Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Police Commander Danny Bacon on the latest NT crime stats, particularly the high increase of commercial crime

Transcript

NT Police Commander Danny Bacon on the latest NT crime stats, particularly the high increase of commercial crime · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You are listening to mix one. Oh four point nine's
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  Speaker 1: three sixty Now it is just on nine thirty and
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  Speaker 1: we are I'm just making sure I've got all these
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  Speaker 1: microphones turned on properly. Now we know that the latest
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  Speaker 1: NT crime statistics have been released and the numbers in
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  Speaker 1: some areas are pretty high. Commercial break ins in Darwen
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  Speaker 1: and Palmerston up significantly in Darwin up forty eight point
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  Speaker 1: five nine percent. Palmerston they're up thirty five point two percent.
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  Speaker 1: Now Alice Springs, Poor old Alice Springs, it was up
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  Speaker 1: sixty percent. Catherine up forty one percent. Now joining me
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  Speaker 1: in the studio to tell us more about the crime
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  Speaker 1: stats is Commander for Darwin and Road Policing, Danny Bacon.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Katy. Commander. Let's talk about these
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  Speaker 1: commercial break ins. First, why are we seeing such an increase.
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  Speaker 1: Is it a result of some of that alcohol related
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  Speaker 1: crime or is it youth crime?
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  Speaker 2: What is this a combination of both, Katie, it's adult
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  Speaker 2: crime predominantly regards to alcohol. I'm seeking for our call,
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  Speaker 2: particularly the our commercial businesses that have alcohol for sale.
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  Speaker 2: Some of it is youth related in regards to small goods,
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  Speaker 2: regards to stuff that they could easily pawn off and
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  Speaker 2: make some quick money for. So the figures are quite large. Certainly,
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  Speaker 2: we've had some small winds within parmers and regarding residential breaks,
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  Speaker 2: which is good to seize two percent in regards to
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  Speaker 2: what we're doing in regards to the property crime itself.
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  Speaker 2: As you know, Strike Force tried and is a tried
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  Speaker 2: and tested strike force within the Greater Darm region. It's
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  Speaker 2: had some significant I suppose input and outcomes in regards
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  Speaker 2: to certainly apprehending offenders in a quick timing matter. I know,
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  Speaker 2: whilst it's not helpful for victims of today, but certainly
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  Speaker 2: in the Greater Dah region there's been a decreasing trend
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  Speaker 2: in property crime over last decade overall. But yes, there
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  Speaker 2: are some significant I suppose people in town at the
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  Speaker 2: moment regarding itinerants, people sleeping rough Some of those individuals
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  Speaker 2: are offending in this nature. So some of it does
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  Speaker 2: relate to residents, but some does relate to our large
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  Speaker 2: increase of visitors.
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  Speaker 1: And we had spoken. We caught up with Travis Wurst
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  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago and spoke about some of
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  Speaker 1: the numbers that we are seeing on the streets in
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  Speaker 1: terms of people here from other communities. We'd also spoken
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  Speaker 1: to the Deputy Commissioner Michael Murphy about it as well,
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  Speaker 1: and he had said that ordinarily there'd be around seven
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  Speaker 1: hundred people maybe in Darwin at any one time, but
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  Speaker 1: we were looking at more than two thousand. How are
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  Speaker 1: those numbers going at the moment. Are we sort of
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  Speaker 1: seeing some people head home or is it really not
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  Speaker 1: changing too.
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  Speaker 2: Much depending on which organization you're speaking to this junction
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  Speaker 2: in time, but those figures vary between two to three thousand.
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  Speaker 2: People are sleeping rough. Some people are leaving rough of
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  Speaker 2: their own volition, if that makes any sense, So they're
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  Speaker 2: choosing that last some unfortunately, are not choosing that lifestyle
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  Speaker 2: as well. So certainly we are one key stakeholder in
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  Speaker 2: this equation. You know, the Department chief men's are coordinating
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  Speaker 2: a lot of stakeholders in this space, and so we're
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  Speaker 2: hoping to see a lot more buying, you know, from
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  Speaker 2: other agencies, both government and non government agencies that are
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  Speaker 2: funded to work in this space. So we're very keen
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  Speaker 2: and we are seeing a lot more of an uptake,
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  Speaker 2: a lot more engagement from those agencies just to certainly
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  Speaker 2: work with those rough sleepers and not itinerous to see,
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  Speaker 2: you know, if there is a availability for a return
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  Speaker 2: to country, or if there's a housing or any other
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  Speaker 2: social issues that need to be for that early intervention.
