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

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  Speaker 1: Hello, Katie Wolvan three point sixty online at Mix one
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  Speaker 1: O four nine dot com.
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  Speaker 2: But as I mentioned a little bit earlier this morning,
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  Speaker 2: it seems as though there's a bit of argie bargie,
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  Speaker 2: you'd have to say, at this point in time between
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government and the federal government over the
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  Speaker 2: funding of our remote police stations. It's something that we've
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  Speaker 2: spoken about for quite some time. Yesterday COLP Senator Sam
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  Speaker 2: McMahon said that she was working towards extending remote policing
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  Speaker 2: funding in the Northern Territory. However, arrangements will need to
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  Speaker 2: be tightened to ensure that there are better staffing and
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  Speaker 2: infrastructure outcomes for Territory police. Now joining us on the
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  Speaker 2: line to talk about this and plenty more. Police Association
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  Speaker 2: President Paul mchughue, Good morning.
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  Speaker 3: To you, Paul.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Katy Paul.
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  Speaker 2: What is the situation as it currently stands in some
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  Speaker 2: of our remote police well some of our remote locations.
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  Speaker 3: Is the infrastructure adequate?
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  Speaker 2: No?
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  Speaker 1: Look, obviously, you know we're sort of talking way back
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  Speaker 1: from twow thousand and seven in terms of some of
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  Speaker 1: the infrastructure that was brought in under the intervention back
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  Speaker 1: then and what we've seen now as a real legacy
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  Speaker 1: of some dilapelated facilities that really aren't fit for purpose now.
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  Speaker 1: But we've also got some permanent facilities that have been
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  Speaker 1: you know, very little has been spent on those for
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  Speaker 1: a decade or more, and many of those are getting
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  Speaker 1: to appoint made and need to be replaced or have
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  Speaker 1: some heavy upgrades. And so with this funding due to
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  Speaker 1: expire next year, it's critically important that there's a commitment
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  Speaker 1: from the moment to continue in some capacity to fund
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  Speaker 1: some of those important aspects of policing and remote communities.
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  Speaker 2: When it does sound you know, from the statement that
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  Speaker 2: Senator Sam McMahon sent out earlier in the week, it
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  Speaker 2: certainly sounds like she's going to be pushing for that
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  Speaker 2: funding to be extended. I mean, how big an impact
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  Speaker 2: would it have though, if that funding wasn't extended.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Look, obviously, at the moment, understanding is that it's
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  Speaker 1: funding approximately fifty eight police to work in remote areas
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  Speaker 1: of the Northern Territory and obviously some of that money
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  Speaker 1: also will go towards repairs and maintenance of facilities. But
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  Speaker 1: you know, imagine if that didn't exist quite simply some
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  Speaker 1: of those stations would shut overnight because there simply wouldn't
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  Speaker 1: be enough police to staff them. And of course that's
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  Speaker 1: a terrible outcome for many of those remote communities that
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  Speaker 1: want police to remain.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt about that.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, at the end of the day, we've got
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that we have got a situation where
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  Speaker 2: our police are working cohesively in those various communities.
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  Speaker 3: How many communities would this impact.
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  Speaker 1: Well, obviously there's upwards of thirteen or fourteen you know,
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  Speaker 1: temple let's call them temporary. They're not really temporary these
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  Speaker 1: days when you're talking fourteen years down the track. But
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  Speaker 1: there's a fourteene shipping container locations which are out there
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  Speaker 1: and have been staffed on a rotational basis, which isn't
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  Speaker 1: an ideal outcome when you want people to be there
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  Speaker 1: on a permanent basis. But there's of course many other
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  Speaker 1: locations like Elliott or Ali Kerrang and many other permanent
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  Speaker 1: stations that are well overdue for replacement or upgrades. And
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  Speaker 1: you know, this is why this funding is so important.
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  Speaker 1: But it's also important that there's consultation with the Commissioner
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  Speaker 1: and his senior team to actually make sure that funding
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  Speaker 1: is put in the right places.
