Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Police Association President Paul McCue discusses Police Remembrance Day on 360 with Katie Woolf

Transcript

NT Police Association President Paul McCue discusses Police Remembrance Day on 360 with Katie Woolf · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Today is National Police Remembrance Day, a day for us
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  Speaker 1: all to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made by brave
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  Speaker 1: police officers. Now I spoke a little bit earlier this
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  Speaker 1: morning to the Northern Territory Police Association President Paul McHugh.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Paul, very good morning, Cannie.
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  Speaker 1: Paul. Tell me more about what Police Remembrance Day is
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  Speaker 1: all about.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously, today's a very important day for police and
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  Speaker 2: their families across the country. Of course, Australia, New Zealand
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  Speaker 2: and New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands all paused
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  Speaker 2: today to honor officers who sadly have lost their life
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  Speaker 2: or it's been cut short while performing duties, you know,
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  Speaker 2: as a police officer, and of course also to remember
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  Speaker 2: those officers have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances,
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  Speaker 2: and we all pause and honor of those officers and
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  Speaker 2: of course remember their families and remind people of the
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  Speaker 2: support we're here to give on this very important day
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  Speaker 2: across the country.
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  Speaker 1: It is such an important day right around the nation.
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  Speaker 1: And as you mentioned, in other parts of the world, Paul,
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  Speaker 1: how many Northern Territory police officers have lost their lives
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  Speaker 1: while undertaking work in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, looks sadly too many. Obviously we're fortunate this year
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  Speaker 2: we're not adding another name to the wall in Camera,
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  Speaker 2: which we're very grateful for. But over the years there
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  Speaker 2: have been many officers who have either died while serving
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  Speaker 2: or through illness or injury. So it does affect a
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  Speaker 2: lot of families, probably more than people would understand. And
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  Speaker 2: across across the country, sadly we see police officers lose
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  Speaker 2: their lives on an all too regular basis, and it's
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  Speaker 2: always a very somber day, you know. Obviously COVID has
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  Speaker 2: affected the ability for us to tend Camera and the
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  Speaker 2: National Police Memorial there and you know often we have
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  Speaker 2: two to three thousand people every year turn up there
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  Speaker 2: and it's a very somber day when we see that
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  Speaker 2: the baton's laid at the memorial and remember those who
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  Speaker 2: have made the ultimate sacrifice. And of course it's so
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  Speaker 2: important for us to never forget that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it is really a day for us all
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  Speaker 1: to remember as well, you know, not only the officers
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  Speaker 1: whose lives have been lost, but also to reflect, I guess,
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  Speaker 1: on that dangerous work that our police do undertake each
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  Speaker 1: and every shift. How difficult can it be for our
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  Speaker 1: officers going to work each day knowing that the reality
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  Speaker 1: is they are facing danger in many circumstances.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right, Katie, and I think the biggest factor
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  Speaker 2: of police work and we know that the really important
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  Speaker 2: work they do and the proactive work they do, but
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  Speaker 2: it's the unpredictability of the day that I mean, they
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  Speaker 2: don't know what they're walking into each day they put
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  Speaker 2: on the uniform or carry the detective badge or whatever
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  Speaker 2: they're doing that day, they don't know what's in front
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  Speaker 2: of them. And you know, that's why it's so important
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  Speaker 2: that we never forget them. You know, it's a very
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  Speaker 2: very dangerous job. We know that the incredible work they've
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  Speaker 2: been doing, you know during the COVID time to keep
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  Speaker 2: us all safe, but also you know, we know in
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  Speaker 2: the territory if we reflect on the you know, the
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  Speaker 2: significant alcohol related harm and domestic violence and tragic road
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  Speaker 2: accidents and all those things at police attend every day
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  Speaker 2: where many other people in the public would be horrified
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  Speaker 2: in some of some of the things that police officers
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  Speaker 2: deal with. So it is a dangerous job. You hit
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  Speaker 2: the nail on the head and you know we're here
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  Speaker 2: today to make sure we remember those that have made
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  Speaker 2: the ultimate sacrifice.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, Yeah, I've got to say, you know, I
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  Speaker 1: probably didn't realize just how tough it could be for
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  Speaker 1: police every single day until I worked in that police
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  Speaker 1: media unit many many years ago. And you know, I
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  Speaker 1: remember myself as a media officer being on call and
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  Speaker 1: the phone would ring and you'd think, oh, no, there's
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  Speaker 1: been something terrible happen, and you know we're going to
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  Speaker 1: have to go out to it. So I can't actually
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  Speaker 1: imagine how tough it is for our police some days
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  Speaker 1: when they're going through that type of thing each and
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  Speaker 1: every day and each and every week.
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  Speaker 2: You're right, Katie, And of course you know, they they
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  Speaker 2: go to work, they put their kid on, they get
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  Speaker 2: called to jobs, and they're all hours of the day,
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  Speaker 2: night twenty four to seven, they are out there on
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  Speaker 2: the streets keeping us all safe. And you know, it
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  Speaker 2: can be pretty frightening circumstances sometimes that the matters they
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  Speaker 2: have to deal with. And of course, you know we're
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  Speaker 2: always working with the department and the government to make
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  Speaker 2: sure they are as resourced as they can. They've got
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  Speaker 2: all the equipment they need, to keep them safe. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, at the end of the day, you can't
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  Speaker 2: you can't predict circumstances and sometimes ultimately it costs them
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  Speaker 2: their life. And that's what they do for our community,
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  Speaker 2: and we're forever grateful, Paul.
