More staff, cutting edge tech to come with new Bunbury Border Force office

Illegal drug imports into the South West have been put on notice with the opening of an Australian Border Force office in Bunbury. The new office was officially opened on Tuesday last week, with the South West operations focusing on the expanding Bunbury Port. ABF officers encounter a big number of jobs in the area with 6000 users accessing the Bunbury Port each year. The new office will allow space for more officers and the latest in surveillance technology, with Bunbury officers patrolling from Windy Harbour to Preston Beach and working as far inland as Collie. Day to day jobs vary but include marine and land patrols, boarding vessels and processing international cruise ship arrivals. Australian Border Force deputy commissioner Vanessa Holben said as an island nation, the ABF had a unique and complex operating environment. “Australia’s border includes around 37,000km of coastline and more than 60 international seaports, many of which are in regional areas including Bunbury, Albany and Esperance in WA,” she said. “The Port of Bunbury is the busiest in the South West and we have a strong presence here, working closely with our law enforcement partners and Southern Ports to ensure the maritime border is protected. “This presence helps to detect and disrupt criminality as our ports and vast coastline is regularly targeted by serious organised crime groups, seeking to import illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.”