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  Speaker 2: Are there any locations of those thirteen or fourteen locations
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  Speaker 2: where the accommodation has been at such a low standard
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  Speaker 2: where you've had officers leave.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, obviously there's been times those temporary facilities, many
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  Speaker 1: of those have effectively fallen apart, and there's been a
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  Speaker 1: lot of money had to be injected into just getting
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  Speaker 1: them to a point where people can go out there
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  Speaker 1: on a rotational basis. But there are times when they've
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  Speaker 1: had to close them because of safety concerns. They haven't
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  Speaker 1: been able to use the police cells, for example, because
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  Speaker 1: you know, there's been holes in the floors and leaking
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  Speaker 1: roofs and new name it. I mean we're talking about
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  Speaker 1: shipping containers here that have been placed in you know,
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  Speaker 1: when you talk about the climate in the top end
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  Speaker 1: and then of course the desert climate, the effect that's
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  Speaker 1: had on those facilities is I mean, they are just
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  Speaker 1: simply no good anymore, and they need to be bulldozed
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  Speaker 1: and there needs to be a decision made as to
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  Speaker 1: whether you're going to have permanent police there and if
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  Speaker 1: you do, build a facility that's fit for purpose and
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  Speaker 1: suitable for people to take their families.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, I have got a message from a listener here.
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  Speaker 2: It says, could you please ask Paul mchu if the
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  Speaker 2: brand new police station at a Nurugu on Groot Island
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  Speaker 2: is being manned or is it still vacant.
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  Speaker 1: My understanding is there is a police auxiliary that goes
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  Speaker 1: out to man that station on a daily basis. And
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  Speaker 1: then obviously there are other police who are permanently located
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  Speaker 1: on Groot Island that go there from and from them
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  Speaker 1: from the main township to actually operate out of that
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  Speaker 1: station on a fairly regular basis. But there's no facility
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  Speaker 1: there for police to actually live there. They actually come
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  Speaker 1: in from the the town.
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  Speaker 2: Is that an ideal scenario to have a police auxiliary
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  Speaker 2: manning that station?
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  Speaker 1: Look, I think what you're seeing there is the legacy
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  Speaker 1: of decision that was made to place a facility in
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  Speaker 1: a location was best? Was it the best spend of
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  Speaker 1: that money? It's very questionable. Our position is no, it
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  Speaker 1: wasn't you know, You've got a police station twenty kilometers
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  Speaker 1: down the road with upwards of fourteen or fifteen officers
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  Speaker 1: there that were servicing that community. That money could have
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  Speaker 1: been better spent in some of our other remote locations
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  Speaker 1: that are desperately overdue for replacement and upgrade.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, can I move along and ask you about recruitment
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  Speaker 2: and retention. How are we going when it comes to
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  Speaker 2: those numbers, and are we still losing our experienced police
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  Speaker 2: officers at.
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  Speaker 3: A high rate.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Look, obviously the last Fortnight wasn't a great fortnite
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  Speaker 1: where fourteen people appeared in the resignation column. But you know,
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  Speaker 1: the current recruit We've had two graduations recently. We've got
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  Speaker 1: a thing upwards of ninety constables in training still, and
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  Speaker 1: we've got another couple of squads starting in the next
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  Speaker 1: month or two. You know, we've certainly got confidence for
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  Speaker 1: current recruitment campaign. He is meeting that attrition rate, but
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  Speaker 1: of course, yeah, we are losing some experience along the way.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I guess that is a concern.
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  Speaker 2: We have seen that a large number of those recruits
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  Speaker 2: have gone down to Alice Springs, haven't they.
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  Speaker 1: That's correct, Yeah, obviously, you know, and that will continue
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  Speaker 1: to be the case, and we've got a large number.
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  Speaker 1: You know, the Commissioner's desire is to have members who
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  Speaker 1: graduate from police training move into either Catherine Tenant Creek
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  Speaker 1: or Alice Springs, and that's to get them out into
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  Speaker 1: those regional areas. But of course you know that that
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  Speaker 1: means we've got a lot of junior and inexperienced officers
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  Speaker 1: in those locations. But bet at this stage, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we're monitoring that situation, but I don't think that will
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  Speaker 1: change anytime soon.
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  Speaker 3: What do you mean monitoring?