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  Speaker 1: I know that there are a number of different things
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  Speaker 1: happening today right around the Northern Territory to really pay
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  Speaker 1: tribute to those that we've lost, but also to the
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  Speaker 1: enormous work that our police force do. Where can people
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  Speaker 1: go to and what services are happening?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are services on today, of course, you know,
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  Speaker 2: I'm actually down in our springs for the service this
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  Speaker 2: morning that's happening at ten o'clock this morning at our
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  Speaker 2: Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Hartley Street. But
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  Speaker 2: of course up in Dalen there there's services on Saint
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  Speaker 2: Mary's Cathedral, and we've also got services across the entire
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  Speaker 2: territory at various locations. But one of the really important
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  Speaker 2: things on as the sunsets tonight. And you know, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: we had our annual conference, of course, just a couple
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  Speaker 2: of weeks ago, and at that conference I called on
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  Speaker 2: bipartisan support for Lighting Up Blue this year, and I'm
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  Speaker 2: pleased to obviously to have had that support from the
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  Speaker 2: Minister Nicole Manison, of course the Shadow Minister Leah Finocciario,
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  Speaker 2: and also the Commission of Police and they've got behind
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  Speaker 2: this and as as the Speaker at Parliament House, and
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  Speaker 2: tonight is the Sunsets. Parliament House will have a terrific
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  Speaker 2: tribute to police officers past and present and we encourage
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  Speaker 2: people to go along and observe that and reflect. And
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  Speaker 2: also Palmerston Police Station, the Convention Center down there at
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  Speaker 2: the waterfront, and the Peter McCaulay Center out there at
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  Speaker 2: Berrima and all of that's been possible to because of
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  Speaker 2: the support of those people and it's a terrific initiative.
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  Speaker 2: The Western Australian Police Union have been doing it for
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  Speaker 2: a few years now and you know it's lighted up blue.
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  Speaker 2: It says the Sunsets will go and reflect and sit
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  Speaker 2: before those important buildings and remember those that have made
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  Speaker 2: that ultimate sacrifice.
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  Speaker 1: Such an important thing to do. And Paul, is this
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  Speaker 1: the first time ever that that's happened at Parliament House. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Look, obviously, you know we tragically lost those four Victorian offices,
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  Speaker 2: you know, eighteen months or so ago now in that
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  Speaker 2: terrible incident down there and at the time we did
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  Speaker 2: have some buildings up blue but Parliament House unfortunately couldn't
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  Speaker 2: at that stage. And this is the first time and
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  Speaker 2: look I've seen what they're going to do. It looks terrific.
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  Speaker 2: It is a terrific you know, initiative and where please
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  Speaker 2: people have got behind it and we would like to
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  Speaker 2: make this of course an annual, an annual event where
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  Speaker 2: people can come along and sit and reflect. And it
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  Speaker 2: is the first time Katie for Parliament House.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, good stuff, Paul. You know, to anybody out there
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  Speaker 1: listening this morning who does want to show their support
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  Speaker 1: for our police officers, but they're maybe not able to
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  Speaker 1: attend one of those various services around the territory, what
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  Speaker 1: can we do to really show our officers that we
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  Speaker 1: support the work that they do.
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  Speaker 2: Look, obviously, it's always important to show support. It's always
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  Speaker 2: important to think our police officers. And it doesn't have
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  Speaker 2: to be today, it can be every day. You know
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  Speaker 2: that they see them on the streets or there, or
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  Speaker 2: they're walking paths and just walk up and say gooday
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  Speaker 2: and thank them for their service and their work. Because
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  Speaker 2: it's those people in those uniforms and behind those badge
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  Speaker 2: is that that are keeping us safe and doing that
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  Speaker 2: important work. And of course you know we also encourage
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  Speaker 2: people who you know, social media does play a big
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  Speaker 2: part in support and of course there'll be plenty of
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  Speaker 2: photos put up tonight from those buildings being lit up
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  Speaker 2: blue and we encourage people to share those hashtag lighted
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  Speaker 2: up blue and show their support. In fact, you know,
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  Speaker 2: let's remember those that have made the sacrifice and that's
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  Speaker 2: a really good way of doing it. If you can't
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  Speaker 2: come along to those services.
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  Speaker 1: Today well, Police Association President Paul McHugh, we always appreciate
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  Speaker 1: your time. Thank you for the work you do. Thank
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  Speaker 1: all of our Northern Territory police officers for the enormous
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  Speaker 1: amount of work that they do. And we'll be thinking
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  Speaker 1: of all of those territory families and right around Australia
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  Speaker 1: who have lost loved ones while in the line of
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  Speaker 1: judy as police officers. Thanks so much for your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Cattie, appreciate it.
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  Speaker 1: You are listening to mix one oh four point nine
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  Speaker 1: is three point sixty if you do want to call
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  Speaker 1: through this morning eight nine four one one four nine