Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Acting Assistant Commissioner People and Culture Reform Janelle Tonkin one the importance of International Women's Day, and gives us a statemnt on the Palmerston shooting

Transcript

Acting Assistant Commissioner People and Culture Reform Janelle Tonkin one the importance of International Women's Day, and gives us a statemnt on the Palmerston shooting · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now this morning, all eyes have been on Palmerston and
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  Speaker 1: the situation that's unfolded out there this morning. Now joining
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  Speaker 1: me in the studio and we are due to catch
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  Speaker 1: up with our next guest about International Women's Day. But
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  Speaker 1: as Acting Assistant Commissioner for People and Culture Reform with
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police, Janell Tonkin joins me in the
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  Speaker 1: studio right now.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Janelle.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now obviously due to speak about International Women's Day, and
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  Speaker 1: we will talk about that in just a moment, but
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  Speaker 1: this issue which has unfolded out in Palmerston has certainly
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  Speaker 1: leading the news and his top of mind for everybody
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  Speaker 1: right now. Is there much information that you can give
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  Speaker 1: us at this point?
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  Speaker 4: So, Katie, what I can confirm is that, yes, there
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  Speaker 4: has been a critical incident occur at Palmerston around nine
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  Speaker 4: o'clock this morning. Police emergency services are on scene. I
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  Speaker 4: encourage members of the public to avoid that area if possible.
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  Speaker 4: It has been declared a critical incident by police and
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  Speaker 4: there will be some further details provided to the public
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  Speaker 4: as soon as we're able to do so.
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  Speaker 1: Would usually deem something a critical incident for those of
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  Speaker 1: out there listening who will maybe wondering, you know what
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  Speaker 1: that actually means.
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  Speaker 4: So I guess in lay terms, Katie, that means that
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  Speaker 4: we've declared that it's a serious incident and we are
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  Speaker 4: putting all possible police resources available to respond.
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  Speaker 1: And Janell, I know that there has been reports that
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  Speaker 1: there were gun shots fired.
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  Speaker 2: Are you able to shed any light in that space?
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  Speaker 4: So at this point, Katie, all I'm going to be
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  Speaker 4: able to say is that, yes, that is factual. Any
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  Speaker 4: members of the public that have got information that relates
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  Speaker 4: to that at all, please make yourselves known to police
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  Speaker 4: there at the scene. We will need to get accounts
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  Speaker 4: from you at some point today, but there will be
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  Speaker 4: further details on what's occurred I can't release as soon
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  Speaker 4: as we're able to do so.
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  Speaker 1: So anybody out there listening that maybe has witnessed it
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  Speaker 1: or they've heard those shots fired, probably give the police
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  Speaker 1: a call if they haven't been contacted while they're out
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  Speaker 1: there already.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, or make yourself known to officers at the scene.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Janelle, Can I just ask because I think that
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  Speaker 1: the main thing that a lot of people are going
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  Speaker 1: to be worried about this morning is making sure that
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  Speaker 1: if they've got kids at Gray Primary School that they
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  Speaker 1: are safe and that nothing's gone on within the school.
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  Speaker 4: So I can confirm that, no, it has not occurred
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  Speaker 4: within the school grounds. The children, teachers, staff at the
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  Speaker 4: school are safe. The situation is under control, and there
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  Speaker 4: are multiple police units there on the scene. So there
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  Speaker 4: is no cause for concern, particularly for parents.
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  Speaker 1: And no concern for members of the public either at
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  Speaker 1: the not at all. Okay, Now, I know there will
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  Speaker 1: be further information coming out from the Northern Territory Police
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  Speaker 1: a little bit later this morning, so we'll certainly keep
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  Speaker 1: our listeners up to date with that info as it
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  Speaker 1: comes to hand.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, so as soon as we're able to provide some
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  Speaker 4: more information. It's obviously a fairly critical busy scene at
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  Speaker 4: the moment. We're just waiting for all of the factual
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  Speaker 4: information to come to us and then our media team
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  Speaker 4: will provide that as soon as we're able to to know.
