The Governor General recently awarded the following five Western Australia Police Force officers with the Australian Police Medal.
ACTING SUPERINTENDENT DALE ROBINSON
Acting Superintendent Robinson joined the WA Police Force as a
recruit in 2000 and upon graduating, saw service in various frontline
metropolitan positions, as well as serving at the Esperance Police
Station, Regional WA. She later excelled at forensic, training and
tactical roles, rising to the rank of Inspector with State Operations. She
is currently acting as Superintendent of the Custodial Services &
Mental Health Division.
Throughout her career she has pushed through perceived gender
boundaries, driven to excel in a variety of specialist fields. As the first
female Tactical Commander of the Tactical Response Group (TRG)
she set an example for other women to follow, with knowledge and an
open leadership style that quickly resonated with her team.
This had
been developed during her time as Officer in Charge of the Regional
Operations Group (ROG), instrumental in coordinating and controlling
numerous major public order incidents throughout Western Australia.
Through her real-time analysis and prompt decision making on
evolving situations, she provided clear and consistent direction to
frontline and senior officers, helping resolve emerging situations
quickly and safely.
Acting Superintendent Robinson consistently seeks to improve her
leadership knowledge and understanding of difficult and sensitive
issues in order to develop and apply solutions to complex policing
problems which ultimately benefit the community. Her management of
a delicate situation following the death of an armed female after a
police shooting was a fine example in negotiation and consultation. By
building consistent and empathetic engagements, she developed trust
with the family and community members which helped to defuse any
further potential conflicts, whilst also reinforcing the need for her team
to remain calm and balanced.
Acting Superintendent Robinson leads by example, ensuring her team
observes the core values and fundamentals of high visibility policing,
maintaining respectful interaction and engagement. She is a worthy
recipient of the Australian Police Medal.
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR NATALIE PALMER
Detective Inspector Palmer joined the WA Police Force as a cadet in
1981 and became a recruit the following year. She served in general
duties and traffic branches before becoming a detective in 1989,
building her career in metropolitan detective offices and specialist units
and undertaking training roles. She progressed through the ranks to
become an Inspector in 2014, most recently transferring from the Sex
Crime Division to Special Crime Division as a Divisional Detective
Inspector.
Her passion for learning and developing others is evident throughout
her distinguished career. Notably, she was an Instructor at the
Detective Training School and instrumental in establishing the
Academic Pathways Unit. She created the Cyber Predator Team to
assist the national strategy to specifically target online child abuse,
working with the Attorney General to help develop new legislation to
target online child sex offenders. In developing sound investigation
techniques and processes to investigate suspects, a 100 percent
conviction rate was achieved, exceeding government expectations
and fostering public support and confidence in the ability of the WA
Police Force to investigate and manage this crime type.
Many of the
policies and procedures she created continue to assist officers in
conducting international, national and state-based investigations of
online child abuse.
As the Assistant Divisional Officer for the Sex Offender Management
Squad, she was responsible for the management of reportable sex
offenders throughout the State. The mental health and wellbeing of her
team is her utmost priority, and she continues to drive health and
welfare initiatives at the Sex Crime Divisional Office.
Detective Inspector Palmer’s professionalism, integrity and
compassion for others is a fine example, inspiring others to follow her
lead. She is highly regarded for her commitment to improving business
practices, and is a worthy recipient of the Australian Police Medal.
INSPECTOR CURTIS ROE
Inspector Roe joined the WA Police Force in 2001, working in traffic
and metropolitan police stations. He quickly qualified as a detective,
serving at numerous business areas within State Crime such as the
Sex Assault Squad, Surveillance Unit, Homicide Squad and other
metropolitan detective offices. This grounding developed him as an
ideal leader in the demanding role as the Officer in Charge, Regional
Investigation Unit since October 2021, recently renamed the Rapid
Apprehension Squad (RAS).
As an excellent leader and manager, he consistently ensures his
officers maintain a high level of commitment and accountability. This
unwavering dedication enables the team to meet the demanding
requirements of rapid deployment, particularly when investigating
serious armed robberies and other similar high-end offending.
He developed the capability of RAS to respond and investigate
established criminal networks involved in large volume offending,
employing Human Source, Automatic Number Plate Recognition and
Jenoptik vehicle searches, Geofencing, Facematch and
Telecommunication capabilities to quickly detect and apprehend some
of the state’s most frequent high-harm offenders.
