Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says 26 officers who’ve passed away in the last 12 months are among those being honoured this Police Remembrance Day

Transcript

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says 26 officers who’ve passed away in the last 12 months are among those being honoured this Police Remembrance Day · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: And we did just hear from the lovely Waldo and
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  Speaker 1: Sue obviously Waldo reading that poem for us for National
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  Speaker 1: Police Remembrance Day, and we do know that it is
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  Speaker 1: a day for reflection on the ultimate sacrifice made by
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  Speaker 1: our brave police officers right around the nation. But indeed
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  Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory and joining me in the
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  Speaker 1: studio right now is the Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Good morning, Cody Commissioner. What is
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  Speaker 1: Remembrance Day all about?
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  Speaker 2: Well, importantly just referencing Waldo. So Glenn Hewitts and I
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  Speaker 2: work together in Kalkarni before he transferred to Adelaide River
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  Speaker 2: and all those poems held in very high regard by
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  Speaker 2: many of us. Indeed, it's actually on Glenn's memorial out
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  Speaker 2: there at Old Bino Road, so it's always special. But
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  Speaker 2: it does highlight the impact that police have on our
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  Speaker 2: community and how in Trench we are in the rich
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  Speaker 2: history of the Northern Territory, and when we see people
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  Speaker 2: die in the life of duty, as occurred with Glenn, we.
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  Speaker 1: Remember that it must have been an incredibly difficult time
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  Speaker 1: when that happened, and when Glenn's life was lost.
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  Speaker 2: It was the sad reality though, as any death hits
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  Speaker 2: us because we are a big family and when that occurs,
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  Speaker 2: and unfortunately, earlier this year we've had a number of
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  Speaker 2: serving that have passed as well, and today was a
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  Speaker 2: day to be able to stop, pause and reflect on
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  Speaker 2: all the sacrifices that people who are police, not only
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  Speaker 2: in the Northern territory, but it is personal for us
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  Speaker 2: here but across the Asia Pacific region.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, is it? I mean, I guess on a daylight
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  Speaker 1: today National Police Remembrance Day, we do often think about
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  Speaker 1: those offices that have been lost in the line of duty,
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  Speaker 1: but is it really also a day to reflect on
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  Speaker 1: all those offices that have been part of what you
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  Speaker 1: just said is a larger family and thinking about them
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  Speaker 1: on a daylight today?
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  Speaker 2: Definitely. We've had twenty six who've currently or previously served
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  Speaker 2: also passed away in the last twelve months, so we
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  Speaker 2: get the opportunity to stop and reflect on those. It's
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  Speaker 2: no great secret that many of the things that we
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  Speaker 2: get exposed to we carry into a time and post
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  Speaker 2: resignation and leaving the force, and we're trying to be
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  Speaker 2: a lot better in that space I think nationally, But
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  Speaker 2: today's really about the community having that opportunity to acknowledge
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  Speaker 2: and remember the police and what they do, and that's
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  Speaker 2: always gratefully received by police, the appreciation of all that
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  Speaker 2: we do.
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  Speaker 1: And you said the twenty six officers have passed away
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  Speaker 1: throughout this year. I know that mental health has been
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  Speaker 1: one of those issues that you and I have spoken
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  Speaker 1: about before, but is it a day to reflect on
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  Speaker 1: that as well?
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  Speaker 2: I think that's synonymous currently unfortunately, and you know, we're
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  Speaker 2: seeing that across the community. That's the other part that
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  Speaker 2: probably isn't appreciated is we, unfortunately, are the ones that
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  Speaker 2: receive the calls when people choose to take their own
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  Speaker 2: life in the norm more circumstance of the world and
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  Speaker 2: day to day things, and we're seeing that first hand
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  Speaker 2: play out. So it's challenging space. Dealing with people who've
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  Speaker 2: passed away is an emotional time for family, friends and
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  Speaker 2: being the ones that ultimately have to provide that advice
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  Speaker 2: is not a great task.
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  Speaker 1: How did those services go this morning?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? Well, so we had services in Nullen Boy, Catherine
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  Speaker 2: Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and of course Darwin, and there
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  Speaker 2: was march in Darwin and also in Alice Springs, and
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  Speaker 2: my understanding is they were well attended and well supported events,
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  Speaker 2: which is great and good to see community turn up.
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner, with everything that has happened or have been happening lately,
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  Speaker 1: was it more important today to unite the force than
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  Speaker 1: ever before?
