WA; Counter-terrorism exercise begins in Perth

AAP General News (Australia)
08-02-2004
WA; Counter-terrorism exercise begins in Perth

PERTH, Aug 2 AAP - The counter-terrorism responses of police and defence personnel
will be put to the test in a series of exercises to be staged in Western Australia this
week.

More than 100 state and federal police and defence personnel will take part in the
Tactical Response Exercise (TACREX) dubbed Exercise Base-Line that begins in Perth today.

The exercise, sponsored by the National Counter Terrorism Committee, will be played
out in three separate incident scenarios, one of which will include activities at Perth
airport.

The $180,000 TACREX is not expected to cause any public disruption, nor will it be
staged in any public areas.

West Australian Deputy Police Commissioner of operations Tim Atherton said WA police
were well-prepared for emergency response scenarios but such exercises were an important
part of police readiness.

"It's a good opportunity to work with other state and federal organisations and further
refine those areas of cooperation and interaction," Mr Atherton said.

Two TACREX sessions are held in Australia each year in different police jurisdictions.

AAP hn/bes

KEYWORD: BASELINE

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