Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Superintendent Daniel Shein says more than 30 Wadeye residents have been returned home as part of Operation Tarn

Transcript

Superintendent Daniel Shein says more than 30 Wadeye residents have been returned home as part of Operation Tarn · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Last month, we know that police revealed on the show
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that an operation had been launched to help with issues
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: that we've seen in the remote community of what Air.
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  Speaker 1: Now Operation Tan aimed to tackle anti social, antisocial and
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: criminal behavior in Darwin from a small cohort that had
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  Speaker 1: traveled here from what Air following unrest and displacement in
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  Speaker 1: the community. Now joining me in the studio to tell
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  Speaker 1: us a little bit more about some of that work
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  Speaker 1: that has taken place is Superintendent Daniel Sheen. Good morning
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  Speaker 1: to you. Daniel, Good morning Katie, thanks so much for
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  Speaker 1: your time this morning. Now. What has been undertaken since
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  Speaker 1: that operation began?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so, Operation Tan, as you said, was established due
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  Speaker 2: to the displacement of a number of people from what
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  Speaker 2: Air community across Toodwin after the civil unrest in a community.
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  Speaker 2: Unfortunately that created some vulnerability with people that were sleeping
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  Speaker 2: rough and also some over creating of public houses. We
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  Speaker 2: saw an increase in anti social behavior by a small
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  Speaker 2: cohort of people that were from Whateir and so we
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  Speaker 2: saw to tackle that through Operation TAR. A number of
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  Speaker 2: action plans were instigated to deal with the issues across
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  Speaker 2: Downe and some.
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  Speaker 1: What Air as well, and so talk us through that
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  Speaker 1: action plan and what it entailed from a police perspective
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  Speaker 1: to try to get people back home and try to
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  Speaker 1: make sure that things are a bit calmer I'm assuming
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  Speaker 1: in what Air as well, so that they were able
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  Speaker 1: to go back home. Sure.
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  Speaker 2: So we had a number of subaction plans to an
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  Speaker 2: operation order. Some of the things that we were doing
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  Speaker 2: still are doing in the action plan is we've got
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  Speaker 2: a declared drug area on the road to Port Ketch Road.
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  Speaker 1: What that does is the.
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  Speaker 2: Officers are there twenty four hours a day, seven days
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  Speaker 2: a week for the duration of the operation. They've been
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  Speaker 2: searching every vehicle that has passed through there on the
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  Speaker 2: way to what Air, mainly looking for drugs and alcohol
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  Speaker 2: going out to the community. And at this stage they've
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  Speaker 2: seized some four hundred and sixty grams of cannabis going
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  Speaker 2: out to what Air and about fifty five leaders of
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  Speaker 2: our cohol going out to what Air as well. Wow,
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  Speaker 2: so those our cool and other drugs make a significant
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  Speaker 2: difference to community safety. We've also had police officers at
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  Speaker 2: the airport conducting searches of passengers going out to what Air,
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  Speaker 2: freight and mail going out there as well. So part
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  Speaker 2: of that was looking at reducing issues in what Are
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people we spoke to said that they
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  Speaker 2: come across too dull on because they didn't feel safe
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  Speaker 2: being there, and so we sought to reduce those issues
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  Speaker 2: in whatever to make the community safer. Yeah right, and
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  Speaker 2: that has had a significant effect on safety in what
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  Speaker 2: Air at the moment. So last week we sought to
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  Speaker 2: do a return to country and send as many people
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  Speaker 2: that wanted to go home back to what Air knowing
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  Speaker 2: that Territory Housing have done a good job at to
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  Speaker 2: making repairs two houses at what Air so that people
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  Speaker 2: can go back to their houses and there's still a
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  Speaker 2: large body work that's been done there. But primarily it
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: was looking at reducing vulnerability of people that are sleeping
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  Speaker 2: rough around the Darwen area.
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  Speaker 1: And so how many people have now been returned home?
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  Speaker 2: So we were able to get thirty home last Thursday
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  Speaker 2: and there is more schedule to go home.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so it's quite I mean thirty doesn't sound like
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  Speaker 1: a huge number, but it is quite a large number
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about them then sleeping rough in Darwin
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  Speaker 1: and unfortunately in some instances engaged in criminal and anti
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  Speaker 1: social behavior, it does have a big impact, doesn't it
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  Speaker 1: It does yep.
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  Speaker 2: And there were also a number of infants in that
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  Speaker 2: group as well, So it's good to get the children
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  Speaker 2: back home, back to their community and off the streets
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  Speaker 2: around Darwen and Daniel.
