Residents and boaters are urged not to touch the tracking device collecting tidal and current data on Torres Strait waters. Photo: Supplied.
A tracking operation starting today on Torres Strait waters will provide valuable information on tidal and current patterns for search and rescue responses in the area.
Officers from Thursday Island Water Police, Thursday Island Station, Marine Rescue Queensland, Rescue 700 and other emergency services personnel will take part in a search and rescue exercise from 17-22 September, during which a tracking device will be deployed from various locations between Thursday Island and Horn Island, Aplin Pass and Hospital Point, and other high traffic areas.
Police are urging commercial boats and residents not to touch or interfere with the device, as it will impact the data being collected.
“We conduct many search and rescues in the Torres Strait each year, so any extra information provided by the tracking device to help predict movements of objects in the ocean may assist in search planning, and in turn, assist in the emergency response to someone in distress,” Thursday Island Water Police Senior Constable Nyall Appleyard said.
“This exercise is also an opportunity for volunteers to sharpen their search and rescue skills.
“It’s crucial that no one interferes with the tracking device and dummy, to ensure the results are accurate.”
