Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Mum Rhianna Harker whose car was stolen and used in a crime spree

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Katie Woolf spoke with Mum Rhianna Harker whose car was stolen and used in a crime spree · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine three sixty. Now,
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  Speaker 1: just before we ended the show yesterday, we learned that
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  Speaker 1: detectives from the Serious Crime Squad and Strikeforce Trident are
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  Speaker 1: investigating a spate of property crimes and assaults that occurred
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  Speaker 1: across the Darwin suburbs a little bit earlier this week. Now,
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  Speaker 1: in this situation, we know that a blue Ford Ranger
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  Speaker 1: was stolen from a residence in Karama and it was
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  Speaker 1: then used in a number of the crimes that followed.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is Rihanna Harker,
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  Speaker 1: the owner of that blue Ford Ranger.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 3: Rihanna, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Tell us what happened earlier in the week.
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  Speaker 3: Well, they were incredibly brazen. I was actually out of
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  Speaker 3: the function and my husband was home with our kids,
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  Speaker 3: and about eleven thirty they my husband was sort of
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  Speaker 3: getting ready for bed so and because I was out,
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  Speaker 3: the front gate was still open and things like that,
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  Speaker 3: and I guess they saw an opportunity. And because there
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  Speaker 3: are a few of them, we think they could have
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  Speaker 3: distracted the dog down one side of the house because
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  Speaker 3: he was barking, which has obviously got my husband's attention.
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  Speaker 3: But as he was sort of heading down the hallway
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  Speaker 3: to go out and see what was happening, he saw
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  Speaker 3: his car driving off down the driveway, which was obviously
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  Speaker 3: quite a shock. But yeah, so we think they what
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  Speaker 3: they did was they came up and distracted the dog
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  Speaker 3: on one side while others came around the other side
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  Speaker 3: of the house, and they went in the back door
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  Speaker 3: because yeah, Brendan hadn't locked up the house for the
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  Speaker 3: night yet.
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  Speaker 1: Well, goodness, mate, and you wouldn't, you know, if you
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  Speaker 1: were out at something and your husband's expecting your home
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  Speaker 1: fairly soon, you wouldn't lock the house up. I think that,
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  Speaker 1: you know, all of us can say that we do
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  Speaker 1: the same thing. It must have been you guys must
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  Speaker 1: have been pretty shaken, and he must have certainly been
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  Speaker 1: pretty shaken when he realized them would have gone on.
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  Speaker 3: Well absolutely, and I arrived home only moments later. I
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  Speaker 3: must have just missed them leaving because Brenda was on
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  Speaker 3: the phone to the police when when I got home.
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  Speaker 3: So they I think about what if I had been
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  Speaker 3: a few moments earlier, I would have stumbled across them,
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  Speaker 3: And I'm really glad I didn't, particularly given what they
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  Speaker 3: went on to do later. But to know that they
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  Speaker 3: came in to your like to our home, like the
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  Speaker 3: lights were on, they would have known someone was awake.
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  Speaker 3: So to be that brazen, you know, Yeah, that's the
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  Speaker 3: scary part I think it is.
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  Speaker 2: It's incredibly frightening.
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  Speaker 1: And and as you mentioned, you've obviously you know, you've
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  Speaker 1: got your kids in the house.
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  Speaker 2: How are your kids going? Do they know what's going on?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, look they do, They're they're quite good. And I
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  Speaker 3: think that was one of my biggest concerns. It was
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  Speaker 3: that they wouldn't feel safe in their home. And unfortunately,
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  Speaker 3: you know, there has been a number of problems throughout Karama,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, they see that they're old and to
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  Speaker 3: sort of have an understanding of what's going on, and
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  Speaker 3: so I don't. Unfortunately, the saddest part is it they
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  Speaker 3: weren't really surprised.
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  Speaker 2: Isn't that?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, it is such a disappointing thing when you're
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  Speaker 1: having to deal with that from day to day. And
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  Speaker 1: I want to talk a bit more about that in
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  Speaker 1: just a moment, but I do want to ask you.
