First female Secdet MPs

Showing her mettle: Cpl Alise Penny tests a brand new hand-held metal detector at the Australian Embassy.

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

A FIRST has been achieved in Baghdad following the deployment of two Military Policewomen to Secdet 7.

Cpl Alise Penny, of 13 MP Pl, and Cpl Heidi Abbot, of 4 MP Coy, have been assigned to assist with the security of the new Australian Embassy in the international zone.

Previously only male MPs had been deployed to Iraq to conduct close personal protection tasks, but cultural sensitivities regarding the searching of women entering the embassy compound required the services of trained female MPs. There is also an extensive closed-circuit television network that needs to be monitored by expert eyes, so Cpls Penny and Abbott have plenty to keep them occupied.

“It means a lot to me that female MPs can come in here and get this sort of experience,” Cpl Penny said. “It’s quite an exciting opportunity and it’s why I joined the Army.”

For Cpl Abbot, the opportunity to work at the embassy means she can play her part in helping the other members of the Secdet team keep the building and grounds secure. “Through the cameras we can get a better view of things than the guys on the ground,” she said. “So if they see something happening they get us to take a closer look.”

Cpl Abbot said she was enjoying the challenge of maintaining the vigilance necessary to maintain the embassy’s security.

“It’s your responsibility to make sure the people in the embassy are safe,” she said. “We need to ensure nothing is smuggled in during searches and that anything suspicious is investigated by our cameras.”

Another benefit of working at the embassy has been the chance to sample Iraqi culture.

“We have a good relationship with the locally employed workers here,” Cpl Abbot said.

“They let us try their food and they’ve taught us some Arabic. The Iraqis are very professional and friendly, and they make being here even better.”