By
LS Rachel Irving
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Pictured
is POB Malcolm Yardley, who recently convinced a knife-wielding
man to drop his weapon after he gained entry to HMAS Stirling.
Acting CO LCDR Tony Young has urged personnel to be more
vigilant.
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Photo:
ABPH Phil Cullinan
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Remain
vigilant.
That’s the message from HMAS Stirling’s acting CO LCDR Tony Young
who has
urged all Navy personnel to be aware after security was breached
at Fleet Base West last month.
An armed man found his way onto the island after following another
car onto the causeway, and wandered around for the better part
of an hour unchallenged before finding his way to one of the lodger
units looking for his target.
It was here that he was confronted by POB Malcolm Yardley who
managed to calm the man enough and coax him into dropping the
18cm fishing knife.
“He was very distressed.
One of my AB’s, ABBM David Estrich, came and told me there was
a man walking around outside and he thought he had a knife.
As I approached him I kept a ute (which was parked outside) between
us.
He told me he was looking for a sailor and I said he wasn’t here.
He was very emotional.” PO Yardley had rung the Naval Police before
going out into the carpark and so set about trying to persuade
the man into dropping the knife.
“I told him I would try to help him but first I needed him to
throw the knife into the back of the ute.
He said he couldn’t do that but I told him the police were on
their way and it wouldn’t look good if he was still waving a knife
around.”
The man eventually threw the knife into the ground and PO Yardley
kicked it out of reach before holding the man down until the authorities
arrived.
There were other people around at the time and PO Yardley admitted
it was a threatening situation. “I have twenty people working
under me here and I can’t have anyone threatening them,” he said.
LCDR Young said this was an unfortunate incident highlighting
the fact that everyone must remain aware. “I think that people
have become relaxed but things will never be the way they used
to be and that’s the way we must act,” he said.
“We must remain vigilant and challenge people who are on our bases
without identification.”
An examination of security on the base has been undertaken and
will remain under continual review.
