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Katie Woolf spoke with Police Association President Paul McCue · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine three
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  Speaker 1: sixty Now you did just hear from the police Minister
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  Speaker 1: Nicole Madison and joining us on the line right now.
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  Speaker 1: Police Association President Paul Mchughue, Good morning to you, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Kennie.
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  Speaker 1: Paul. We've been speaking very comprehensively over the last week
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  Speaker 1: or for months really about the situation when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to crime in Alice Springs. From your perspective, how's the
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  Speaker 1: morale of our officers in Alice.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, look, they're still doing a tough down there,
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  Speaker 2: but I mean, you know, some pretty horrific footage we
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  Speaker 2: saw there the other night on the Current Affair Report,
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  Speaker 2: and sadly, you know, that's an all too common occurrence
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  Speaker 2: for our officers. I mean, we saw just how dangerous
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  Speaker 2: that situation was and how you know, hopelessly underman they
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  Speaker 2: were in that situation, and you know, we were just
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  Speaker 2: very fortunate, you know, not just a member of the public,
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  Speaker 2: but one of our officers didn't get severely injured in
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  Speaker 2: that incident. So that is really unfortunately, some of the
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  Speaker 2: issues going on down there at the moment. We as
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  Speaker 2: as you say, we have spoken about this a lot
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  Speaker 2: We talk about resourcing down there a lot, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: they're doing it tough, but wow, they're incredible down there.
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  Speaker 2: They just they just roll the slees up and get
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  Speaker 2: on with it. But it doesn't mean we can't support
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  Speaker 2: them in other ways.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's exactly what I asked the Police Minister earlier
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  Speaker 1: this morning. You know, do we need to look at
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  Speaker 1: legislative changes here? I think the wider community really do
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  Speaker 1: feel as though the police do a tremendous job. So then,
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  Speaker 1: you know, do we have all the legislative requirements in
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  Speaker 1: place to actually support the work that they're doing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right, and I think you know, when we
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  Speaker 2: look at youth for example, we've spoken about this before
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  Speaker 2: around you know, what are the reasons they're on the
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  Speaker 2: streets at night? Why are they there too? You know,
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  Speaker 2: far too often it's the police that have to deal
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  Speaker 2: with the outcomes of that, and often it's because it
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  Speaker 2: seems to be a safer environment, believe it or not,
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  Speaker 2: than their home environment. And that's a huge issue that
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  Speaker 2: the government need to look at. But of course there's
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  Speaker 2: the other issue that people seem to be forgetting it.
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  Speaker 2: One of the major drivers of crime and violence in
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  Speaker 2: our community is alcohol and the amount of excessive consumption
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  Speaker 2: of alcohol that's in the community. And we saw through
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  Speaker 2: the COVID lockdown the enormous impact that turning off the tap,
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  Speaker 2: so to speak, had in the reduction of violence, including
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  Speaker 2: domestic violence. And if we're not looking at that and saying, well,
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  Speaker 2: there's a bit of a blueprint to say we need
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  Speaker 2: to do something, we can. It just takes a lot
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  Speaker 2: of courage to actually make those decisions.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I think we've got you know, we all
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  Speaker 1: understand it's so complex here in the Northern Territory. But
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  Speaker 1: I feel as though, you know, at the moment, the
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  Speaker 1: government is talking generational change, and they're always talking generational change,
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  Speaker 1: but we actually need to do something right now to
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  Speaker 1: try to have a bit of a stop gap in
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  Speaker 1: the way that things are unfolding. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't think anyone denies the fact we need
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  Speaker 2: to look at generational change, and I think obviously government
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  Speaker 2: speaks about that and I think people need to listen
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  Speaker 2: to that. But I think you can't wait generational change
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  Speaker 2: right now. There are major issues and obviously that's the
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  Speaker 2: pressure point. What are they going to do in the
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  Speaker 2: short term? You can't just have a long term goal
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  Speaker 2: without actually having some short term outcomes that are going
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  Speaker 2: to make a bit of a difference as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been a pretty horrific situation I think out
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  Speaker 1: of Alice. We have learned as well on Monday from
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, that twenty nine new recruits
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  Speaker 1: are going to be sent to Alice Springs. I believe
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  Speaker 1: there's been eleven of the Aboriginal Community Police officers who
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  Speaker 1: will be heading down that way as well, and eleven auxiliaries.
