On the Butterworth beat
Aussie MPs on patrol with the Rifle Company Butterworth

Cross training: An Australian and Malaysian soldier compare their weapons on exercise at RCB. Photo by Pte John Wellfare, Army newspaper

By Pte John Wellfare

ALLOCATING two MPs to a company group deployment may seem excessive, but the policing detachment for Ri- fl e Company Butterworth (RCB) does a lot more than handle disciplinary issues.

The detachment spends most of its time in liaison with local police and business owners, or planning and testing routes between RCB and other Land Command, South-East Asian Combined Training exercise locations. The RCB MPs work under the SIB Investigator, a member of the Land Command Liaison Section - Butterworth (LCLS-B), who focuses on investigations within South- East Asia.

The RCB MPs’ focus is on assisting the RCB, they provide a 24-hour patrol while the company is in location at the Butterworth air base and deploy with the RCB on exercises.

RCB 68 MP Cpl Matthew Brown said actual policing and investigations had been only a minor part of the detachment’s role during the three-month deployment.

“The policing side was kept to a minimum, just some minor issues, like a lost wallet or some things happening that we had to report to the local police for them to act on,” he said.

“Our corps motto is ‘for the soldiers and with the soldiers’, so we’re out there looking after them. The soldier always comes fi rst, and they appreciate the assistance.

“There are some places in [Butterworth and Penang] that, while they look good and have great atmosphere inside, they’re out of bounds for certain reasons. Generally it’s for security reasons [and] with the RCB’s help we police the out of bound areas.”

Some venues in the RCB’s local city of Penang have become the traditional haunts for Australian soldiers on leave, while others have earned a lesser reputation.

One of the most important jobs performed by the MP detachment involves mapping out the safer zones and developing a good rapport with local club managers.

The RCB main group arrives with an MP corporal, while another MP corporal arrives six weeks into the rotation. The approach aims to ensure a constant level of experience and local familiarity remains within the MP detachment.

RCBs visit a number of locations throughout Malaysia and the surrounding region during a three-month rotation and the MP detachment plays a vital role in facilitating these visits.

Cpl Brown said MPs would usually travel to a location several weeks before the RCB was due.

The MPs are involved with convoy escorts and are required to check routes and provide route and stick maps. A security assessment of the route is also required. The assistance of MPs in these tasks allows the RCB to focus on training.

Cpl Brown said the RCB infantry soldier worked hard out in the field and played hard during the down time.

“When it’s [the soldiers’] time off, we’re working, so when they’re working we usually take a back seat to their training,” he said.

“[But] if the RCB requires MPs to assist with their training we’re happy to do so, for example playing enemy. After all, what better enemy for an infantry soldier than an MP?”

And who are we to argue?