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

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  Speaker 1: Mix one o four point nine dot com for all
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  Speaker 1: the latest news and information. Now three sixty with Katie Wolf.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone is listening Mix one oh four point nine one
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  Speaker 1: hundred percent.
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  Speaker 2: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine three sixty.
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  Speaker 1: Now.
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  Speaker 2: We know that scandal has plagued the Gunner government over
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  Speaker 2: the recent eleven days and there's been a lot of discussion,
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  Speaker 2: particularly on this show, and the opposition obviously brought ford
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  Speaker 2: a motion in Parliament earlier in the week around drug testing,
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  Speaker 2: random drug testing for those who work inside Parliament House.
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  Speaker 3: Now joining us on the line is the.
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory Police Association President Paul McHugh.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning, Paul, Good morning Coaty.
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  Speaker 2: Now Paul, I note that the association put a post
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  Speaker 2: on social media earlier in the week saying it's disappointing
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  Speaker 2: that the Northern Territory government supports random drug testing for
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  Speaker 2: Territory police officers but not politicians.
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  Speaker 3: You must have been fairly annoyed, you.
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  Speaker 2: Know, to go down the path of popping this up
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  Speaker 2: on social media. Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Look, I mean, no matter which way you spin, you know,
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  Speaker 4: the Chief Minister wants to spin the last couple of weeks,
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  Speaker 4: Katie obviously there has been a significant problem in his
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  Speaker 4: party and you know it's been an ugly look and
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  Speaker 4: to come out now and obviously you know he appeared
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  Speaker 4: on your show, i think earlier this week and made
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  Speaker 4: some statements around drug testing generally, and to come out
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  Speaker 4: and say, you know, he doesn't think it's necessary and
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  Speaker 4: it's a waste of time and costly. Let's not forget
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  Speaker 4: that's the same Chief Minister who supports police officers being
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  Speaker 4: drug tested. Now we are very disappointed that he doesn't
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  Speaker 4: think him and his party and his parliamentary and colleagues
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  Speaker 4: are to be held at the same standard as the
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  Speaker 4: police of the Northern Territory. I think that's a very
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  Speaker 4: poor leadership position to take. It's one that is quite
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  Speaker 4: insulting to our officers. They are out there every day
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  Speaker 4: keeping us safe. We have been in discussions around a
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  Speaker 4: drug and old our coal testing policy with the Department
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  Speaker 4: for some time. We accept it's likely to be implemented
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  Speaker 4: here in the Northern Territory, being the only jurisdiction that
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  Speaker 4: doesn't have it at this point in time. But given
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  Speaker 4: the events of the last fortnight, why on earth with
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  Speaker 4: the Chief min Is to take that stance, particularly when
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  Speaker 4: you've got an opposition that's come out in support of
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  Speaker 4: drug testing, no issue that the Labor Party want to
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  Speaker 4: stand there and say, well, hang on, we don't need
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  Speaker 4: to do that, We don't think it's necessary. We completely disagree,
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  Speaker 4: and you would expect and the community would expect they'd
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  Speaker 4: like to hold themselves to the same standard as they're
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  Speaker 4: expecting of our police officers.
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  Speaker 3: Well and simple.
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  Speaker 2: I agree, and I know that there's a lot of
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  Speaker 2: business people that have been in contact with the show
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  Speaker 2: throughout the week saying, you know, we have random drug testing,
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  Speaker 2: and the insinuation that you would only do it if
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  Speaker 2: you're operating machinery or if you're somebody who's you know,
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  Speaker 2: who's obviously using that kind of heavy machinery, I.
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  Speaker 3: Think is wrong.
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  Speaker 2: At the end of the day, we are talking about
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  Speaker 2: those that are making decisions.
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  Speaker 3: For every Territorian.
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  Speaker 2: But Paul, you know, when you talk about the costs
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  Speaker 2: and when you talk about the contracts of employees, et cetera,
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  Speaker 2: this is obviously something that police are working through. So
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  Speaker 2: it is very much something that could be worked towards
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  Speaker 2: no matter what you know, what location or what department
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  Speaker 2: within the Northern Territory government, you're talking about.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, correct, And look, this is about setting the example, Katie.