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  Speaker 1: We know that then your forward Ranger was used in
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  Speaker 1: a number well it certainly alleged that it was then
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  Speaker 1: used in number of other crimes that were committed throughout
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  Speaker 1: the night. You must have been horrified when you realized
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  Speaker 1: exactly what your vehicle had been used and the crimes
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  Speaker 1: that it was involved in.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie, And that was my biggest concern. So I,
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  Speaker 3: when you know, my husband told me that the car
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  Speaker 3: had been taken, I actually went out in my other
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  Speaker 3: car and I drove around looking for it as well,
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  Speaker 3: because whilst I knew the police were out there looking
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  Speaker 3: as well, they're under resource and they're under the pump
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  Speaker 3: and really busy. So I went driving around and unfortunately
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  Speaker 3: didn't didn't spot it. But that was my biggest concern
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  Speaker 3: with that they were going to hurt someone else, you know,
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  Speaker 3: they were going to run someone off the road, you know,
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  Speaker 3: hurt some innocent people. And unfortunately that's exactly what they
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  Speaker 3: went on and did. They committed a number of crimes
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  Speaker 3: right across Darlin. Apparently there six suburbs in total they
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  Speaker 3: were able to hit and people were hurt.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's the horrifying part.
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  Speaker 1: I'll just take our listeners through a couple of those
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  Speaker 1: incidents that then followed. We know that your vehicle was
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  Speaker 1: then they drove it to obviously to another suburb to
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  Speaker 1: Larakia and assaulted an occupant of a home and also
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  Speaker 1: stole property. Soon after that in Fanny Bay and aggravated
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  Speaker 1: unlawful entry at a residence there. It involved an occupant
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  Speaker 1: being assaulted and then a white MG hatch was stolen.
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  Speaker 1: They then made their way to Lions and they gained
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  Speaker 1: car keys for a residence there. An MG then was
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  Speaker 1: possibly involved in further incidents. We know that taxi drivers
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  Speaker 1: were assaulted. It's a horrifying situation that has unfolded. It
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  Speaker 1: sounds as though the police are working incredibly hard to
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  Speaker 1: try and piece it all together and apprehend these offenders. Rihanna,
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  Speaker 1: did your husband see, you know, see them any idea
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  Speaker 1: of you know, how old they were, or how many
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  Speaker 1: of them or anything like that at this stage.
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  Speaker 3: No, Unfortunately he didn't see anyone. One of the things
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  Speaker 3: I noticed when I brought up home at the time
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  Speaker 3: was there was a scooter like a kids quite a
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  Speaker 3: small kid scooter had been left on the front road
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  Speaker 3: Verde and so we believe that that belonged to one
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  Speaker 3: of them, and they had been in other streets, possibly
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  Speaker 3: been in other streets nearby matting car windows and because
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  Speaker 3: there were four four young people I'm not sure of ages,
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  Speaker 3: but four young people seeing and one of them had
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  Speaker 3: a scooter that kind of fits. But yeah, we don't
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  Speaker 3: have any further information.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and we'll certainly keep in contact with police and
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  Speaker 1: see what we can find out, Rihanna. Unfortunately, this is
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  Speaker 1: not the first time that you and I have spoken
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  Speaker 1: about some of the concerns that you've had living in
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  Speaker 1: in Karama. You know, I'm assuming that when when you
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  Speaker 1: bought your home there, it was a beautiful street and
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  Speaker 1: you thoroughly enjoyed your time living there with your little family. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: we have seen quite an increase over an extended period
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  Speaker 1: of time, I guess you'd say, when it comes to
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  Speaker 1: antisocial behavior and a so some of the other terrible
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  Speaker 1: things that have unfolded in recent weeks.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie. So yes, Brenda and I have been here
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  Speaker 3: for quite some time in this house, about eighteen years. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: and you're right, it wasn't like this, and there are
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  Speaker 3: some wonderful people that live in this community, There's no
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  Speaker 3: doubt about that. But things are particularly bad right now.
