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

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine three
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  Speaker 1: sixty now around about now, the Annual Police Association Conference
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  Speaker 1: is kicking off a little bit earlier this morning, I
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  Speaker 1: caught up with the President of the Police Association, Paul McHugh.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Now Paul, the annual conference obviously underway today, are about
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  Speaker 1: to get underway. What's on the agenda for this year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously, you know policing in the policing space, it's
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  Speaker 2: always busy. We've got a lot to talk about today,
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  Speaker 2: obviously this morning with addresses from the Minister, Shadow Minister
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  Speaker 2: and the Commissioner as well, so delegates all looking forward
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  Speaker 2: to that. Our theme this year is Stronger Together and
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  Speaker 2: it's a really important theme this year because you know,
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  Speaker 2: we've seen some enormous challenges that our police have had
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  Speaker 2: to face over the last eighteen months or so, and
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  Speaker 2: no bigger than obviously trying to find the numbers to
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  Speaker 2: help out in terms of the COVID response and of
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  Speaker 2: course all the other policing requirements stay to day policing
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  Speaker 2: requirements that are out there. So we're looking forward to
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  Speaker 2: hearing from the Minister of this morning. And the Commissioner
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  Speaker 2: of course and the Shadow Minister about key topics that
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  Speaker 2: we've provided to them just to say, look, here's what
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  Speaker 2: our delegates want to hear, and you know, certainly we're
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  Speaker 2: looking forward to hearing what they've got to say.
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  Speaker 1: Well, what are some of those key topics. What are
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  Speaker 1: the biggest issues for our Northern Territory police right now?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, obviously you know some of the key issues
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  Speaker 2: that have come and we've just recently completed a full
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  Speaker 2: member survey and we had in excess of five hundred
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  Speaker 2: respondents to that survey and we've got some key I
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  Speaker 2: guess points of interest out of that that we're looking
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  Speaker 2: forward to hearing from our guest speakers this morning, and
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  Speaker 2: that includes remote policing in terms of infrastructure and you
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  Speaker 2: know the fact our members are still expected to live
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  Speaker 2: and work out of shipping containers put there fourteen years ago,
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  Speaker 2: for example. Obviously, assaults on police is always a very
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  Speaker 2: topical issue and we've recently been invited to a working
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  Speaker 2: group by the Commissioner to have a look at ways
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  Speaker 2: of improving or strengthening the protections for our members there,
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  Speaker 2: as well as the discipline Framework and of course some
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  Speaker 2: of the key results out of the survey that we
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  Speaker 2: workshop yesterday with delegates. So there's some of some of
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  Speaker 2: the issues, but of course one of the other important ones, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: and it's quite important today and being are you a
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  Speaker 2: okay day, is the mental health and wellbeing of our officers.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, we've got some really key points to
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  Speaker 2: put across there in front of our speakers today about
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  Speaker 2: the importance of looking after our police and doing everything
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  Speaker 2: we can at the front end to make sure they're okay.
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  Speaker 1: Well, there would be no doubt that's policing anywhere in
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  Speaker 1: Australia would be such a difficult job and the mental
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  Speaker 1: toll that that can place on an individual will be enormous. Then,
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  Speaker 1: when you look at the challenges that we've been through
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  Speaker 1: over the last eighteen months when it comes to COVID
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  Speaker 1: and I'm envisaging the number of those officers, obviously their
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  Speaker 1: jobs have changed to some degree, their roles have changed.
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  Speaker 1: It would have been a very tough.
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  Speaker 2: Year for got what and certainly some of the key
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  Speaker 2: statistics out of our survey around COVID specifically, we've had
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  Speaker 2: eighty percent of those respondents have had leave canceled or deferred,
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  Speaker 2: so that that's that important respite they need to make
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  Speaker 2: sure they remain fresh and mentally well. And of course
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  Speaker 2: with eighty percent having their leave canceled or deferred, that's
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  Speaker 2: a very difficult point to achieve. And of course sixty
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  Speaker 2: eight percent of our respondents are recognizing a significant increase
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  Speaker 2: in their duties through COVID and that's of course ongoing
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  Speaker 2: today because we know somewhere between sixty and one hundred
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  Speaker 2: police are being required purely for COVID work and we
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  Speaker 2: don't have a recruitment of those additional numbers, so they're
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  Speaker 2: being found from other sections of the police force.
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  Speaker 1: Paul just on that survey, what were some of the
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  Speaker 1: other key findings.