In December 2022, his squad won the team category in the WA Police
Excellence Awards. Under his leadership, RAS were recognised for
their dedication to frontline policing in the identification, location and
association of some of the state’s most high harm and active
offenders. The team work tirelessly to ensure community safety, whilst
obtaining vital evidence and demonstrating empathy, understanding
and care to victims. His networking ability has built strong trust with
external agencies such as the Australian Banking Association’s
Security Issue Forum. Such relationships deliver timely access to
intelligence on suspects and immediate access to other evidence such
as CCTV footage from ATMs in order to facilitate the early
identification and arrest of suspects.
Inspector Roe has a lifelong commitment of self-improvement, earning
a Master’s Degree and compiling an admirable military service record
in the Australian Army Reserve. His leadership, innovation, actions
and strong example to others make him a worthy recipient of the
Australian Police Medal.
SENIOR SERGEANT MARK STONEMAN
Senior Sergeant Stoneman joined the WA Police Force in 1988,
serving in a range of operational areas such as Broome Police Station,
79 Division and Major Incident Group, along with other roles at the
Police Operations Centre and Police Assistance Centre. He has also
held critical positions such as the Logistics Project Officer at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and as a
District Controller.
These diverse roles prepared him for the
demanding position as Officer in Charge of Kiara Police Station from
2016 to 2019 and Hillarys Police Station from 2019 to 2023 before
recently becoming the current Officer in Charge of the Central
Regional Operations Group.
Under his leadership, when positioned at Kiara and Hillarys, both
stations achieved significant decreases in reported offences,
particularly burglaries, stolen motor vehicles, stealing and damage
offences.
These achievements are a direct reflection of his exceptional
ability for building strong and cohesive teams, employing a balanced
and impactful leadership style and forging productive partnerships with
essential stakeholders. His efforts in community consultation and
championing CCTV upgrades have ensured the safety of people
attending the Hillarys Boat Harbour, the second-most visited
entertainment and tourist area in Western Australia, with over three
million visitors annually.
Senior Sergeant Stoneman has also worked closely with the WA
Police Academy to foster the Aboriginal Cadet Program, taking on
several mentor roles that have improved the prospects of many
Cadets. His consultation with local Aboriginal elders, youth workers,
sporting organisations and other stakeholders have helped break
down the barriers between indigenous youth and police through
respectful engagement.
A member of the committee for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, he
runs the annual Polar Plunge Fundraiser at Hillarys Boat Harbour to
assist with financial support for athletes with an Intellectual Disability,
raising more than $85,000 in two years.
Senior Sergeant Stoneman epitomises the WA Police Force priorities
of people, partnership and performance and is a worthy recipient of
the Australian Police Medal.
SENIOR SERGEANT HEATH SOUTAR
Senior Sergeant Soutar joined the WA Police Force in 1986, serving
in a range of frontline metropolitan roles before taking a career break
in 1997. He re-joined the agency in 2002 working in police stations and
specialist units, including the Regional Operations Group (ROG).
Since his promotion to Senior Sergeant in 2014, he has been Officer
in Charge of four Police Stations based throughout Regional WA,
including his current position at the Australind Police Station.
He has displayed innovation, drive and integrity whilst policing in
challenging work areas like ROG and in some of the most remote
areas of the state, such as the Wiluna and Laverton communities. He
has demonstrated a strong commitment to making positive change
and advancing Aboriginal reconciliation. Recognising the value of
cultivating strong, positive relationships, he prioritised this goal for his
team as well as the broader communities he has led.
In Wiluna, he
was accepted by the community and given a skin group of Milangka
by the local Martu Elders as a way of acknowledging his commitment
to their people and lands.
Senior Sergeant Soutar has played a pivotal role in numerous projects
that have significantly enhanced the agency’s operational capabilities.
Notably, in 2012, as a Tactical Commander at the Regional Operations
Group (ROG), he was a key member of a working group tasked with
the implementation of the Out of Control Gathering Legislation,
actively driving its successful implementation. This legislation is still
used to disperse people who have gathered for any range of unlawful
purposes.
As a Project Manager at Business Solutions, he led the
change towards online crime reporting through projects like Report My
Lost Property, a reporting mechanism for members of the community
to report crime in an expedient and accurate manner.
Senior Sergeant Soutar provides valued mentorship and support as
part of the Peer Mentor Program and is always available for others
who are struggling with the many challenges of being a police officer.
He is a worthy recipient of the Australian Police Medal.