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  Speaker 1: We had seen throughout that time as well, or we'd
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  Speaker 1: heard certainly anecdotally through the show that there were vehicles
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  Speaker 1: being stolen and driven out toward air. Was there a
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  Speaker 1: large number of vehicles that were being stolen. We did
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  Speaker 1: have that.
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  Speaker 2: Crime series, yes, where Toyatos were targeted, the primary vehicle
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  Speaker 2: that we're being targeted, and they were driven out to
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  Speaker 2: whatever by a group of people who have all been arrested.
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  Speaker 2: And we had the incident out at whatever where they
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  Speaker 2: broke into the police compound and drove one of the
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  Speaker 2: vehicles through the fencing to escape.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was incredible for all the wrong reasons. Hey,
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  Speaker 1: So frustrating and so frustrating them for the police as
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  Speaker 1: well in terms of trying to keep that compound all
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  Speaker 1: locked up and the cars safe. Exactly right, Yeah, Hey,
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  Speaker 1: talk us through with that alcohol. So fifty leaders of alcohol,
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  Speaker 1: see's on that road going into whatever. That must have
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  Speaker 1: a big impact in terms of not actually them being
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  Speaker 1: consumed in the community.
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  Speaker 2: Correct, So with the fifty five leaders of alcohol that
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  Speaker 2: Spain see so far, unfortunately, we see our cohol abuse
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  Speaker 2: result in domestic and family violence, and to be able
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  Speaker 2: to take that alcohol away reduces the likelihood of family violence.
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  Speaker 2: So that's a that's really good results for the women
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  Speaker 2: and children that would be subjected to that domestic violence
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  Speaker 2: had the alcohol got into the community and people become
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  Speaker 2: aebriated on the alcohol.
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  Speaker 1: So is what are they now since the end of
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  Speaker 1: that Stronger Futures legislation? Are they still a dry community?
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  Speaker 2: Yes?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so obviously it would have had a big impact.
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  Speaker 1: What are like, what are the women out in the
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  Speaker 1: community saying to police at the moment or what were
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  Speaker 1: they saying, you know when they were worried about that alcohol?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it look interesting question. I was out there, not
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  Speaker 2: last week, the week before. While I was out there,
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  Speaker 2: it was pleasing to see that. I was engaging with
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  Speaker 2: some community members who made observation of cars of ladies
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  Speaker 2: attending the shop, and one of the comments was, we
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  Speaker 2: haven't seen those people out in public for quite some time,
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  Speaker 2: So that in itself is a really positive for improving
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  Speaker 2: community safety. The other thing, when I was out there.
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  Speaker 2: They had football scratch match which drew a crowd of
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  Speaker 2: people to watch, and that in itself is excellent because
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  Speaker 2: there was no fighting, a good game of footy by
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  Speaker 2: both sides. So those things that improve community safety and
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  Speaker 2: sports is an excellent thing for the what Air community.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel, it does sound like there's been that sort of
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  Speaker 1: increased presence as well of police in the community. Is
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  Speaker 1: that going to need sort to keep up? I know
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  Speaker 1: that the operation can't go on forever, but what work
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  Speaker 1: will happen to try to keep that community at rest
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  Speaker 1: and try to keep people out there.
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  Speaker 2: So now is a really good time for the community
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  Speaker 2: to embrace community safety committee meetings and to drive the
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  Speaker 2: community safety action plans where the community themselves come out
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  Speaker 2: with ideas and solutions to maintain community safety. And now
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  Speaker 2: is an excellent time for them to embrace that and
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  Speaker 2: then move forward trying to maintain the calmness that's there
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  Speaker 2: at the moment.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Right, no doubt there will be continue work I'm assuming
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  Speaker 1: with other agencies.
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  Speaker 2: And that kind of thing, And you're exactly right, and
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  Speaker 2: the police work with other agencies in community to enhance
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  Speaker 2: community safety.
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  Speaker 1: Well. Daniel Sheen, superintendent with the Northern Territory Police. I
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you coming in and having a chat to us
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  Speaker 1: about this. I know, you know, I guess some people
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  Speaker 1: might be thinking to themselves, oh, look, what is a
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  Speaker 1: remote community that's a little way away from Darwin. But
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  Speaker 1: the fact is that unrest that's been happening in what
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  Speaker 1: air has had such a big impact right across the board,
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  Speaker 1: not only for the people that live there, but then
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  Speaker 1: you know, seeing that unrest spill into dar And at
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  Speaker 1: different times throughout this year, it's been it's been quite frightening,
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  Speaker 1: I suppose for people to see. Correct. Yeah, we appreciate
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  Speaker 1: you coming in and having a chat with us. No
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  Speaker 1: doubt we'll talk to you again very soon. Thank you,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Thank you,