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  Speaker 1: We're talking over fifty new well over fifty more resources. Paul,
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  Speaker 1: do you have concerns about that sort of leaving as
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  Speaker 1: short in other areas or do you think that that's
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  Speaker 1: needed to replace some of the staff that have left.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, obviously, you know it's primarily driven because of attrition,
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  Speaker 2: and obviously you know they're replacing people that have either
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  Speaker 2: transferred out or designed from the organization. So we've actually
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  Speaker 2: got a graduation tomorrow. Only twelve of those are heading
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  Speaker 2: to Alice Springs is my understanding, not twenty nine. So
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  Speaker 2: there is another graduation next month. So maybe that's where
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  Speaker 2: the chievementess is getting mixed up figures, But there are
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  Speaker 2: twelve off the squad tomorrow heading down there, and then
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  Speaker 2: obviously there's auxiliaries and Aboriginal community police officers as well.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, look it is a concern because obviously you
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  Speaker 2: know when there's an operation come from other areas that
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  Speaker 2: they're not additional, so you know, it is obviously impacting
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  Speaker 2: other areas across the agency.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's move along because there is quite a
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  Speaker 1: bit to unpack this morning. We know that the watchhouse
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  Speaker 1: in Darwin has now reopened. This is something that you
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  Speaker 1: and I have spoken about before. Good news for people
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  Speaker 1: closer to town and good news I would suspect when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to those response times when you have an
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  Speaker 1: incident near the city.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, it is and obviously we've been advocating for
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  Speaker 2: that to open for a long time. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: the more time our officers have in the actual sector
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  Speaker 2: they're are assigned to and that is the day and
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  Speaker 2: CBD in surround, then the better for the community and
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  Speaker 2: the more proactive work they can do in preventing crime.
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  Speaker 2: And so it was a no brainer. Obviously it was
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  Speaker 2: a resource issue. They've found the resources and that's reopen
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  Speaker 2: and we're very supportive of that.
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  Speaker 1: Paul. Throughout the week, I've also spoken about the fact
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  Speaker 1: that some people have contacted us with concerns about our
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  Speaker 1: police resources, ie our wonderful officers, you know, working in
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  Speaker 1: places like the airport through the management of COVID and
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  Speaker 1: other areas trying to manage COVID when really plenty of
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  Speaker 1: people are now seeing COVID as more of a health response.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that we need to have a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a relook at this.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, obviously that's an operational matter for the Commissioner.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, they determined they need police at the airport
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  Speaker 2: for example, and how it springs. But you know, obviously
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  Speaker 2: we'd prefer to have those officers out doing other work.
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  Speaker 2: You've got enormous amounts of shortages on the front line,
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  Speaker 2: and whilst you've got them tied up at the airport,
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  Speaker 2: they can't do those other duties. So our position is
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  Speaker 2: that is, you know, obviously we prefer them out doing
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  Speaker 2: doing the general duties and other works. So that's something
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  Speaker 2: for the Commissioner though, and obviously we keep keeping contact
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  Speaker 2: with him and the deputies over that.
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  Speaker 1: Issue now, Paul. I'm also earlier in the week we've
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  Speaker 1: learned of a sentence which has been handed down to
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  Speaker 1: a young territory woman who I understand bush a police officer.
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  Speaker 1: You guys have really condemned that sentence and said that
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  Speaker 1: it really isn't tough enough.
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  Speaker 2: Well it's not. I mean, you know, imagine you go
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  Speaker 2: to work. You obviously, police get the soul of their
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  Speaker 2: own and forty five times a year they're the known
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  Speaker 2: ones that we know about. Here we've got an instance
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  Speaker 2: and it's happening far too often. We're seeing more and
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  Speaker 2: more people getting a result bitten, spat at and those
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  Speaker 2: sorts of offenses are abhorrent, and you know, we would
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  Speaker 2: have liked to have seen a far tougher sentence in
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  Speaker 2: relation to send a message to the community that this
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  Speaker 2: is not good enough. Those officers have to go through
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  Speaker 2: a series of testing to make sure they haven't picked
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  Speaker 2: up a horrible disease out of this, and yet this
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  Speaker 2: person's walked away with a community a sentence. It's not
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  Speaker 2: good enough. And we've certainly been speaking to the minister
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  Speaker 2: about this and we'll be doing so again on the
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  Speaker 2: back of this sentence.
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  Speaker 1: Paul, I do just want to ask you there's been
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  Speaker 1: criticism this week of the Northern Territory Police for not
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  Speaker 1: releasing information sooner about the alleged s trape of a
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  Speaker 1: three year old boy in Karama. I mean, do you
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  Speaker 1: think that the public has a right to know about
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  Speaker 1: instances like that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, obviously, you know, I'm assuming the public just
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  Speaker 2: one consistency, and I guess they're questioning the delay in that,
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  Speaker 2: and obviously that's our commander Dial I think came on
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  Speaker 2: the other day and explain that that is. Obviously we
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  Speaker 2: don't have control over their media release protocols, but of
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  Speaker 2: course I think the community can insistency and that's all
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  Speaker 2: they want, So that'll be for the police to explain,
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  Speaker 2: no doubt.
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  Speaker 1: Police Association President Paul mcewe. I always appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for chatting with us today.
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  Speaker 2: Good onion, Thanks Cattie, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one O four point nine's three
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  Speaker 1: sixty