Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Acting Assistant Commissioner Danny Bacon provides an update on investigations into a stabbing attack which claimed the life of a Darwin bottle shop worker

Transcript

Acting Assistant Commissioner Danny Bacon provides an update on investigations into a stabbing attack which claimed the life of a Darwin bottle shop worker · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now is the acting
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Assistant Commissioner for the Northern Territory Police, Daddy Bacon. Good
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: morning to you.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Good morning Caddy.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Now, unfortunately incredibly sad news from overnight. Devastating in fact,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: a nineteen year old employee was assaulted with a knife
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: at a bottle shop on McMillan's road and has passed away.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes he has. He's a very senseless loss of
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: life and certainly my condolences to found in his colleagues.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: It's just tragic.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Now do we know a huge amount about what has
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: sort of unfolded beforehand?
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: No, it's an ongoing investigation. A Sister Commissioner White from crime.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: We'll do a more fulsome brief later on today, but
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  Speaker 2: I suppose for your listeners just to everybody know that
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: the offender has been arrested. There's no ongoing threat to
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the community that regards. He is in custody, as is
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: another person assisting with inquiries, so that investigation is obviously
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: taking priory this morning, and a more fulsome brief we
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: provide later on today.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Now, we have had people get in contact with us
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: here at the station and say that there was also
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: an incident occur at the Beachfront Hotel. Do we know
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: if that incident relates to the same alleged defenders or
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: do we have any further detail at this point?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Certainly, I ken convene there was another incident at the
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Beachfront Hotel we're sitting in this period, but the matter
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: is an ongoing investigation, as I said, so mister White
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: will probably not probably well revides a bit more for
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: particulars later.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: On today, all right, so we will certainly make sure
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: that we have that detail for our listeners following on
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: from that press conference. Can I just ask Assistant Commissioner,
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: have we I mean, it's pretty obvious to everybody that
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: we've seen a real escalation in some of the violence
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: inside bottle shops in recent weeks, but also some of
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: that behavior where people are just going in, grabbing what
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: they want and leaving. Has it been something that's been
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: on the agenda for the police for a little while now.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: It certainly has, and we've been having a lot of
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: discussions with our stakeholds, particularly industry, are regarding what that
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: looks like and how we can sort of improve in
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: that space. It certainly is a trend it's a trend
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: that we're working close with, as I said, government, licensing
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: and industry to see how we can strengthen some resolve
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: around that particular area.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: I mean, are we in a situation where we're going
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: to need to see sort of you know, restrictions like
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: what we've seen in places like Central Australia.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Well, I think we're very very different to Central Australia.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: We are, and every community is very different, they really
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: are in regards to certainly know how they approach crime reduction,
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: what sort of things are occurring in their particular community.
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  Speaker 2: There's no one one that fixes everything and each area
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: has to adapt and do things differently. But certainly, as
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: you've indicated, it is a trend that we are noticing,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: particularly regards to alcohol, and it is commodity that features
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: prominently within our commercial breaks, features prominently within our residential breaks,
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  Speaker 2: features predominantly with our youth crime. So it is a
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  Speaker 2: legal commodity, but it's also a commodity that needs a
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: lot more strengthening around the sale, supply security. And so
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  Speaker 2: there's a wide variet of discussions, as I said, involved
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: with the range of stakeholders to see how we can strengthen.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: That area, I know towards well, it was probably about
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: this time last year we had seen an increase in
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: the number of people that were in Darwin from different communities.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Are we in a similar situation at the moment, Well.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Certainly, and I suppose. I know there's a lot of
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: commentary about visitation and visitors committing a range offenses. So
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  Speaker 2: if I could put the community a little bit of these,
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: you know, the tragic events of last night, unfortunately was
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: Darwin people on so yes, visitors to cause some anks
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: in regards to our crime trends, some of those people
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: that are sleeping rough and then the visiting for pure
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: and simply for alcohol purchases. But you know, a lot
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: of the trends that we're saying at the moment, unfortunately,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: is a mixture of all three. It's a bit of use,
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  Speaker 2: it's a bit of local, it's a bit of visitation.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, there's no one particular trend you could
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: put your finger on for that.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, Assistant Commissioner, I know that we are certainly
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: going to find out a little bit more detail. Major
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  Speaker 1: crime have taken carriage of the incident from last night
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  Speaker 1: an incredibly tragic situation, and no doubt there'll be some
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: further detail throughout the day. Can we move along and
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  Speaker 1: just talk about the most recent crime statistics that were
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  Speaker 1: released on Friday. Now, by the look of things around
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: the Darwin area, it does look as though there's been
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  Speaker 1: a bit of a decrease in some of the assault
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  Speaker 1: and domestic violence related assaults around Darwen. Would that be
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: a fair assessment from your perspective?
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  Speaker 2: Certainly, and it's pretty good wins in regards to where
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  Speaker 2: we are, not particularly from a policing perspective. From a
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: community perspective, you know, one of our biggest trends and
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  Speaker 2: crime types is domestic valance, and certainly it's domestic violence
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  Speaker 2: around the home is probably one of the main reasons
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  Speaker 2: we see kids acting out in our community as well. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, so from a year on year basis, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're seeing domestic violence assault fences decreased by five percent
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  Speaker 2: in Palnistan, eleven percent across Dale and Casher in northern suburbs,
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  Speaker 2: and even our our coolid defendants are down by eleven
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  Speaker 2: percent in across Dale and casherin and four percent in Parmestan.
