Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Senator Jacinta Price says police need the support of the Defence Force to help deal with the crime crisis in Alice Springs

Transcript

NT Senator Jacinta Price says police need the support of the Defence Force to help deal with the crime crisis in Alice Springs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But we know that overnight another rampage through the Alice CBD,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: police once again urging residents to evacuate the CBD. In
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs, two land cruisers were stolen and driven dangerously
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: through the town, the police telling the media that the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: police were highly concerned about members of the public. They
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: took to social media to warn locals to stay away
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: from the area. Now, Just Enterprise says the Northern Territories
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: youth crime problem. She said this earlier in the week before.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: The incidents from overnight are the direct result of the
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: failure to protect kids from abuse and it may take
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: bringing in the AFP or the ADF to solve the problem.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Senator just Enterprise joins me on the line right now,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Senator, goodning Katie.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: How are they not too bad now? Senator, I know
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: that you're in Canberra's Parliament sitting right now, but what
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: are people telling you in Alice Springs this morning? Following
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: another incredibly dangerous situation overnight.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: You know again locals are beside themselves with what's going on.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: You know, we were at the end of our heather
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: with feeling completely and utterly unsafe on our street and
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: there was a time, you know, not long ago, a
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: few years ago, where it was suggested when when Peter
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Kittle was broken into and several cars were walked on
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: and stomped on and smashed, you know, prior to locals
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: actually coming out and holding ground, to have a presence
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: to stop that sort of behavior that you know, it
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: was suggested that the ADF set up at somewhere like
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Leather Skype Park, hold a section of that area where
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: you know, these young people can be taken to and
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: triaraged and and then understood what needs to go from
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: there in terms of, you know, do they need to
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: be charged, they need to be taken into you know,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: if they're young children, are they then to be taken
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: into child protection or you know what needs to happen
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: in this situation. I think we're at that point where
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: World War definitely actually passed that point again where this
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: needs to be certainly considered, and I would hope that
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: you know, the Chief Minister go to Alice Springs and
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: find out if this is what locals want, then this
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: is what this is something that needs to be absolutely
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: considered because it's become beyond a joke. It's like a
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: battlefield on our streets, and there's you know, there's no shift,
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: there's no change, there's nothing happening to address this immediate crisis.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Senator, I've no doubt that you're going to be held
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: down by labor for saying this. I've got no doubt
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: about that. They reckon what they're doing will make a difference.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Do you think it will.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Well, they've been saying that for years and the only
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: difference it's making is making it worse. That's the difference.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: It's going from bad two worse to absolutely detrimental. So
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: they can say all they want, but the proof is
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: in what's happening on our street. That's where the proof lies.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: And what it's telling us is that nothing that they're
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: doing is actually effective. And are they're waiting for a death,
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: another death or another few deaths. You know, we've had
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: a local man already has his life taken when he
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: was hit on his motorbike. What more do we need
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: for this government to wake up to themselves. You know,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: it's like they're not going to be They're not. They
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: won't act until it's a young Aboriginal kid that is killed.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: And you know, if they're killed by a non avaginal person.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Then that's when they think it's you know, it's time
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: to act on something. It shouldn't be the case. The
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: case is the locals Alice Springs people and even people
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: throughout other communities are sick to death, are feeling unsafe
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: of the destruction that's taking place. Businesses are over having
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: to fork out to pay for the cost of the
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: damage that is being made to their businesses. And they're
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: normalizing this sort of behavior in our community. It's become normalized.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, no school children need to desensitize. It was
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: not like this when I was growing up in Alice
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  Speaker 2: Springs and we're at a crisis point and they need
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: to step up.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: It is becoming normalized. And you know the point is here,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: this is the second time, the third time I think
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: that this has happened in you know, in just a
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: couple of weeks, and then we had the situation in
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Catherine as well, So you know that is like that's
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: four times within a three week period.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: That's exactly right. And it's getting worse because because these
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: young people are getting away with it, other young people,
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: the same young people are going, well, let's do this again.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: Let's have another go at this. This seems to be
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: all right because there are no consequences for this behavior,
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: you know. And it's not just you know, we're we're
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: seeing with fires. I mean, to my understanding, it's raining
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: in our springs, but there was a series of fires.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Once somebody starts a fire and sees it go off,
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: you know, another firebox turns up and starts creating a
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: fire else where. It's not just with fires now, it's
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: with this ramming police cars with stolen vehicles. I mean,
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: how much worse does it have to get?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, this is what everybody's asking themselves, I think
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: right now. And you know, it's sort of gone from
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: from absolute outrage to a real sense of helplessness I
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: think from the community.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: That's right. I mean, look, we send our troops abroad
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: to support in aid in aiding, you know, refugees fleeing
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: countries and war torn nations and that sort of thing.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: We have the resources in the country, you know, to
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: quell unrest within our on our own streets. We should
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: use them. That's you know, there is nowhere else to
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: go from here. Our police are under the hump. The
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: hand are tired. They're leaving in drogues. You know, you've
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: got a government that's more worried about what people say publicly,
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: so they want to punish people for, you know, using
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  Speaker 2: words like incompetent in relation to the way in which
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: they are running the territory, and less worried about actually
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: keeping their citizens safe. It's just not good enough.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Just seem to you know, what would you say to
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: anybody who's listening this morning thinking to themselves, well, calling in,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: you know, calling in the defense force or calling in
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: the federal police, is that you know, are you saying
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: that our Northern Territory police or the authorities that we've
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: got here aren't doing their jobs. But it doesn't sound
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: like that's what you're saying. It sounds like you're saying
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: they need some support, they.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: Need back up, they need absolute support. And anyone who
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: who's denying that is part of the problem. And anyone
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: who wants to suggest that that, you know, we're not
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: at crisis point is part of the problem. And I'd
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: ask them, well, what is it that you're what what
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: is it? What's your solution to this problem? Because it's
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: just out of hand, it's absolutely out of hand.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Before I let you go, I do want to ask you.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: We know that the Masters Games have been canceled again.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: They're not happening now until twenty twenty four. I know
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: that's a very separate situation to what we've just spoken about,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: but what are your thoughts on that.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: Well, I hope it's not the beginning of the cancelation
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: of more events that attracts, you know, people to our
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: community for positive things. I hope it's not the beginning
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: of that that now we're in such a horrible situation
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: that you know, we're not able to have huge events
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: that boost our economy, that bring outside of to our
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: community to see the best of our community. I hope
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: we're not heading down that path.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: Well, just enter Price. I always appreciate your time. Thank
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: you very much for having a chat with us this morning.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: Anything we should know about happening in Canberra today as
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Parliament sits just.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: This federal Labor government is trying to got a ham
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: fisted approach at attempting to shove through twenty pieces of
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: legislation before the end of the year, which is, you know,
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: it's undemocratic to have the real opportunity to be able
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: to debate legislation effectively. That affects the lives of everyday
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Austilian's and we don't know whether you know the industrial relations,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: what the outcome of that is going to be just yet.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: And we're relying on independence like Pocock to do the
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: right thing, certainly by small business owners who you know
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: we're fighting on behalf of to make sure that we've
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: already got a niche issue where there's a labor shortage
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: in the country. We don't want for a small businesses
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: to shut their doors or stop hiring people. But yeah,
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: we'll wait and see by the end of these two weeks,
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: I guess.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Well, Senator, we always appreciate your time. Thanks so much
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: for coming on this morning. We'll talk to you again soon.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, Katie, thank you