Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Police Association President Paul McCue says the Berrimah watch house could be used to house prisoners with Territory jails at full capacity

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NT Police Association President Paul McCue says the Berrimah watch house could be used to house prisoners with Territory jails at full capacity · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: With the passing, of course, of the legislation overnight, questions
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  Speaker 1: are being raised about the impact for Northern Territory Police.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line is the president of the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police Association, Paul Mcha. Good morning to you, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: Morning Katie. How are you pretty good?
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  Speaker 1: Paul? How are officers feeling about the legislation change overnight
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to bail.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously, you know, I think, generally speaking step in
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  Speaker 2: the right direction. I think people have, you know, for
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  Speaker 2: a long time been waiting for some sort of an
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  Speaker 2: amendment which you know really starts to say, well, we're
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  Speaker 2: here to protect the community and put the community in
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  Speaker 2: the safety of you know, certainly our members as well,
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  Speaker 2: who sadly deal with these sorts of edged weapon or
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  Speaker 2: offensive weapon incidents on an almost daily basis. So it's
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  Speaker 2: good to see these changes and no doubt, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's taken a while, but we're later getting in the
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  Speaker 2: right direction.
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  Speaker 1: We's sort of heard a few times from the Minister
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  Speaker 1: for Police on the show on Friday during the week
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  Speaker 1: that was you know that it's the Northern Territory Police
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  Speaker 1: who determine in a lot of instances whether somebody gets
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  Speaker 1: bailed or not if they've been involved, you know, in
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  Speaker 1: an offense with a wedge with an edged weapon? Is
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  Speaker 1: that the case, Paul? What's the go here? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Obviously, you know when police take somebody into custody and
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  Speaker 2: you know, they've got a set of rules that they
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  Speaker 2: go by in terms of presumption for bail or whether
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  Speaker 2: it's for or against or neutral, and that all depends on,
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  Speaker 2: you know, sometimes the seriousness of the offense. You know,
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  Speaker 2: if that person has been in trouble for that sort
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  Speaker 2: of an offense previously, whether they were using weapons.
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  Speaker 1: Et cetera.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, they can only operate within the legislation
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  Speaker 2: they're provided and the guidance they're provided through Parliament. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, with these changes, the impending changes, of course,
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  Speaker 2: that'll that will change the way they operate in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the bail for those individuals.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think it will make things more difficult for
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  Speaker 1: them or will it actually make things a bit easier.
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  Speaker 2: Well, ultimately, our jobs to certainly bring them before the court,
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  Speaker 2: so whether they're whether they're granted bail or not, and
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  Speaker 2: whether they're remanded to appear the next day at court,
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  Speaker 2: then it's ultimately the court who makes that final decision
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  Speaker 2: whether we remind them or not. So ultimately, you know,
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  Speaker 2: our job, we just bring them before the courts and
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  Speaker 2: what happens from there happens.
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  Speaker 1: Paul, do you think that the changes are going to
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  Speaker 1: see sort of any additional stress on our Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: police because you know, you and I have spoken on
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  Speaker 1: so many occasions over the last year about our police
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  Speaker 1: numbers and the morale of the Territory police. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Well, often, you know, certainly the feedback we've had, you know,
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  Speaker 2: when bail changes were made a few years ago, and
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  Speaker 2: obviously it feels like a bit of a you know,
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  Speaker 2: a spin cycle where you're arresting someone, you bring them
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  Speaker 2: in their bailed, you're arresting them the next day, and
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  Speaker 2: and and continue continues on in that vein. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're hoping that these sorts of changes might reduce that
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  Speaker 2: impact and the burden on police and of course reducing
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  Speaker 2: crime overall for repetitive offenders. So it will, no doubt
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  Speaker 2: that strain, but ultimately, you know, they will continue to
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  Speaker 2: do the job they do, and that is to take
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  Speaker 2: people off the streets that shouldn't be on the streets.
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  Speaker 2: And then the courts will determine whether they remain in
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  Speaker 2: custody or not.
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  Speaker 1: Well, from your perspective, do the changes go far enough,
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  Speaker 1: because there's been a lot of discussion about you know,
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  Speaker 1: what weapons are included, what aren't included, do they go
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  Speaker 1: far enough?
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  Speaker 2: Look, it would have been obviously ideal. I think it's
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  Speaker 2: it would be naive to suggest that you know, things
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  Speaker 2: such as screwdrivers and hammers and things like that that
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  Speaker 2: are readily available in the community, when used in the
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  Speaker 2: wrong manner and for the not for the intended purpose
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  Speaker 2: of what they're made for, can be as deadly as
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  Speaker 2: any edged weapon you'll find out there. We know one
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  Speaker 2: of our own offices just a few years ago in
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  Speaker 2: a remote station, was stabbed in the neck with a
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  Speaker 2: screwdriver and narrowly missed his main artery, And we know
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  Speaker 2: that can be a deadly weapon, just like any other
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  Speaker 2: knife you find, you know, out there in the community. So,
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  Speaker 2: of course, you know, we feel they should have gone further.
