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Katie Woolf spoke with Police Association President 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 ant.
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  Speaker 2: Well, as you know, it is Budget Day and at
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  Speaker 2: eleven am this morning, we will take you live to
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  Speaker 2: Parliament House as that budget is delivered and hopefully we'll
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  Speaker 2: get much further detail about where exactly we're placed at
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  Speaker 2: this point in time when it comes to our debt
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  Speaker 2: and deficit and how the Northern Territory government plans to
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  Speaker 2: manage that debt. But we also know that this week
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  Speaker 2: is going to be an incredibly important week when it
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  Speaker 2: comes to the legislation to combat the issues that we're
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  Speaker 2: seeing with youth crime in the Northern Territory. And we
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  Speaker 2: have just heard about fifteen minutes ago from the Leader
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  Speaker 2: of Government Business Natasha Files that they are going to
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  Speaker 2: pass on urgency the legislation in this area. So joining
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  Speaker 2: us on the line to talk further about this is
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  Speaker 2: the Police Association President Paul mcain you. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Paul.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure if you heard that interview with the
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  Speaker 2: Minister for Health and also Leader of Government Business and
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  Speaker 2: attach to Fhiles, but she has confirmed that it will
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  Speaker 2: pass on urgency, this legislation during these May settings.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I've just had to listen there and obviously positive
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  Speaker 3: news to hear that it will pass. Obviously, you know,
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  Speaker 3: we've had no real correspondence from the government in terms
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  Speaker 3: of what that looks like. But you know, certainly we
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  Speaker 3: know they've been listening to some of our members on
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  Speaker 3: the ground around some of the changes, the important changes
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  Speaker 3: that need to be made, and you know, obviously we'll
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  Speaker 3: find out soon enough what that is. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: we certainly understand there's been some negative commentary in relation
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  Speaker 3: to some of these changes. But let's not forget you know,
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  Speaker 3: these these short term options and changes to perhaps bail
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  Speaker 3: laws and the Justice Act. You are really there so
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  Speaker 3: please can keep people, say, from crime, and obviously that
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  Speaker 3: can work in partnership with some longer term generational changes.
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  Speaker 3: But but right now, the community suffering, the police need
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  Speaker 3: that need those changes urgently.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, what are the police saying to you at this
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  Speaker 2: point in time, you know, on this eve of that
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  Speaker 2: legislation being introduced, how important is it?
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  Speaker 3: Well, it's critical really, I mean we know that in
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  Speaker 3: our view, the pendulum certainly swung way too far in
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  Speaker 3: terms of the balance that that needs to be taken
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  Speaker 3: in terms of protecting victims and understanding that that the
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  Speaker 3: offenders need options as well to rehabilitate. But when you
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  Speaker 3: look at you know, maybe just over one hundred young offenders,
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  Speaker 3: for example, in our community committing fifty percent of our crimes,
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  Speaker 3: and half of those offenders are already on baral. I
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  Speaker 3: mean it's those repeat offenders that that are so critical
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  Speaker 3: to be perhaps taken off the streets on a more
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  Speaker 3: regular basis to give some relief to police and obviously
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  Speaker 3: you know, the community itself. And it's not saying that
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  Speaker 3: there won't be other options available, but you can't have
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  Speaker 3: a system where people are effectively, you know, walking free
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  Speaker 3: every time they commit a crime. I mean, it's just,
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  Speaker 3: it's just it can't remain that way.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, Do you think it's disingenuous when the discussion starts
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  Speaker 2: that that you know that the plan is to lock
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  Speaker 2: all kids up.
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  Speaker 3: Look, I don't think that's the plan at all. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I think you've got to you've got to have a
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  Speaker 3: look and say, you know, what's been working, what's not
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  Speaker 3: been working, the rights of victims of crime. You know,
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  Speaker 3: some are being traumatized and suffered life changing physical and
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  Speaker 3: psychological injuries in another horrendous assault take place now Springs,
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  Speaker 3: just yesterday. I mean, these these are things people cannot forget.
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  Speaker 3: And we know we don't want young people in committing crimes,
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  Speaker 3: and we don't want young people in detention. But the
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  Speaker 3: bigger picture is why are they out on the streets.
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  Speaker 3: Why are they simply out there roaming the streets committing crimes.
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  Speaker 3: Often it's because it's safe for them being at home.
