Border Force recruits Rangers to patrol coastline

The Australian Border Force is to enlist Indigenous rangers to patrol the country’s northern coastline to thwart illegal fishing boats and people smugglers.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the Federal government would equip indigenous rangers to patrol the 10,000km northern coastline.

“No one knows that sea country better than those rangers,” he told reporters in Darwin.

Border Force officials said it had intercepted 20 foreign fishing vessels since launching an operation in the Northern Territory in December.

The number of arrivals is small, 30 since July last year, including 13 in November.

It is believed a boat with 74 people aboard was turned back by Border Force in July.