Police defend forest presence
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
December 4, 2001
Police have defended their presence in a disputed forest in the south-east.
The Wilderness Society yesterday described as an over-reaction moves by police to lock up parts of the Badja Forest, about 40 kilometres north-east of Cooma, while logging operations take place.
They claim up to 30 officers have been involved with around-the-clock patrols, helicopters and vehicle escorts for log trucks.
However, the Monaro area police commander, Charlie Sanderson, rejects the claims.
He says the Badja Forest has been declared a prohibited area by the Department of State Forests and between five to 10 police are being used to ensure that members of the public are kept away from what are dangerous logging operations.
"If we were to reduce the presence out there we end up with the situation where people are able to infiltrate the area at great risk to themselves and lock themselves on to logging equipment and such, and we then would require a much greater police presence to control the situation," he said.
"It's unfortunate because there is much higher priority work that we should be doing."
Meanwhile, one protester was arrested yesterday when he refused to leave the area.
The man, from Bega, spent last night in jail at Queanbeyan after refusing to accept bail conditions which specified that he would not return to the forest.
It takes to six the number of arrests in the Badja forest since logging work began late last month.