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  Speaker 3: And if you just touch talk to anyone and they'll
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  Speaker 3: tell you there are people that in my streets that
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  Speaker 3: have been here over thirty years and no one has
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  Speaker 3: seen this level of antisocial behavior and crime just you know,
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  Speaker 3: in our streets and around the shops. And unfortunately we're
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  Speaker 3: not alone. You know. Crime is just one of many
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  Speaker 3: areas right across the territory being affected by what is
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  Speaker 3: not even a crime way. We can't call it a
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  Speaker 3: crime way. This is our daily life now and it
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  Speaker 3: has been for some time, and it's just not good enough. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: I know there's going to be so many people listening
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  Speaker 1: this morning who agree with you. And I'll tell you what,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I really feel for you when I realized
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  Speaker 1: that it was you who'd had your car stolen.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I see you at kids sport.
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  Speaker 1: You're an everyday territory and like myself, it's pretty heartbreaking
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  Speaker 1: I think when you when your life is impacted in
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  Speaker 1: this way, and so I really hope that you and
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  Speaker 1: your little family are okay.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, look, thanks Katie, And look, one of the biggest
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  Speaker 3: issues that we're facing in karama is and whilst we
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  Speaker 3: don't know you know, where these people are from that
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  Speaker 3: committed the install of the car and committed these times.
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  Speaker 3: The vast majority of the crime occurring in Karama at
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  Speaker 3: the moment is by people that don't live here. There
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  Speaker 3: are people from out of town and they don't respect,
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  Speaker 3: they don't have any respects for those of us that
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  Speaker 3: live here. They don't care what they do to our lives,
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  Speaker 3: and more often than not, they don't know how to
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  Speaker 3: behave in an urban setting because they seem to have.
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  Speaker 3: Many have comeing from remote areas. And now the issue
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  Speaker 3: compact impounding that here is that the local member Niri
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  Speaker 3: our Kids, she advocated for this extra sort of homeless
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  Speaker 3: accommodation housing called Tissa on Baton Road. Now it's great
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  Speaker 3: that a facility has been put in place for remote
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  Speaker 3: territories that are coming into town. They've got somewhere safe
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  Speaker 3: to stay, and that's fantastick. But to put it somewhere
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  Speaker 3: so close to an area where there is already significant
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  Speaker 3: social issues because of the increased number of public housing
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  Speaker 3: that we have here, it's just it's exacerbating a problem
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  Speaker 3: that already existed. And so whilst they can't drink her
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  Speaker 3: and do drugs and carry on at that facility, which
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  Speaker 3: is great for the women and children that are there,
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  Speaker 3: so they've got a really safe place to be. But
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  Speaker 3: what they're doing is they're coming into the streets of Karama.
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  Speaker 3: They're coming into the shops and drinking here and carrying
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  Speaker 3: on here. They're making life very unbearable and it's quite unsafe.
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  Speaker 3: Our kids can't ride home from school, things like that
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  Speaker 3: because this has been put there, and quite frankly by
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  Speaker 3: Niri advocating for that to go there, she has failed
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  Speaker 3: the rest of her constituent.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I've no doubt that we'll have other people
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  Speaker 1: get in contact with us about this this morning. Rihanna,
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  Speaker 1: we are going to have to leave it there. I
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  Speaker 1: really appreciate your time today, really appreciate your input, and
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  Speaker 1: as I say, I hope that you and your family
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  Speaker 1: are all right.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for having a chat with us.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks Beatie, Thanks you Tom.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. You are listening to Mix one oh four
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  Speaker 1: point nine. Now, we would love to hear from you
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  Speaker 1: this morning if you live in Karama and you want
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  Speaker 1: to give us a call eight nine four one one
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  Speaker 1: O four nine. If you are one of those people
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  Speaker 1: who was really sadly impacted by this crime spree that
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  Speaker 1: occurred earlier in the week. We'd also be very keen
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  Speaker 1: to hear from you eight nine four one one o
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  Speaker 1: four nine