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  Speaker 2: Look, we've had some other key findings of course, Cadie
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  Speaker 2: include probably seventy seven percent of our reppondents made it
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  Speaker 2: quite clear to us they don't feel there's enough police
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  Speaker 2: to do what's being required. And I just touched on
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  Speaker 2: obviously the COVID work and the numbers required there, so
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  Speaker 2: that was quite an important statistic to have. We've got
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  Speaker 2: sixty four percent saying morale is low or very low
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  Speaker 2: amongst the members, and that's probably reflective of that tileist
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  Speaker 2: work they have been doing. We've got eighty eight percent
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  Speaker 2: of our respondents, so nearly ninety percent. Are very concerned
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  Speaker 2: with the attrition rate. And we know we've spoken about
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  Speaker 2: that before. In the last twelve months, over one hundred
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  Speaker 2: and forty separations from the organization. Probably one of the
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  Speaker 2: worrying stats out of the survey was sixty percent have
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  Speaker 2: either applied or considering applying for job outside the police Now, yeah, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: so when you consider that, you know some have obviously
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  Speaker 2: considered it. Not all will obviously go down that path,
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  Speaker 2: but obviously quite a large portion have. And we know
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  Speaker 2: the numbers of people separating are still remaining quite high.
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  Speaker 2: So you know there are resignations and retirements, sorry, retirements
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  Speaker 2: and dismissals in that statistic. But it is a worrying factory.
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  Speaker 2: If you're looking at that amount of people are saying
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  Speaker 2: I want out of the police force, it is something
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  Speaker 2: we need to discuss.
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  Speaker 1: It's actually it is a quite an alarming figure. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: sixty percent or either applying or considering applying for a
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  Speaker 1: job into state. You know, that's a massive number of
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  Speaker 1: our force.
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  Speaker 2: Look it is and look I know I I acknowledge
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  Speaker 2: the Commission certainly has you know, make sure recruiting has
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  Speaker 2: been heavy, and we are seeing a lot of graduates
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  Speaker 2: through the through the Police College and being sent down
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  Speaker 2: to our larger regional centers and out to some remote station,
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  Speaker 2: so that recruiting is high. But of course, you know,
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  Speaker 2: when you've got to I guess you could say, if
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  Speaker 2: you've got to split at the bottom of the potato bag,
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  Speaker 2: you can't keep fixing it by throwing spuds into the top,
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  Speaker 2: So you've got to you've got to actually have a
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  Speaker 2: look at some of those reasons why, and we certainly
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  Speaker 2: want to work with the Commission and government on that
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  Speaker 2: issue for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Are there any questions asked in that survey? You know,
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  Speaker 1: when we look at some of the issues that are
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  Speaker 1: in the community right now around youth crime, but also
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  Speaker 1: some of the legislation. I guess that's been put in
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  Speaker 1: place in an effort to try to support police or
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  Speaker 1: try to assist them when they're dealing with some of
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  Speaker 1: those issues around youth crime. I know that it's something
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  Speaker 1: that comes up very regularly with our listeners. Were there
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  Speaker 1: any sort of questions in that space?
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  Speaker 2: Look, it was primarily focused on those main key issues
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  Speaker 2: we've spoken about, including of course our upcoming concent agreement
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  Speaker 2: negotiations next year with government. So it's heavily focused there.
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  Speaker 2: But there were several questions that allowed our respondents to
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  Speaker 2: provide us some free text if you like, And there
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  Speaker 2: were several comments in there, of course, around some of
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  Speaker 2: the legislative changes that have taken place. Look, we have
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  Speaker 2: had a few comments, but certainly it's probably early to
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  Speaker 2: say whether it's positive or negative. But I do know
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  Speaker 2: obviously police you know, it's difficult to really judge when
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  Speaker 2: you are struggling to get numbers on the road, and
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  Speaker 2: of course when you've got a lack of resourcing that
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  Speaker 2: impacts your ability around dealing with youth crime, for example,
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  Speaker 2: and other outco related harms. So look, it was heavily
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  Speaker 2: focused towards consent, agrament and those other issues, and now
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  Speaker 2: we're looking forward to working through that overcoming months with
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  Speaker 2: our delegates.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Paul mcewe, I will let you go because I
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  Speaker 1: know you've got an incredibly busy day ahead. We'll probably
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  Speaker 1: catch up tomorrow or Monday, depending on how your schedule's tracking,
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  Speaker 1: to see how it's all gone at that conference.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely no problem, all Katie good on.
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  Speaker 1: You, Paul, thanks so much for your time this morning. Cheers.
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  Speaker 1: That's Paul mchue there, the president of the Northern Territories
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  Speaker 1: Police Association eight nine four one one O four nine
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  Speaker 1: If you'd like to call through