Patrolling the red sandy plains of Murputja 1200km from Adelaide, and outback cop Tiffany Greig is far from lonely.
Despite working at the most remote police station in South Australia, the Senior Constable is often joined by a pack of crime fighting sidekicks – rescued joeys, wild dingoes and a kelpie named Kip.
Senior Constable Greig works in the Aboriginal community of Murputja in the APY Lands, just south of the Northern Territory border.
It’s not unusual to spot a rescued joey in the back seat of her 4WD police patrol vehicle.
Nor is it surprising to find her walking Kip with a pack of wild dingoes, George, Teddy, Daisy and Rosie, trailing behind.
While keeping the community safe might be Senior Constable Greig’s primary job, she’s also a bit of a social media star.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js Senior Constable Greig with TV star Ernie Dingo.
Her Instagram page has built up a following of 3000 people who can view her experiences with locals, tourists, and wildlife.
Senior Constable Greig was inspired to share with the world her life as a Far North cop when rugby union star Nick ‘Honey Badger’ Cummins was passing through Leigh Creek.
She says the sportsman suggested using Instagram to help promote the region and share a day in the life of an outback cop.
“Ever since then people have taken an interest in this female copper and her joeys,” Senior Constable Greig says.
Throughout her policing career she has cared for seven joeys, rescued from the roadside after their mothers were hit by cars.
The star of her Instagram page is adopted baby roo Quinn, who recently died from a snakebite.
She says an Instagram photo of the pair in the front bar of renowned outback pub The Prairie Hotel has been viewed one million times.
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js A joey walked into a bar … and became an Instagram star!
In September, the duo even appeared on Channel 10’s The Project.
“He was always a hit with the tourists and great for community engagement and talking about road safety with kangaroos,” Senior Constable Greig says.
“He was a good icebreaker.”
Working alongside one other police officer, she says Murputja and the surrounding area’s crime rate is extremely low.
“We drive around the community and are usually able to nip things in the bud before they happen,” Senior Constable Greig says.
“Our job involves a lot of community engagement – the Anangu people are very gentle and have quite a calming culture.
“We have some really good yarns with the elders.”
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js A typical day as a Murputja police officer involves engaging with locals.
Senior Constable Greig was born in the UK, moving to Australia as a child.
Before joining the police force she studied at university and worked in the wine industry for more than a decade.
But a slow burning desire to become a policewoman eventually took over and so she joined the force in late 2009.
“It was a good time to be a female in the police force and I think I had enough life experience to be successful at it,” she says.
“I was first posted to Berri in the Riverland for my probation period of two years.”
//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.jsPatrolling along the Birdsville Track. PHOTO: @kayt_southaustralia.
Senior Constable Greig then headed to Coober Pedy, attending anything from small-scale thefts to major drug trafficking operations.
She also completed a stint at Ceduna before taking a position at Leigh Creek where she patrolled along the remote Birdsville, Strzelecki and Oodnadatta tracks.
Now at Murputja for the past three months, she works two weeks on one week off.
“Last night it was completely still outside except for a chorus of crickets,” Senior Constable Greig says.
“I’m constantly inspired by the landscape … you can see for miles.”
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