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  Speaker 3: There's so much alcohol in our in our community. It's
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  Speaker 3: making the home environment so unsafe for young people. They
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  Speaker 3: end up on the streets and then up getting hooked
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  Speaker 3: up in this horrible crime wave. And that's just got
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  Speaker 3: to be the bigger picture we look at. But victims
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  Speaker 3: can't be forgotten in this argument.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, what are you going to be looking out for
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  Speaker 2: in this legislation when it is introduced into parliament tomorrow.
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  Speaker 3: Obviously we're very keen in terms of the repeat offenders.
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  Speaker 3: We're very keen to say, you know, and those serious offenses,
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  Speaker 3: those offenses that are committed at night, for example, while
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  Speaker 3: people are home, those serious assaults on police those serious
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  Speaker 3: assaults on members of the community, Those sorts of offenses
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  Speaker 3: cannot be subject to a presumption for bail. They must
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  Speaker 3: be presumed against. And then obviously that then invokes should
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  Speaker 3: be a greater responsibility on people like the territory, families
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  Speaker 3: and those other agencies to come in and deal with
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  Speaker 3: those young people in a more holistic way rather than
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  Speaker 3: just put them back on the streets and away they
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  Speaker 3: go again get hooked up in more crimes. So that's
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  Speaker 3: really critical. And the other one, Katie, is of course
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  Speaker 3: in terms of police when they deal with young young
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  Speaker 3: people and their ability to interview those young people in
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  Speaker 3: terms of finding out whether they may have been a
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  Speaker 3: part of a crime that's occurred. The Youth Justice Act
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  Speaker 3: certainly needs reviewing, and I know our members have provided
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  Speaker 3: that feedback as we have to government.
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  Speaker 2: All right, well, it's going to be interesting to see
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  Speaker 2: exactly what is in that legislation, that proposed legislation, And
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  Speaker 2: like we always say, the devil is going to be
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  Speaker 2: in the detail. Paul, can I just ask you briefly
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  Speaker 2: there has been more reporting of police leaving the force
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  Speaker 2: and those attrition rates. How are our numbers looking at
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  Speaker 2: this point in time. And how's that police morale?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, obviously it's tough when you see so many people leaving,
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  Speaker 3: and I mean, you know, we know the Commissioner has
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  Speaker 3: got a very active recruitment campaign on the moment. There's
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  Speaker 3: lots of recruits in training, so in terms of covering
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  Speaker 3: that attrition rate, that's still keeping pace. But what we're
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  Speaker 3: concerned about, obviously is that level of experience walking out
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  Speaker 3: the door. And we've got a lot of young, comfortable,
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  Speaker 3: brand new constables heading down the track to Alice, Catherine
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  Speaker 3: and Tenant, and you know that's something that we're monitoring.
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  Speaker 3: We've spoken about that before and you know, something will
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  Speaker 3: be very much speaking with the commission and his senior
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  Speaker 3: executive over.
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  Speaker 2: Paul, how are those numbers looking over the last month
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  Speaker 2: or so? Have we lost many more of our police officers?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: Look, I think in the last month Katie, it was
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  Speaker 3: upwards of twenty twenty two or twenty three officers, ranging
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  Speaker 3: from obviously constables, sergeants down to auxiliaries and average on
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  Speaker 3: community police officers. So you know we're still sitting around
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  Speaker 3: that ten a month at this stage on average, and
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  Speaker 3: sorry ten of at ten of fortnite and obviously that's
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  Speaker 3: quite a concern for us.
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  Speaker 2: Just very belief. Briefly, this is something that Leafanocchiaro, the
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  Speaker 2: opposition leader, had raised just a little while ago, and
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  Speaker 2: that is the police commissioner obviously running Howard Springs and
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  Speaker 2: also managing a crime crisis. Is it too much to
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  Speaker 2: ask for him to do both of those things.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, he's obviously the territory controller, and I know obviously
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  Speaker 3: has two deputy commissioners that effectively manage the police force
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  Speaker 3: on his behalf. But of course, you know, we'd like
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  Speaker 3: to We know COVID's not going away. We know it's
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  Speaker 3: here for a long time to come and and sort
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  Speaker 3: of interesting to see the impact that has on him
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  Speaker 3: in his role, but certainly from our perspective at this
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  Speaker 3: point in time, you know, we are dealing heavily with
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  Speaker 3: our deputy commissioners and we'll see the long term effects
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  Speaker 3: of him being the territory controller.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Paul mcue, it's always good to catch up with you.
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  Speaker 2: We appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you, Thanks Katie Cheers.
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  Speaker 2: Police Association President Paul mckeue, there