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  Speaker 4: This is about showing strong leadership and setting the example
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  Speaker 4: for the community. Say I'm happy to be tested. I
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  Speaker 4: have no issue with that. It's a significant change, of course,
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  Speaker 4: to a workplace condition, no different to any other change
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  Speaker 4: that you want to bring in. But there are processes
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  Speaker 4: in place to do that, fairly straightforward processes but time consuming.
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  Speaker 4: So to simply stick yourhead in the sand and say
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  Speaker 4: I don't think it's necessary, well, that's just insulting. And
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  Speaker 4: I think there are many work is not just police,
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  Speaker 4: that are obviously going to be some to a drug
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  Speaker 4: and our COHO testing policy, and they would look to
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  Speaker 4: their elected leaders to set the same example. And if
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  Speaker 4: they don't, that's hypocrisy, that's greatest, Kadie Paul.
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  Speaker 2: Where are things that with the implementation of that random
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  Speaker 2: drug testing within the force?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, Look, we've obviously entered some discussions with the department.
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  Speaker 4: We've received some correspondence about you know, obviously there's got
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  Speaker 4: to be some policies, procedures and legislation put in place
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  Speaker 4: very much in its infancy, and like I said, it
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  Speaker 4: is an overnight implementation. There's a whole process to go through,
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  Speaker 4: including us going to our membership to explain what this
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  Speaker 4: might look like, and that's going to take some time.
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  Speaker 4: But we're not even the first door. We haven't even
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  Speaker 4: got through the first door on this. And yet here
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  Speaker 4: we have a government saying, yeah, well that's good, we
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  Speaker 4: support the police going through that process, but we won't
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  Speaker 4: hold ourselves to the same accountability. That's pretty disappointing.
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  Speaker 2: Well, let's wait and see exactly where it all lands, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: But I think most of our listeners will know my
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  Speaker 2: stance on this. I think that if it's good for
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  Speaker 2: the goose, it's good for the gander realistically, and we
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  Speaker 2: are talking about those that are making decisions for all territorians. Now, Paul,
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  Speaker 2: I want to ask you about the police blitz that
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  Speaker 2: we know is about to get underway or is underway
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  Speaker 2: around Darwin around alcohol. We know we've had some serious
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  Speaker 2: issues with the misuse of alcohol in the top end
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  Speaker 2: and all around the territory for quite some time. It's
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  Speaker 2: going to be a three day blitz. We caught up
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  Speaker 2: with the acting Darwin Commander Tony Dootram earlier in the
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  Speaker 2: week and he told us a little bit.
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  Speaker 3: More about it.
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  Speaker 2: It's obviously incredibly important that we have our police sort
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  Speaker 2: of our resources being utilized in the best way possible,
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  Speaker 2: isn't it.
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  Speaker 4: Look at it and look, this is obviously in operation
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  Speaker 4: that's borne out of some increase any social behavior in
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  Speaker 4: the Darwin area. And we've seen that. We're all driven
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  Speaker 4: around the streets and seen it almost every day, so
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  Speaker 4: it's not surprising this operations under way. Obviously we're very
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  Speaker 4: keen to see what resources are being used in it.
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  Speaker 4: We understand there's going to be police standing in front
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  Speaker 4: of bottle shops across certain areas in daw and I'm
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  Speaker 4: not sure that you know that really just displaces people
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  Speaker 4: to another bottle shop. We simply don't have the resources
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  Speaker 4: to stand in front of all the bottle shops. So,
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  Speaker 4: you know, while we've got to watchoutse in dal and
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  Speaker 4: that's still closed. I would have thought, you know, we
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  Speaker 4: could have some police officers in there to help out.