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  Speaker 1: Because I guess the issue as well is that it's
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  Speaker 1: not only then, you know, when we see businesses broken
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  Speaker 1: into in some cases, or that alcohol issues, but I
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  Speaker 1: would imagine as well, you know, some of that domestic
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  Speaker 1: violence too. It does creep in even on the streets
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  Speaker 1: when there are people sleeping rough.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm glad you did raise domestic viance, K, because
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  Speaker 2: the lot of the conversation is about property crime, and
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  Speaker 2: I'm not detracting. You know, the property crime is quite high,
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  Speaker 2: but you know when we release the property crime, well
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  Speaker 2: the stats on Friday, you know, overnight that night there
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  Speaker 2: was twenty one domestic violence incidents and there were six
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  Speaker 2: unlawful entries. But we're not talking about the domestic aviance.
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  Speaker 2: We're talking about the unlawful entries. And you know four
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  Speaker 2: of those unlawfullys were unlocked premises at the time. So
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  Speaker 2: and even tonight this morning, you know, there's seventeen and
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  Speaker 2: domestic violence incidance confirmed overnight and we had two unlawful
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  Speaker 2: entries confirmed overnight and again both those unlawful entries through
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  Speaker 2: unlocked doors. So you know, certainly in the property area.
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  Speaker 2: In regards to speaking with the community, speaking with victims
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  Speaker 2: about personal safety around the home, I think that can
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  Speaker 2: certainly go a long way to reducing some of that crime.
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  Speaker 2: But I really want to turn our conversations to domestic violence.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the domestic violence numbers are quite staggering. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: we are bringing them down certainly over the last six months.
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  Speaker 2: We're actually reducing some are assault offenders assault offending. However,
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  Speaker 2: they are still quite high. So the commands developed Strikeforce LIRA,
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  Speaker 2: which is a combination of operational offices across the broader
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  Speaker 2: Command region working in with our domestic violence Crime unit,
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  Speaker 2: and they're looking at intervening as soon as the matters
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  Speaker 2: are reported so we can provide more timing investigations for
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  Speaker 2: both repeat victims and certain so we can deal with
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  Speaker 2: offenders before they become resided as offenders as well. So
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  Speaker 2: that's where we're trying to apply a lot of our
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  Speaker 2: resources this time, obviously in conjunction with our Property crime
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  Speaker 2: and ASB work.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it does sound as though there's quite a bit
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  Speaker 1: going on in that domestic violence space, not only terribly
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  Speaker 1: in terms of the volume of incidents that you're being
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  Speaker 1: called out to. I mean, that's quite astronomical. Twenty one
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  Speaker 1: incidents one night, seventeen the next. They're really big numbers.
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  Speaker 1: But like I said, it does sound as though the
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  Speaker 1: Territory Police have got a number of different initiatives that
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  Speaker 1: they've got underway to try and make some inroads there, Commander,
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  Speaker 1: when I talk about or when we just to go
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  Speaker 1: back to briefly those break ins and some of those
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  Speaker 1: commercial break ins, when you look at what's going on
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  Speaker 1: at the moment, what additional work are the police sort
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  Speaker 1: of undertaking to try and minimize those commercial break ins?
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  Speaker 1: And I know that there's so many factors that come
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  Speaker 1: into play here, but what work is underway in that space.
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  Speaker 2: Well, certainly our enforcement space is strike force Trident, but
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  Speaker 2: that is just the enforcement aspect. So really what we
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  Speaker 2: need to do is getting that early intervention space. So
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  Speaker 2: that's where the Department, Chief Men, Territory Families Housing, Larkie Nation,
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  Speaker 2: a number of other support agencies. That's where we're expecting
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  Speaker 2: a lot of effort in there, because that's where to
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  Speaker 2: be Frank, that's where we need to get the uptake
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  Speaker 2: from to lessen the offendings where they amblers at the
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  Speaker 2: bottom of the cliffers in that terminology. By the time
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  Speaker 2: they're offending to a certain degree, it's too late. So
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  Speaker 2: we really need to get in that early intervention area
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  Speaker 2: and work with the other agencies and other government departments
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  Speaker 2: in that area.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, can I just ask quickly? I know there was
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  Speaker 1: a couple of incidents or there was one over the weekend,
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  Speaker 1: a sixty one year old woman assaulted in Ballamack as
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  Speaker 1: I understand, is there any update on that situation?
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  Speaker 2: Certainly can a tragic incident in itself, but the eighteen
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  Speaker 2: year old adult is currently in Cussy facing court this
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  Speaker 2: morning and the fourteen year old youth it was apprehended
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  Speaker 2: and it's on restricted bail and we'll be attending court
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  Speaker 2: at a later time now.
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  Speaker 1: I also believe that there was I just heard in
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  Speaker 1: our news a little bit earlier an arrest in Wanguri
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  Speaker 1: in which one of the canine police I believe, then
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  Speaker 1: bit one of the offenders.
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  Speaker 2: Yes it was a canine police dog. Wasn't a canine
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  Speaker 2: police officer that bit one of the offenders? Want to
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  Speaker 2: clarify that, yes, the canine unit is a critical unit
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  Speaker 2: for our enforcement and both in a proactive and reactive
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  Speaker 2: so that we have them patrolling through our nighttime and
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  Speaker 2: obviously when the reports come through, they're a very effective tool. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: we don't want our canine dogs to bite suspects, our offenders,
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  Speaker 2: but when we call somebody to stop, we hope that
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  Speaker 2: they do so because getting bitten is a likely outcome.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll continue to use the canine units across the
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  Speaker 2: Gray Darin, both in that reactive and proactive sense to
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  Speaker 2: try and both reduce offending so people know that they're about,
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  Speaker 2: but also there to catch offenders and catch offenders in
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  Speaker 2: the timing manner.
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  Speaker 1: Now, we also got a question from a listener a
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  Speaker 1: bit earlier, and you may not be able to provide
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  Speaker 1: much of an update in this case, but this person
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  Speaker 1: did ask, is there any update on the shooting incident
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  Speaker 1: that occurred in Gray recently?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I certainly can't provide any update regard that particular matter.
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  Speaker 2: That matter rests with our crime team. What I can
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  Speaker 2: tell your listener is that there's a lot of agencies
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  Speaker 2: obviously working with the community. The community is obviously grieving
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  Speaker 2: and people across a wide spectrum as well. So we're
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  Speaker 2: working with agencies and working with families to try and
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  Speaker 2: make sure that the community feels safe and continue to
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  Speaker 2: do so.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll see if we can get a bit of
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  Speaker 1: an update as well from the appropriate areas. Now, before
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  Speaker 1: I let you go, Commander, I know that there has
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  Speaker 1: been a lot happening at the moment, certainly when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to the morale of the force. There is the
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  Speaker 1: high profile court case last week. Now, I certainly don't
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  Speaker 1: expect you to go into any sort of political commentary here,
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  Speaker 1: but how is the morale within the force at the moment?
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  Speaker 2: I think certainly. You know I can't speak for every office,
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  Speaker 2: I really can't, but certainly there's been an emotional and
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  Speaker 2: mental rollercoaster for a lot of our team members for
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  Speaker 2: a long period of time, you know, not detracting from
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  Speaker 2: the challenging incidents, but we'll also a COVID response over
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  Speaker 2: to a year period of time has been quite quite
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  Speaker 2: long and arduous for a lot of our members. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, they're hurting for a range of different reasons.
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  Speaker 2: So is the community itself. We are our individual community,
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  Speaker 2: but you know we're a very broad community. We're part
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  Speaker 2: of the community as well, so where we're grieving with
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  Speaker 2: the community as much as we're grieving with ourselves as well.
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  Speaker 2: But they're very professionally our officers, and they stand up
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  Speaker 2: under those challenging circumstances. They really do, and I'm very
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  Speaker 2: proud of them.
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  Speaker 1: All is I mean, is there any additional work being
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  Speaker 1: undertaken in an effort to sort of support officers or
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  Speaker 1: to try and lift that morale there?
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  Speaker 2: Certainly is. One of my key roles is to certainly
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  Speaker 2: talk to my officers to find out any issues concerned
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  Speaker 2: and sitting address those. You know, a lot of those
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  Speaker 2: is not just external factors, it's also internally and how
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  Speaker 2: they're going and how they're feeling, and how I can
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  Speaker 2: sort of improve both where they're at but also for
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  Speaker 2: their future as well. So I'm very engaged in having
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  Speaker 2: those discussions, and so's my whole management. I'd say, so
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: the organization and everybody is traveling very very differently. They
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  Speaker 2: really are, depending on you know, they where they are
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: and their current career and what they've been involved in
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  Speaker 2: or certainly exposed to so well.
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  Speaker 1: Commander for Darwin and Roade Policing Danny Bacon, we really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much for
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  Speaker 1: having a chat with me.
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  Speaker 2: All right, drummers all, thank you, thank you.