Police Commissioner Chris Dawson discusses Cleo Smith rescue in Carnarvon, hopes she grows up without fear

It was a moment that united the country — and Chris Dawson described himself as the “proudest Police Commissioner in the world” when four-year-old Cleo Smith was saved from her kidnapper’s lair in Carnarvon last year. And Mr Dawson said he hoped the four-year-old can grow up living her life “without fear”. For 18 days, the country watched as hundreds of police officers, army personnel, volunteers and locals worked to find Cleo after she was abducted from her family’s tent at the remote Blowholes campsite. The investigation ended the way everyone had hoped but few dared to believe when a photo was released of a smiling Cleo holding an icy-pole and waving at the camera from her hospital bed. Mr Dawson told The Sunday Times he wanted the “sweet, young girl” to enjoy her childhood. “My hope is that Cleo will be able to be like any other young girl with a family and grow up in our community without fear,” he said. “It’s what every family and every parent hopes for.” Officers at the centre of the high-profile investigation admitted after Cleo’s rescue, through tears, that they had prepared for the worst, saying “we always hoped to find her alive, but we never believed we would”. Mr Dawson said it was the “humanity element” of the extensive investigation he would always remember. “It’s just got all those elements of humanity and that’s very hard to really capture adequately in words,” he said. “One of the poignant parts of the Cleo story was when one of the fellows, who got imprisoned because of the situation with COVID and the AFL grand final attendance, was interviewed about his imprisonment. “(During the interview) what I found very interesting was when he was in prison, Cleo was rescued. “He said you could hear the hollering and yells from the prisoners throughout the prison saying: ‘Cleo’s been found.’ “I think that speaks to the humanity of this whole situation where even convicted people in prison could share the joy of a little girl who has been rescued, and I think that was a touching moment for me to actually begin reflecting on and go: ‘That’s what policing is about.’ “We deal with people from all walks of life, but ultimately, we’re all human.” Mr Dawson, who is a grandfather, spoke about the joy that filled Carnarvon after Cleo was found. “I flew into Carnarvon several hours later and I’ll never forget not only the joy of meeting Cleo and her parents, but when I went down the street to grab a cup of coffee people were just stopping their cars, getting out shaking my hand,” he said. “They were signs up in the shop windows, ‘Welcome home Cleo’ — it was just a joyous occasion. “She’s such a sweet, sweet young girl and it was really such a privilege to be able to see her reunited with her parents.”