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  Speaker 2: We really urge the government to listen to the senior
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  Speaker 2: police executive who are obviously subject matter experts when it
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  Speaker 2: comes to dealing with these offenses that are committed almost daily,
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  Speaker 2: and of course we would have liked to have seen
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  Speaker 2: its stronger in terms of including offensive weapons.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Paul, I want to ask you, because the discussions
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  Speaker 1: sort of now moved towards whether we're going to see
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  Speaker 1: an increased number of prisoners or an increased number of offenders,
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  Speaker 1: I should say, in those correctional facilities. From my understanding,
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  Speaker 1: we do currently have prisoners being housed in the Palmerston Watchhouse.
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  Speaker 1: Is that is that your intel as well?
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  Speaker 2: Look, initially my understanding is that was the case and
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  Speaker 2: it was creating all sorts of issues when you've when
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  Speaker 2: you've got police lined up there as the only police
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  Speaker 2: operational watchhouse in the Greater Dalwen area, it was creating
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  Speaker 2: all sorts of issues. And minus now is corrections have
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  Speaker 2: moved to the Darwen l Darwen watch House in Mitchell
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  Speaker 2: Street there and of course there's also obviously a third
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  Speaker 2: option in Darwen. There is an operational watchhouse out of
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  Speaker 2: Barron as well, which of course can be used for overflow. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Right, So is that at the Petere McCauley Center.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's try that was constructed some years ago under
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  Speaker 2: the federal detention funding model where we had the old MPG.
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  Speaker 2: If you remember that model was floating around for a while.
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  Speaker 2: So there is a fully operational watchouse out of Barron
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  Speaker 2: as well, and no doubt that that is used from
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  Speaker 2: time to time as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we have heard that there has been work to
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  Speaker 1: sort of anticipate that that may need to be stood up.
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  Speaker 2: Are you being told that, Yeah, yeah, we are. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: obviously that's a fully operational watchhouse. I know they had
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  Speaker 2: that on standby as well through the COVID pandemic. If
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  Speaker 2: there was in a COVID outbreak, they had that on
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  Speaker 2: standby as well. So look at it is a fully
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  Speaker 2: operational watchhouse obviously, you know, not idea all to have
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  Speaker 2: to keep using them as corrections facilities. That that's a
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  Speaker 2: problem in itself because now we're in that unfortunate position still, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: where we've got our police driving all the way to
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  Speaker 2: Palmerston from from the Darwin and Northern suburbs to lodge
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  Speaker 2: their prisoners and that's taking them away from those areas.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Paul tell me as well. I mean when we
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  Speaker 1: have got when we have got offenders, then in the watchhouses.
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  Speaker 1: Look what period of time from your understanding, could they
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  Speaker 1: be in there for and are they then looked after
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  Speaker 1: by correctional services or are they looked after by the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, my understanding is, I mean, obviously some of
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  Speaker 2: them are there for their entirety of their demand period,
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  Speaker 2: whatever that may be. I don't think it's for extremely
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  Speaker 2: long periods of time, but they're not designed to be
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  Speaker 2: a corrections facility there for short term you know, purposes
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  Speaker 2: only really, but certainly our understanding is Alice Springs has
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  Speaker 2: been impacted from time to time with police being expected
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  Speaker 2: to look after corrections prisoners down there. I don't think
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  Speaker 2: it's happening at the moment, but that certainly has had
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  Speaker 2: an impact on police resourcing. I think here in Darwin
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  Speaker 2: the majority of corrections prisoners are being monitored by correction
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  Speaker 2: staff at the Darwin Watchhouse. So that's my understanding.
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  Speaker 1: Now tell me as well, look do they you know,
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  Speaker 1: are we in a situation where youths are being held
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  Speaker 1: in the watchhouses as well or is it just mostly adults?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't think any. I think you very much
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  Speaker 2: a last resort to have them detained in those facilities.
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  Speaker 2: I think police do everything they possibly can and to
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  Speaker 2: make sure they're not in custody so it's mainly adult offenders,
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  Speaker 2: but of course there will be times when they are
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  Speaker 2: youth offenders there when those offenses have just been committed,
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  Speaker 2: no doubt.
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  Speaker 1: Now, just a very quick one pole and this has
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  Speaker 1: literally just been announced this morning. The territory government have
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  Speaker 1: said that they're undertaking progressive alcohol buybacks basically. So what
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  Speaker 1: they're looking at doing is this voluntary buyback scheme of
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  Speaker 1: grocery store liquor licenses. What do you make of it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, obviously, you know, I heard Bill's comments previously,
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  Speaker 2: and obviously we don't want to impede on people's right
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  Speaker 2: to have a business, but we do have an enormous
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  Speaker 2: amount of liquor out let's take away liquor out let's
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  Speaker 2: for a relatively small town of Darwin order. But ultimately,
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  Speaker 2: you know, again, you know, there are people that are
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  Speaker 2: just doing the wrong thing once they purchase that alcohol,
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  Speaker 2: all their committing crimes to access that alcohol. So that's
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  Speaker 2: not the fault of the business owner. But obviously it's
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  Speaker 2: a voluntary scheme, so it's not compulsory, and we'll just
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  Speaker 2: see how it rolls out.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Bill, I mean not Bill's we're talking about Bill
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  Speaker 1: Paul mque mate. It's always good to catch up with you.
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  Speaker 1: Really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so very
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  Speaker 1: much for having a chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Good on you, Katie Jank you