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  Speaker 2: I think every day is important for us. There's a
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  Speaker 2: lot going on and we continue to be in the
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  Speaker 2: public domain, and the Inquest is certainly front and center
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  Speaker 2: with that. You know, the inquest is focusing on a
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  Speaker 2: period of some near three years ago, and what we're
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  Speaker 2: trying to make sure as we're putting our best foot
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  Speaker 2: forward each and every day to improve on where we were.
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  Speaker 2: The fact of the matter is we finally got some
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  Speaker 2: good resourcing back. I think we're down to only one
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  Speaker 2: person being positive with COVID across the agency, which we
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  Speaker 2: haven't seen for a significant period of time, and as
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  Speaker 2: a result of that, we've seen a roturn to our
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  Speaker 2: high visibility policing, which is great.
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  Speaker 1: Now. Look, I'm sure I'll have you on another point
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  Speaker 1: to talk about some of those other issues that are
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  Speaker 1: happening around the place, but I am keen this morning
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  Speaker 1: to focus on Remembrance Day. And I know that there
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  Speaker 1: were some special recognitions. So there was something that happened
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  Speaker 1: this year that was a little bit different, wasn't that?
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  Speaker 2: There was We've got a contingent who've headed down to
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  Speaker 2: Canberra to the National Police Memorial because through the work
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  Speaker 2: that was undertaken through the one hundred and fifty years
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  Speaker 2: of policing in the Northern Territory, it was identified that
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  Speaker 2: two Native constables and a Native tracker back in the
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  Speaker 2: eighteen nineties had died while serving. So it was appropriate
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  Speaker 2: that they be recognized today. And that's occurring down in camera,
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  Speaker 2: which is fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So they were territorials, were they? Yeah? And how
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  Speaker 1: long ago were they working.
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  Speaker 2: Back in the eighteen nineties.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: So that's the history of Aboriginal people and policing in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. It's been there for a long period
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  Speaker 2: of time, and we know that there's elements of that
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  Speaker 2: history that are not great, and we strive to be
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  Speaker 2: better to ensure that those things don't occur again.
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  Speaker 1: How was that sort of how was that history uncovered
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  Speaker 1: then through journals.
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  Speaker 2: As I understand it, because many of the journals back
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  Speaker 2: in the day, of course, were all handwritten and some
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  Speaker 2: of the script writing. I have to say, you look
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  Speaker 2: back to that era, it was pretty impressive sort of writing.
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  Speaker 2: I think we might have lost that art.
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  Speaker 1: And so with that recognition for those two Native constables,
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  Speaker 1: what exactly is going to happen for them today?
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  Speaker 2: So they're identified now at the National Memorial as on
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  Speaker 2: the Wall of Respect. So that's quite a good thing
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  Speaker 2: that those three individuals certainly well overdue, but today that
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  Speaker 2: gets corrected and they're recognized now.
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner, just before I let you go, obviously, like I said,
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  Speaker 1: today is such an important day. We know that there
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  Speaker 1: have been a lot of issues when it comes to
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  Speaker 1: the territory police. You know, you and I have spoken
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  Speaker 1: about them. But what is your message, you know for
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  Speaker 1: those police officers that are listening this morning on a
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  Speaker 1: day like today.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it is important that we all remember what we do,
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  Speaker 2: but we also remember that it's our family and friends
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  Speaker 2: that provide support to us to be able to be
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  Speaker 2: the best that we can be. We've all got a
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  Speaker 2: role to try and provide that support to each other.
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  Speaker 2: And where we're heading is a positive direction and one
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  Speaker 2: that has the community and our people at our forefront,
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  Speaker 2: and the work that we're doing in our well being
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  Speaker 2: in health space. You know, we've managed to get out
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  Speaker 2: to new chaplains on board, how we're growing our honorary
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  Speaker 2: chaplaincy service. We've appointed a peer supervisor now that's really
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  Speaker 2: going to grow that space and support, and we're rolling
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  Speaker 2: out training. So there's a lot of things going in
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  Speaker 2: that place. So the future as we look to launch
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  Speaker 2: into twenty twenty three is positive and we can start
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  Speaker 2: getting back out there to do what we do best.
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  Speaker 1: So those two new chaplains are on board now. Where
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  Speaker 1: about today Alice.
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  Speaker 2: Springs and Darwin, And we've already gotten one of our
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  Speaker 2: honorary chaplains providing additional support in Alice Springs, which is fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Well, no doubt we'll talk again very soon.
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  Speaker 1: I am keen to catch up at some point as
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  Speaker 1: well about Alice Springs and some of the issues that
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  Speaker 1: are obviously being experienced down there. But Police Commissioner Jamie
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  Speaker 1: Talker really appreciate your time this morning on National Police
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  Speaker 1: Remembrance Day. Thanks Katie,