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  Speaker 1: We appreciate that and we will make sure that we
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  Speaker 1: take that or give that info to our listeners as
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  Speaker 1: soon as we've got it. Now were we certainly do
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  Speaker 1: to catch up with you this morning about International Women's Day.
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  Speaker 2: So Happy International Women's Day. To you this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you very much to you too as well.
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  Speaker 1: And I know that it is it's an important day
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  Speaker 1: for so many reasons, but particularly when you look at
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  Speaker 1: something like the police force, I know that a lot
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  Speaker 1: of people from the outside in would probably see it
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  Speaker 1: as quite a male dominated industry.
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  Speaker 2: Is that the case?
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  Speaker 3: So look, no, it's really not.
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  Speaker 4: There is absolutely no position or career path within the
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  Speaker 4: Northern Territory Police Force or by extension, the try service
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  Speaker 4: that women are not able to do in this day
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  Speaker 4: and age. And I'm really proud to say that we
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  Speaker 4: have taken some significant steps in that cultural reform piece
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  Speaker 4: to get us to that point. So of course we're
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  Speaker 4: still trying to bring our male female numbers kind of.
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  Speaker 3: Up to par. You know, it's a work in progress,
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  Speaker 3: but we're getting there. We're making good traction.
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  Speaker 1: And of course you are the acting Assistant Commissioner for
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  Speaker 1: People and Culture Reform, so that really is a huge
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  Speaker 1: part I would imagine of this role not just about
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  Speaker 1: making sure that you know that we've got that equity
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about the police force, but also making
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  Speaker 1: sure that it's a very diverse police force.
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  Speaker 4: Absolutely, and that's really critical for us. So we talk
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  Speaker 4: about gender, you know, on a day like this, but
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  Speaker 4: really diversity right across our police force is critically important.
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  Speaker 4: So we're doing a lot of work in that space
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  Speaker 4: to make sure that all manner of diversity is represented
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  Speaker 4: across our tri service. And that's being led right from
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  Speaker 4: the top down.
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  Speaker 1: Now what about I know that some listening this morning,
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  Speaker 1: we'll be thinking. You obviously want that equity. We want
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  Speaker 1: to be celebrating International Women's Day, but there is still
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  Speaker 1: a real serious issue in the Northern Territory right now
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to domestic violence. I know that you
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  Speaker 1: know you have been part of the Integrated Response to
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  Speaker 1: Domestic and Family Violence project. It is a project which
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  Speaker 1: won the Excellence in Law Enforcement for Women's Initiative Award,
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  Speaker 1: so it's certainly been recognized nationally.
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  Speaker 2: What are we doing in this space? And I know
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  Speaker 2: that it's.
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  Speaker 1: Such a scourge on the territory really, that domestic violence issue.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, Katie're right, so you know, as we know when
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  Speaker 4: we hear time and time again, unfortunately women, particularly Indigenous women,
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  Speaker 4: are just absolutely disproportionately represented in the Northern Territory when
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  Speaker 4: it comes to domestic family violence and sexual violence. We're
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  Speaker 4: doing lots and lots of work from a policing but
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  Speaker 4: from a whole of government perspective on how we address
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  Speaker 4: you know, what are the strategies that we employ, how
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  Speaker 4: do how do we address this? How do we tackle
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  Speaker 4: it head on? So lots and lots of work happening.
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  Speaker 4: Of course, we were you know, we certainly welcome the
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  Speaker 4: funding that was received recently, the federal funding to social
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  Speaker 4: services to combat DV you know, and we'll be making
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  Speaker 4: sure that we put every cent of that, you know,
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  Speaker 4: to where it needs to go.
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  Speaker 1: And it is so difficult, I know, we talk on
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  Speaker 1: this show quite a bit about alcohol misues. We caught
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  Speaker 1: up with Deputy Commissioner Michael White or Assistant Commissioner Michael
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  Speaker 1: White last week and he had said that that issue
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  Speaker 1: of domestic violence at the moment was a really big one.
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  Speaker 1: You know that we're having some really serious issues unfolding.
