’arna Murphy from Rockhampton are now part of the 27-strong contingent of men and women across the state trained in the specialist skill of identifying and rendering safe improvised explosive devices.
The QPS has been training police as bomb technicians for many years, however is the first policing jurisdiction to align its curriculum with the nationally recognised diploma.
These technicians may now be called upon to provide a rapid response in regional areas, which may involve operating bomb robots, wearing a 45kg bomb suit, or using detonating explosive devices and materials to render safe improvised explosive devices.
While returning to their day to day policing duties, the newly qualified bomb technicians will maintain their skills through monthly, quarterly and yearly activities and be ready to respond at any moment as part of the regional bomb response capability.
Acting Superintendent Tim Partrige of the Specialist Response Group praised the efforts of the students, the facilitators and the course coordinators.
“Regional Bomb Response is a critical part of the QPS Explosive Response capability across the state which helps keep the community safe,” Acting Superintendent Partrige said.
“The awarding of a Bomb Technician Badge – ‘the crab’ – is a high honour which is recognised internationally in the bomb response community.
“This particular course is noteworthy, as the QPS is the first jurisdiction in Australia to award the national Diploma of Bomb Technician Response.
“This national recognition is only awarded due to the high standards of the QPS Bomb Technician Course and the tremendous efforts of the course coordinators in registering the national Diploma of Police Bomb Technical Response onto the QPS scope of training,” he said.
