Outback cop mans beat the size of UK

BIRDSVILLE, Australia - Being the only policeman in an area the size of the United Kingdom might be daunting for some, but not for Senior Constable Stephan Pursell.

The easy-going 53-year-old runs a modest police station in the equally modest town of Birdsville, making him the law across a vast swathe of outback Australia.

In this isolated, arid, ferrous-red-and-orange moonscape fringing the Simpson Desert, dust, pesky flies, feral camels, wild dogs and deadly snakes are your main companions.