Violence left cops fearing for lives

POLICE feared for their lives and were only trying to bring peace to Palm Island during the 2004 riots, officers who were on the ground have said.

Yesterday it was revealed the State Government had agreed to pay $ 30 million to 447 complainants from a class action lawsuit following the riots and issue an apology for the actions of certain police officers deemed to be racially discriminatory.

The Townsville Bulletin spoke with several officers, who did not wish to be named and were part of the response team when chaos ripped through the indigenous community in the wake of Cameron Doomadgee dying in police custody on November 19, 2004.

A 2016 Federal Court ruling found some police officers contravened the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 during the riot.

“The talk of racism really diminishes what officers had to endure over there,” one officer said. “It was a really intense and high risk situation … there were police who worked the riots who thought they were going to die.”

Another officer pointed out that many of the police who attended the island had experience working in indigenous communities.

“I daresay every police officer there at the time had experience with both indigenous and non- indigenous people.

“Nothing is ever said about what a good job police did to maintain control of the situation.”