Cleo Smith found: Thank God for the West Australian police who found the missing four-year-old

It was one of THOSE moments. The moment that you hear extraordinary news.

The sort of news that is of such significance that the world seemingly stops and, in years to come, you will remember hearing it.

Sadly, it is usually bad news. Really bad news. Like when Princess Diana died in a car crash, or the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

But thankfully, there are also occasions when that moment brings good news.

Like when lost sailor Tony Bullimore was rescued by the Royal Australian Navy in the Southern Ocean.

And like Wednesday. When, after 18 agonising days, little Cleo Smith was found alive.

It is an outcome that is being celebrated not just around WA, but across the world. And it is a result for which we owe so much to the WA Police.

The disappearance of the four-year-old from her family’s tent while on a camping holiday at the Blowholes, 70km north of Carnarvon, had shocked us all.

It quickly became apparent that she had not just wandered off, but had allegedly been abducted.

The State held its breath as the search got under way.

The front line is no place for the faint-hearted.

WA Police threw everything they could at the hunt, combing the camp site, interviewing those who had been there, calling for CCTV footage of the roads and highways across a large chunk of the State in the hope something — anything — of value could be found.

The community responded, too. Tips flooded in to investigators, and “missing” posters went up around WA. But as the days blurred into one another, fears for Cleo grew.

And then came Wednesday. As the good news spread, WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the force “never gave up hope” that Cleo would be found alive. The State’s top cop was clearly emotional as he held a photograph of Cleo in a hospital bed. Mr Dawson spoke of his pride in the 140 officers who were involved in finding her.

“What a great day. We now have returned Cleo to her loving parents. It’s a wonderful day for this little girl and her loving family,” he said.

“It’s a really special day for WA, and indeed I know the nation is rejoicing the fact we’ve been able to conduct this operation.”

Det-Supt Rod Wilde, who led the search, said his team had hoped for the best but with each day that passed their concerns grew. “I never gave up hope and we got the result that we’re all so grateful for,” he said. Det-Supt Wilde credited the happy ending to “hard work”, saying data analysts had been “extremely helpful” in helping them find “that needle in the haystack”.

Police have a tough job. The front line is no place for the faint-hearted. When the streets get ugly, they are often in the firing line. Their mistakes can have enormous consequences. But when we need help, they are the first we turn to.

In the search for Cleo, they again showed their worth. Perhaps WA Police Minister Paul Papalia summed it up best: “If you feel the need to thank God today, thank God for the West Australian police force.”

It is a sentiment we all share.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie