Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Police Association President Paul McCue says 97 per cent of respondents do not think there are enough police according to the latest members survey

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NT Police Association President Paul McCue says 97 per cent of respondents do not think there are enough police according to the latest members survey · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Like I told you last week, we know that a
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: survey is being conducted by the Northern Territory Police Association
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: as negotiations over a pay deal for officers continues. And
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: I've got my hands on some further details of that survey.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: And joining me on the line is the Police Association president,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Paul McHugh. Good morning to you.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Paul, Good morning Katie. Paul.
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: How many people have now completed that survey?
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we opened the survey last Wednesday, so it's been
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: open a week now. We've had in excess of fifty
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: percent of the police force return a result so far,
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  Speaker 2: so in excess of eight hundred plus people already. In fact,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: in the first three hours of the survey being open
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  Speaker 2: we had over three hundred which is which is a
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: record return rate. So it gives you an idea just
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: how people are feeling at the moment that they really
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: want to have their say, and we're no doubt on
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: target to achieve well over one thousand responses because the
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: survey's open for another week yet.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: So how many members of the Northern Territory Police Force
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: are well, how many police officers are members of the association, Just.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: About every single one, So around ninety eight and a
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: half percent of the sworn officers in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: are members of the Northern Territory Police Association, so it
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: gives you an idea just about every one of those
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: police you see are members of the association. So when
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: we do a survey of this nature we get such
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: a high return rate. It really is a clear view
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  Speaker 2: and a clear picture of how the entire police force
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  Speaker 2: is feeling.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Paul, for those that maybe didn't hero interview last week,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: why exactly is this survey being conducted.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Obviously we're in pay negotiations at the moment with the government.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: We know they've been taking far too long to reach
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: a conclusion. But it's also really important following our survey
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  Speaker 2: middle of last year to our guess six months down
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  Speaker 2: the track, and we all know there's been a lot
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  Speaker 2: happened in crime and policing over that six month period.
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  Speaker 2: It's really important to get up to date statistics in
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  Speaker 2: terms of just how people are feeling, how they feel
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  Speaker 2: they're being hoarded or not by the government. And we've
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: got a couple of questions in our survey that were
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  Speaker 2: the same questions from our survey of last year. So
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  Speaker 2: we're just getting some comparative data.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I've got a bit of that info and please
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  Speaker 1: feel free to correct me if any of it's wrong.
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  Speaker 1: But my understanding is that ninety seven percent of those
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  Speaker 1: respondents so far don't believe that there are enough police
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  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory to do what's expected of them. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Look, that's I guess not a surprising figure from our perspective.
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  Speaker 2: It's actually an increase last year we asked that very
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  Speaker 2: same question ninety three percent at that stage, so we
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  Speaker 2: don't have enough. We're now looking at ninety seven percent.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, nearly every single person who's returning this survey
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  Speaker 2: is saying we don't have enough police. And yet we
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: continually hear statements made by government that you know, we've
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: invested more than any other government in policing, we've done
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  Speaker 2: more to support them, and yet that is clearly not
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: the message our members are delivering to them.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Paul, are there any other numbers that you're prepared to reveal.
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  Speaker 1: I know that you've asked about morale, You've asked about
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  Speaker 1: whether officers feel supported by the Northern Territory government, and
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  Speaker 1: also whether they've considered an exit strategy. Can you give
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: us any of the percentages of the answers to those questions?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I mean we produce some interim results to
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: our membership yesterday, but through one of our electronic newsletters.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: I think it's very important they understand whether the statistics
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  Speaker 2: are heading and we're obviously encouraging every officer to participated
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: in their surveys. There's five short questions and you've touched
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: on those. Morale at the moment, seventy six percent rated
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: as low or very low. That's fairly consistent with last
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: year's result. Not a great result, ninety six percent. So
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  Speaker 2: ninety six percent so they don't feel supported by the
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  Speaker 2: nt government. Eighty four percent, which is when you look
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: at the figures, the raw figures, around forty two percent
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  Speaker 2: of our entire police force have actually considered an exit strategy.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: You're considered other employments. That is an alarming statistic for government.
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  Speaker 1: It's I mean, it's pretty unbelievable that you know that
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  Speaker 1: exit strategy part.
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  Speaker 3: I said that last time.
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  Speaker 1: You're on when we were looking at just the year
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  Speaker 1: volume of people who'd actually completed that survey.
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  Speaker 3: But Paul, I mean, you know, what do these numbers
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  Speaker 3: say to you.
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  Speaker 2: Well, what's quite clear and what's clearly evident already with
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  Speaker 2: even a week to go, is our police have had enough.
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  Speaker 2: They clearly do not feel supported by the current government
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  Speaker 2: despite what's being said. They are completely overwhelmed under resource.
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  Speaker 2: Then of course they are supporting a work to rule,
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  Speaker 2: which is probably an element of last resort that we
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  Speaker 2: want to take to our membership, but they are fully
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: supporting that approach if it comes to that. So they
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  Speaker 2: clearly don't feel they have the support of the government
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  Speaker 2: and no doubt with those statistics say ninety seven percent,
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  Speaker 2: so they don't have enough police. That's a very clear
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  Speaker 2: message to government, Paul.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously this is all about pay negotiations. To anybody out
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  Speaker 1: there that think the police are being greedy, what do
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  Speaker 1: you say to them.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I just asked them to have a think about
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  Speaker 2: every time those police are out there serving and protecting
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  Speaker 2: the community and the dangers they face. They carry the
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: physical and mental scars of protecting our community. They often
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  Speaker 2: get directed away from home to go and work in
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  Speaker 2: all areas of the community, away from their families, and sometimes,
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  Speaker 2: as we've seen recently in Queensland, Katie, sometimes they don't
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  Speaker 2: come home. Now just let that sink in for just
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  Speaker 2: a minute. You're off to work and you don't come home.
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  Speaker 2: That's what they do, and that's what they sacrifice for
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  Speaker 2: our community. And you know, last week I saw some
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  Speaker 2: pictures of an officer and Alice Springs who had gone
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: to work. He'd gone to do his job for the
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: community and the government, and he came home after having
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  Speaker 2: his eyes attempted to be gouged out, scratches all over
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  Speaker 2: his face, blood all over his face, and he has
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  Speaker 2: to walk in at home and see his family in
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  Speaker 2: that condition. Now, that is the type of work that
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: we're doing for the community. So we're not being greedy.
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  Speaker 2: And if people think we are put an application in police,
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: we need police right now, come and join the police force.
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  Speaker 2: But I'll tell you right now, they are putting up
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  Speaker 2: with a lot out there for our community. They are
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  Speaker 2: not being greedy. They're simply asking for a fair pay
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  Speaker 2: deal from this government who clearly, through these results show
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  Speaker 2: that it's not supporting the officers out there on the
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  Speaker 2: front line.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Paul I asked the Chief Minister on the show on Monday. Now,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you heard that interview, but I
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: asked her on Monday, you know whether there is going
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: to be any additional funding go towards the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: Police after the enormous federal government announcement that was made
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: for Central Australia. We know that concerns are being raised.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: Even the Police Commissioner had spoken about the fact that
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: you know that we are going to see some changes.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: I guess you'd say into the way in which some
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  Speaker 1: of those issues are occurring and what we'll be seeing
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: in different parts of the Northern Territory. I mean, we've
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: spoken to people in Catherine about concerns' breading to Catherine.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: We've spoken to other people in other parts of the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory that are very worried about this.
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  Speaker 3: I mean where to.
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  Speaker 1: From here in the sense that by the sounds of things,
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  Speaker 1: it feels as though, you know, when something does flare up,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: it's the police that we then rely on to help
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: out in those situations. But it doesn't seem as though
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: there's going to be additional funding or that the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory government's looking at changing their policy settings in any way.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: So how do we move on from here? Like, how
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: do we get better from this point?
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  Speaker 2: Well, we know obviously. You know, we've seen legislation passed
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  Speaker 2: yesterday evening in relation to the alcohol laws, so we know,
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  Speaker 2: I guess where we're heading there now. That will no
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: doubt impact on the planning that police are required to
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: do now and where they're going to be deploid. We
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: still don't really know the announcements around funding. The fourteen
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: point two million and then the two hundred and fifty million.
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  Speaker 2: Some of that has to be channeled into policing. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: you cannot expect what the chief this is asked, is
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: forty extra officers stay in our springs long term. You know,
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: some of that money, some of that funding must channel
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: to policing to allow them to do their job. As
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  Speaker 2: we know, we know now they feel they don't have enough.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: They clearly need more. But of course some of that
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: obviously has to go to other agencies, other NGOs and
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  Speaker 2: programs that are going to actually support police and doing
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  Speaker 2: what they're doing on the front line. So it's you know,
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  Speaker 2: here we are eight months probably too late. There should
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: have been March of last year. Even you know we're
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: seeing these this planning and process and legislation come in.
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  Speaker 2: We're not We're twelve months down the track, and of
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: course we've seen the impacts on policing and the devastating
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  Speaker 2: impact is having on making sure we're keeping our police
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  Speaker 2: here in the NT because you know that attrition rate
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: is still very high.
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  Speaker 3: Paul, I'm going to have to get ready to wrap up.
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: But just very quickly, with that alcohol legislation passed overnight,
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  Speaker 1: are you hearing from officers. Are they concerned that we're
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: going to see some issues in different parts of the
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory. How are people feeling with that legislation being reduced?
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously it's a you know, I guess a similar
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  Speaker 2: framework as to what was in place prior to July
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: of last year. But obviously early days that the officers
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: are now you know, scrambling to make sure they have
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: that planning in place for when this kicks in later
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: in the week. And obviously we'll get a bit more
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: feedback once that occurs and I'll be able to update
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: you know at that point.
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: Paul, Just very quickly.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: I know that Mark Turner's called for an independent inquiry
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: into the decision to charge Constable Zach Rolf. Is that
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: something that the Northern Territory Police Association would support.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you know, certainly our understanding is there's already
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: an IKAC investigation relation to all of that, so you know,
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: whilst that's underway, you know, we're certainly not going to
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: make comments on that. I think we need to let
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: that process take its course and then you know, determine
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: what we what we do from that point. But certainly
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: while that's underway, I think that's where it sits.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Well. Police Association President Paul mckewe always good to speak
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: with you.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Thanks for your time this morning.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Thanks Cady Gring