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  Speaker 4: But you know, I just want to make the point
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  Speaker 4: too that you know, we have we used to have
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  Speaker 4: a social order unit up here in dah and we
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  Speaker 4: used to have our cold policing unit here and dah
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  Speaker 4: and any analyte springs neither of those generally exist at
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  Speaker 4: the moment. In its previous form, they were very proactive
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  Speaker 4: in terms of our coal related harm and obviously anti
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  Speaker 4: social behavior and in the Darwen area and they were
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  Speaker 4: disbanded and I think that's had a negative impact across
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  Speaker 4: Darwin and the ability to really look at those anti
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  Speaker 4: social behavior you know, incidents at occur and I think
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  Speaker 4: you know, this operation really highlights probably that needs to
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  Speaker 4: be revisited at least to consider.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, why aren't those social auto units currently in operation
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  Speaker 2: at the moment from your understanding, well.
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  Speaker 4: There used to be the Social AUDI unit used to
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  Speaker 4: be based out of Nightcliff and that's obviously been disbanded
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  Speaker 4: and moved out to the other stations. But with the
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  Speaker 4: impact on resourcing through COVID, it was quite simply they
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  Speaker 4: needed to use those people in other areas, including our
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  Speaker 4: you know, repatriation facility, the quarantine facility and how it
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  Speaker 4: springs out on borders and filling other holes in rosters.
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  Speaker 4: So it just disbanded and I don't think it's up
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  Speaker 4: and running again, which is quite disappointing, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: Just on those offices outside of bottle shops. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we've seen that those parleys in places like Catherine and
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  Speaker 2: Dallas Springs have had a big impact in terms of
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  Speaker 2: what many would deem has been quite a positive impact.
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  Speaker 2: Just for those out there listening who may be sort
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  Speaker 2: of struggling to understand what the difference is here in Darwin,
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  Speaker 2: why wouldn't be so good in dar and just explain
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  Speaker 2: it for them.
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  Speaker 4: Look, obviously, in some of those other locations Dallas Springs, Catherine,
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  Speaker 4: Tan and Creek, they're very limited in terms of what
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  Speaker 4: their takeaway outlet numbers are. You know, so I think
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  Speaker 4: Alan Springs it's ten or eleven, ten, and Creek three,
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  Speaker 4: and Catherine you know, half a dozen or so. And
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  Speaker 4: here in Darwin, I mean there's dozens and dozens. I
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  Speaker 4: think there's up to one hundred or so takeaway outlets.
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  Speaker 4: You just simply don't have the numbers to actually have
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  Speaker 4: a police officer on every one of those or a
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  Speaker 4: parley on every one of those locations. So why not
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  Speaker 4: having them fully covered? You know, people who want to
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  Speaker 4: access alcohol and abuse alcohol in terms of any social behavior,
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  Speaker 4: we'll just simply move to a different liquor outlet to
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  Speaker 4: access that alcohol. And obviously it also runs a risk
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  Speaker 4: of further, you know, secondary supply issues, which has always
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  Speaker 4: been a major issue here in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we'll be keeping a very close eye on this,
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  Speaker 2: you know, on this crackdown and really seeing how it goes.
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  Speaker 2: I do think it's a good idea in terms of
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  Speaker 2: trying to work out how we might be able to
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  Speaker 2: make some changes to try and really sort of crack
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  Speaker 2: down on this issue that we've got with alcohol misuse.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, look at you, right, Katie. And I'm not saying
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  Speaker 4: we don't support this particular operation. I have a good
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  Speaker 4: idea and I think it's well overdue, so you know,
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  Speaker 4: we're very much supportive of it, but I think they
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  Speaker 4: need to perhaps to have a look at why we're
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  Speaker 4: in this situation in the first place. Again.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, Paul Mcue, President of the Police Association, anything
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  Speaker 2: else we should be aware of this morning before.
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  Speaker 3: We wrap up.
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  Speaker 4: No, all good, Katie. Obviously we're very keen to you know,
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  Speaker 4: let's have a look at our police and their welfare
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  Speaker 4: in terms of all the work they've been doing for
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  Speaker 4: us in the last four or eighteen months. And you know,
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  Speaker 4: we're monitoring that very close and we'll continue to do so.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Paul mcue Always good to catch up with you mate,
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for your time today.
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  Speaker 4: Good on you, Thanks Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 2: That is the Police Association President there, Paul McHugh eight
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  Speaker 2: nine four one one O four nine if you'd like
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  Speaker 2: to call through this morning