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  Speaker 2: Are you concerned that given the fact that they are
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  Speaker 2: during your officers that and Alice Springs. I guess some
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  Speaker 2: would describe it as being a bit volatile at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: are you concerned about them in terms of their safety
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  Speaker 2: or what are you monitoring?
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  Speaker 1: No, obviously, it's just important to make sure they've got
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  Speaker 1: appropriate you know, senior members to mentor new police when
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  Speaker 1: they come out of the training college. And obviously people
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  Speaker 1: are on probation when they come out of the college
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  Speaker 1: corupt waiting months and there's got to be and you know,
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  Speaker 1: sufficient senior staff to actually monitor those recruits that they
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  Speaker 1: come out. And I mean, at this stage we're confident
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  Speaker 1: that is the case. But again we you know, we
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  Speaker 1: have people on the ground down in those locations and
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  Speaker 1: they keep us across you know, an any issues that
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  Speaker 1: may arise, but nothing at this stage, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: I understand that there was that there actually was assaults
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  Speaker 2: on a couple of our police officers earlier in the
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  Speaker 2: week in Alice.
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  Speaker 3: Is that correct?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Look, I've been informed of that today and you
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  Speaker 1: know where we've got our local representative of their touching
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  Speaker 1: base with those officers. I believe they are okay, but again,
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  Speaker 1: it was another example of you know what they're putting
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  Speaker 1: out with, you know, on a daily basis. Essentially, I
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  Speaker 1: believe three officers were solder and you know, it's you know,
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  Speaker 1: we've spoken about this a lot, and you know what
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  Speaker 1: they actually put up with out there on the front line,
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  Speaker 1: and that's what's so important to make sure we're doing
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  Speaker 1: everything we can to make them as comfortable and secure
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  Speaker 1: in the job as possible.
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  Speaker 3: What exactly had happened, do you know?
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  Speaker 1: No, Look, I don't know the specifics at this stage,
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  Speaker 1: but certainly, you know, we will have that information soon
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  Speaker 1: and we'll obviously be touching base with those officers to
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  Speaker 1: make sure they're okay.
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  Speaker 2: Can I ask, is there any update at this point
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  Speaker 2: in time on those school based constables. It was something
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  Speaker 2: that you and I had spoken about sort of earlier
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  Speaker 2: in the year and even towards the end of last year.
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  Speaker 3: Is there any update in that space.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, obviously, nothing formal at this stage. Obviously there's
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  Speaker 1: a desire to expand the scheme in some capacity, and
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  Speaker 1: you know, we're spoken about the importance of making sure
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  Speaker 1: those officers that are currently doing that role are effectively
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  Speaker 1: communicated and consulted in an appropriate manner, and that includes us,
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  Speaker 1: and we are making sure that takes place. And I've
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  Speaker 1: actually got a meeting this week with them to make
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  Speaker 1: sure they're across any potential changes or what they're hearing
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  Speaker 1: out there on the street.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, because there had been some discussion that maybe some
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  Speaker 2: of those roles would be filled by auxiliaries.
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  Speaker 1: That's correct, and in certainly that's our understanding. And you know,
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  Speaker 1: obviously we're in early discussions as to what that might
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  Speaker 1: look like and the reasons behind it, and until we
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  Speaker 1: get that detail from the department, and it's very difficult
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  Speaker 1: to understand what the model's going to look like. And
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  Speaker 1: you know, obviously it's it's really important, obviously from a
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  Speaker 1: school's perspective, but obviously from our perspective to make sure
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  Speaker 1: we've got the right people and the right roles, and
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  Speaker 1: you know we want to see the detail of that proposal.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we will keep a close eye on that, paulmtt
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  Speaker 2: you anything else we should be aware of this morning.
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  Speaker 1: No, all good, Thanks Katie. I think it's obviously we've
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  Speaker 1: got a big few weeks. Our officers are doing a
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  Speaker 1: terrific job out there. We know that, we know that
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  Speaker 1: the pressure on them out there in the community and
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  Speaker 1: to keep everyone safe, and they're doing a terrific job.
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  Speaker 2: Police Association President Paul mchue always good to catch up.
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: Thanks for your time today, all right, Thanks Gutting