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  Speaker 2: So we're really seeing some good winds in the area
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  Speaker 2: of domestic violence and our corelated assaults. And I do
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  Speaker 2: need to remind listeners as well, this is January on
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: January data, so it's this is sort of the time
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: period we're talking about. Any social behavior though was obviously
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: one of the trends we keep an eye on, and
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  Speaker 2: certainly we've seen a bit of an increase in the
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  Speaker 2: casher in area over the last week on compared to
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  Speaker 2: the week on previous year, and it's been up by
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: about one percent, that says of this morning. But where
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: we're Darwin generally is not generally but dal is down
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: by twenty five and parising down by seventeen, so we're
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  Speaker 2: seeing some good I suppose work around that area. We
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: are seeing some challenges in those in those breaks, as
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: I've indicated before. But you know, Darwen, we've sent an
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: increase in house breaks by sixteen percent, but you know,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: going back in December that's an improvement by seven so
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  Speaker 2: we're seeing some trending down of those increases, which is good.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: And commercial breaks in parmas and again they increase by
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: nine but that's improvement by six percent of the previous month.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: So we we're seeing some small winds in that regard,
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  Speaker 2: but our biggest winds have been in that domestic violence
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  Speaker 2: related offending, which is really good because I mean when
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: I talk about offending and crime trends, I mean overnight
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: we had twenty domestic violence incidents across the Greater Daren
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: area where we had a one on allful entry. So
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  Speaker 2: if you're looking at the crime types and the volume setting,
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  Speaker 2: domestic violence features quite prominently within our community, far above
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: that of property offending.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: So and it does look, unfortunately though, it does look
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: that like there's been a huge increase in commercial break
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  Speaker 1: ins on January from January last year or January on
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  Speaker 1: January forty four percent increase. What do you reckon that's
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: as a result of well.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: I'd hate to pump that up to forty five, but
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  Speaker 2: I will just on that because I think it's forty
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: four point seven or so forty five percent, that's correct,
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: And that's across darn Cash Aerina, that's Palmerston actually is
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: increased by nine percent. That's the improvement in Parlas So Damas.
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  Speaker 2: And that was no change from our December quarter either,
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  Speaker 2: so it's remained consistently high over that period of time
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  Speaker 2: and that's the trend, as we indicated before in regards
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: to the liquor being a predominant commodity that that people
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: are breaking in for or certainly breaking into commercial premises.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: How have things been going in the Casuarina area, because
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: obviously for a few weeks there it was something that
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: you and I had discussed on a number of different occasions,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: even at the shopping center as well. And some of
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  Speaker 1: the incidents that we're seeing with young people inside the
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  Speaker 1: shopping center, I know that the shopping center then put
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: that ban in place. How have things been going from
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  Speaker 1: a policing perspective, Well, as.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: In they ca before, Casher at ASP has gone up
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  Speaker 2: one percent across the broader Kasher in a suburb itself.
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  Speaker 2: When you apply a range of resources and stakeholder a
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: particular location, you generally get a movement of activity. Sometimes
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: you get a lesson of activity more broadly speaking, but
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  Speaker 2: by and large there's a movement into other areas. So
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  Speaker 2: we're seeing it a little bit of that in Casherrou
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: At the moment, we're continuing to apply and work with
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: our stakeholders within the Casher in our environment, but also
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  Speaker 2: we need to be ensuring we're not pushing it into
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: other areas, and we're applying a consistent approach.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: Can I just ask as well? I know that obviously
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: we do still have the Howard Springs facility being managed
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: out there with people who've been evacuated from flooded areas.
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  Speaker 1: Have we still got everybody out there or are some
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: of those people from communities being taken and home? Yes,
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  Speaker 1: so what's the situation?
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  Speaker 2: Certainly know they're all doing house at the center of
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: national resilience there at how It Springs. The emergency management
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: events now moved into the recovery phase, which will include
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: the repatriation of evacuees when it's safe to do so.
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  Speaker 2: I don't have the specific timings at play, but I
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  Speaker 2: know it's not too far away, particularly for some of
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: the residents and within the Calcoringi area, because a lot
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: of the critical infrastructure wasn't damaged. But they need to
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: obviously ensure that the community is safe and it's for
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: residents to return into, particularly those dwellings that weren't inundated,
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: but also that there's critical infrastructure around there to support them,
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: being the seriage, your power, water, your stores, your critical goods,
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: your policing service, your health, and your education. So we
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: need to make sure all those service providers are in
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: a position to support the community before returning community residence there.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Now, I know that there had been some questions raised
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: about whether there'd been any damage or domestic violence or
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: sort of bad behavior out there. What can you tell us.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: Well, certainly I can't comment on any particular incident within
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: CNR itself, but I will say that the CNR holds
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: three communities within a three separate community calcing you, Darga
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: Argue and Pigeonhole Community. They're all within a closed in area.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: You know, we talk about our domestic violence incident across
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: the Greater Dayan area twenty that's one in every three suburbs.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: You know, you would probably trends write that to any
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: community across the top end. So I'm not going to
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: sort of articulate incidents within CNR. There's certainly, from a
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: policing perspective, haven't been any significant incidents out that way,
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: but there always is a level of matters that require
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: police to respond to.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: Well, Assistant Commissioner Acting Assistant Commissioner Danny Bacon, we really
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so very much
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: for coming in and as we heard, we are going
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: to have a bit of an update throughout the morning
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: as well in relation to the situation from overnight that
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: major crime I have now taken carriage of thanks. Thank you,