By Cpl Jonathan Garland

WHEN Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence Danna Vale visited East Timor in April, the task of ensuring personal security for her party was given to the Army’s Military Police.

A team of eight MPs from 41 MP Pl in Brisbane spent a week in East Timor ahead of the minister’s visit to recce the locations to be visited.

OIC Capt Eric Gruber said a close personal protection task such as this involved fairly intensive planning.

“There is extensive examination of venues and routes, including alternatives, there is a lot of equipment involved and also liaison with various policing groups,” he said.

Close personal protection is a core task of the Military Police and is a sub-specialisation within the corps.

Each task has its own specific considerations, which are based around a core framework of CPP doctrine.

“I think it’s important people realise the Military Police have this tasking and it isn’t something that’s just thrown together on the spur of the moment.

“It’s a specialisation and the members who conduct it are highly trained and extremely professional.”

.