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CANBERRA - Reconnaissance teams and troops will today start rolling into central Australian communities in the first phase of the federal government's crackdown on indigenous child abuse.
The teams will enter about five settlements over coming days, including Mutitjulu at Uluru.
They will work to prepare each community
for the deployment next week of police officers sourced from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the states.
The teams, supported logistically by the army, will also assess the infrastructure needs of the townships.
Some Aboriginal families are reported to have fled their homes and sought refuge in the bush amid fears their children could be removed.
Prime Minister John Howard said the reports were exaggerated.
"And if people are fleeing, then they've been wrongly informed," he told the Nine Network.
"There's no reason to flee, it's quite the reverse.
"People are going there to help, going there to save and protect, they're not going there to scare people and steal children."
Mutitjulu leader Bob Randall said the community was waiting to see what happens next.
"It appears to be high security, all we are doing is waiting to see what happens but we all think this is a terrible way to go about it, I mean this is heavy stuff," he said.
"It is quiet as always, this is always a quiet little community.
"We haven't seen anything different yet but we are expecting something to happen today."
Mr Randall said the townspeople would welcome anybody who will make things better.
NT Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour said she believed the details of the intervention were very "flimsy".
"Anger is starting to build because people don't know the details." she told ABC radio.
Eleven officers this morning flew out of Canberra bound for Darwin, where they will undergo training before being deployed to communities.
The 10 AFP members and an intelligence officer will be sworn in as NT Police special constables for the duration of their stay.
NT Police Commissioner Paul White said a training and induction program had been designed, focusing on police powers, cultural issues and "reinforcing aspects of the unique working environment in the NT".
"A phased approach to the policing initiative is planned, which will initially concentrate on community assessments and prioritising assistance based upon the level of perceived community dysfunction," he said.
"This will be followed by the deployment of the additional resources on the ground to gain community confidence, gather intelligence and begin to create an environment where other stakeholder agencies can attend to their core responsibilities."
One of the AFP officers, Tracey Duck, who has served in East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, said she was looking forward to contributing.
"It's going to be quite difficult but I think if we showed a lot of compassion ... we're going to make a difference and actually protect the children that are being abused," she told reporters.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough again defended the drastic action, saying: "Tonight, tomorrow night, and the next night, kids could look forward to more hell.
"Well now we hope we can break that cycle," he told the Ten Network.
"Yes we know this is far reaching and interventionist -- but nothing else has worked till now."
South Australian Premier Mike Rann today said the state was unlikely to send the 10 requested by the federal government, but may send five.
All states except Western Australia have agreed to contribute police to the intervention.
- AAP
