Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Water Police Officer In Charge Senior Sergeant Sandy Mellon

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with NT Water Police Officer In Charge Senior Sergeant Sandy Mellon · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Darwin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: home Z owned Stuart Highway, Berimo.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Well, as you'd imagine, busy weekend on the water and unfortunately,
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: by the look of things, police actually had to will
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: help a few people in terms of getting home. Now,
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: joining us on the line, Anti Water Police officer in charge,
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Senior Sergeant Sandy Melon, Good morning to you, Sandy, Good morning,
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: How are you not too bad? Sounds like it was
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: a busy weekend for our water police.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: It was a busy weekend. We had three vessels that
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: required the water police assistance over the weekend. And how many.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: People were on all of those vessels.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Sandy, So it was a total of eleven people all up.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: Wow? And was everybody sort of safe for talk us
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: through those three different rescues or toe backs?
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I think everybody was safe. Nobody was in peril. However,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: they did need our assistance. They all had some mechanical
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: failure of some sort. We had one on Saturday, one
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: on Sunday and one on Monday. So the Saturday one
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: had a fuel filter issue and was towed back to
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Dina Beach which took us about two hours. And there
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: were three people on board there. On Sunday at about
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: the same time, we had another vessel that had mechanical
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: failure which was towed back to the ski club, six
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: people there. And on Monday we had another seven meter vessel,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: again with mechanical faults from Fenton Patches with two people
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: on and was towed back to Elizabeth River Boat Lamp.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: Goodness may in all of these situations, were they all
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: pretty quick to get in contact with emergency services?
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah? I think they were all required our assistance. They
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: didn't have anybody else that could help them. Normally we
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: would rely on Safe Life Save and volunteer Marine Rescue
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: or the Coast guarde volunteers, really important services for people
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: who need help, but long weekend they weren't available, so
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: it was left up to us to make sure we've
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: got everybody back safely.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Is it a bit of a strain on our police resources? Certainly?
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: You know, for you guys the water police team having
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: to go out and help people when they're having mechanical failures,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: you know, yes, it.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Does take away from resources. However, that's what we're here for.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: We're here to there and protect, so we were happy
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: to do it. We would take this as a time.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: They reminder, though, that it's best practice to ensure that
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: your boat motor is checked regularly, and the general rule
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: is for it to be serviced about every hundred hours.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: But that's not to say that these things wouldn't have
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: happened anyway. It's just it's best practice to make sure
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: that you regularly service your motor.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: And Sandy, we're all of those passengers on board each
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: of those each of those vessels. I'm assuming that they're
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: all very thankful for the police assistance.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: I think they would be very happy to have seen
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: us and been towed safely back. Nobody wants to sit
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: out in a boat for hours and hours unless you're
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: on the fish, of course.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right. The last thing you want.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Is to be stuck at me. You don't mind it, then.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: When you know you can get yourself home safely, that's
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: that's exactly right. Well, it sounds like it was a
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: very busy weekend for you guys. I mean, is that
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: sort of out out of the ordinary for you to
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: have to, you know, to help so many vessels in
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: one weekend.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was very busy. Like I said, we normally
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: rely on those volunteer services which are so important and essential,
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: but being the long weekend, they weren't available. And like
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: I said, we're happy to we're happy to step in,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: but we would prefer it if people are able to
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: get themselves home safely.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, and a timely reminder, like you said, to
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: make sure that your boats are fine to head out
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: there and that you do get them regularly serviced.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Yes, exactly.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Oh Sandy, lovely to speak to you this morning. Thank
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: you so much for your time, and let's hope that
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: everybody will stay safe on the water.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, and get onto some fish.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: That's right, good on you, Sandy, Thank you, Katie bye.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: That is Senior Sergeant Sandy Mellon there. She is, indeed
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: the officer in charge of the Northern Territory Water Police
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: and a great woman.