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  Speaker 1: How big a factor is that alcohol misuse when you
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  Speaker 1: look at domestic violence in the territory.
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  Speaker 4: So, Katie, it's really critical and the statistics speak for that,
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  Speaker 4: you know, the issues of alcohol and drug abusive misuse
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  Speaker 4: and that as a driving cause behind a lot of
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  Speaker 4: these domestic violence stats and we know here in the
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  Speaker 4: territory that alcohol unfortunately is a problem.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I know, like on a daylight today, it's a
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  Speaker 1: great day for us to celebrate, you know, being women.
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  Speaker 1: It's a great day for us to celebrate sort of
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  Speaker 1: supporting other women as well, but it is also that
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  Speaker 1: day where we do need to remember that we've got
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  Speaker 1: to take everybody along for that journey as well, and
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  Speaker 1: that there are even within our own communities, women who
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  Speaker 1: are not treated equally and who are suffering from some
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  Speaker 1: really terrible situations.
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  Speaker 2: And I think that it is just a good reminder
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  Speaker 2: of that too.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, you're right, You're absolutely right.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a tough one sometimes, and I know that
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  Speaker 1: it can be difficult, a really difficult thing for the
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  Speaker 1: territory police trying to deal with and trying to make
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  Speaker 1: in roads there. When this award, or you know, the
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  Speaker 1: Excellence in Law Enforcement for Women's Initiative Award, tell us
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  Speaker 1: a little bit more about what that Integrated Response to
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  Speaker 1: Domestic and Family Violence project is all about.
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  Speaker 3: Sure, So that's quite a few years ago now.
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  Speaker 4: It was an integrated response that we led out of
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  Speaker 4: Alice Springs and it actually it brought to the northern territory.
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  Speaker 4: The Family Safety Framework. So, the Family Safety Framework is
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  Speaker 4: a multi agency response to addressing incidents of high risk domestic,
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  Speaker 4: family and sexual violence, and it's a coordinated response across
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  Speaker 4: all sports services to share information and make sure that
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  Speaker 4: responses are holistic and really wrap around you know, a victim,
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  Speaker 4: a family and including offenders as well, and make sure
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  Speaker 4: that there are behavior change programs offered so that we're
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  Speaker 4: not tackling things in a siloed approach, that we're sharing
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  Speaker 4: information to make sure we get the best outcomes.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, and it seems like common sense, but I know
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  Speaker 1: sometimes those things are a little bit easier said than done.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right.
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  Speaker 4: Look, and certainly the Family Safety Framework has been operating
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  Speaker 4: for a number of years now and had some huge success.
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  Speaker 4: You know, there are hundreds of women I don't have
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  Speaker 4: the statistics here with me right now today, but there
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  Speaker 4: are hundreds and hundreds of women and families who have
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  Speaker 4: been made safer as a result of the unity across
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  Speaker 4: government agencies and support services in the nonprofit sector.
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  Speaker 3: Being made much safer by operating in this manner.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Jane, we really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 1: I know that there's probably lots of young girls, maybe
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  Speaker 1: not listening to the show this morning, but lots of
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  Speaker 1: young women out there who are, you know, maybe wanting
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  Speaker 1: to become police officers. You know, as a female, is
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  Speaker 1: it a good career choice?
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, one hundred percent it is.
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  Speaker 4: It's something I wanted to do since I was in
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  Speaker 4: high school, and I wouldn't change it for quids. I
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  Speaker 4: absolutely love policing. But I encourage women out there if
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  Speaker 4: you are interested in any way, shape or form, have
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  Speaker 4: a look, jump on our website, have a look at
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  Speaker 4: some of the videos. Talk to your local police or
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  Speaker 4: your emergency service volunteers, fire officers. It's an amazing career,
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  Speaker 4: so much diversity, so much opportunity, and we are equal.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh, Janelle, lovely to speak to you this morning.
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  Speaker 2: I really appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 1: I know it's been quite a disjointed interview there with
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  Speaker 1: covering off on a few things, but we really appreciate
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  Speaker 1: you coming in and chatting with us on this International
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  Speaker 1: Women's Day.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks very much, Thank you.