Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Police Association President Paul McCue

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We know that.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: Unfortunately, we learned over the weekend for Territory Police Force,
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: well for Territory Police officers were assaulted in two separate
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: incidents in Alice Springs. Now joining me on the line
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: to tell us more about the situation. Police Association President
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Paul Mchughue, Good morning to you, Paul.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Good morning Cadie.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Here. Are you going not too bad? Paul? What happened
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: with these assaults?
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, obviously a very serious yet again another serious
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: assault on several of our members. And this was primarily
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: one incident, one offender allegedly thrashing out at our offices.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Obviously they looked like they went to a residence just
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: to simply conduct a welfare check. I mean, that's what
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: we do. That's what we go out and make sure
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: people are okay, and somebody has become quite violent and aggressive,
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: and you know, obviously several of our officers were assaulted
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: in that particular incidence, one of course requiring hospital assessment,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: so obviously that was extremely serious. And then and others
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: receiving injuries at the same time. So yet again we've
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: seen you know, and also on the same night, of course,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: one of our officers at the front counter of there
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: analys also being assaulted. So it's a far too common occurrence,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: something we talk about far too regularly, but obviously something
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: needs to.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Happen, Paul Fursley. Are all of those officers okay? Yeah?
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: I believe so. We've had our local NTPA representatives down
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: there and Alice touching base with those officers to make
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: sure they're okay. We've got plenty of support network down there,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: and I believe they're all okay. But of course, what
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: we've got to consider in these matters is, you know,
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: these aren't just police officers. They're victims. You know, they
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: are victims time and time again of cowardly, vicious assaults
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: and that cumulative effect over a long period of time
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: has a very detrimental effect on that person's well being
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: and mental health. And we need to be seen to
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: be doing as much as we possibly can to think
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: about them as they're victims. Are they our frontline workers
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: out there keeping us safe, and they do not deserve
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: what's been happening of late, and that is too many
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: assaults on those officers.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Paul, You know what do we need to see change here?
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Because as you said, you and I have discussed this
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, we've heard so many times of
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: our police officers being assaulted. Unfortunately, they're not the only
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: ones on the frontline who are in these situations. We've
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: heard the same for our paramedics and others as well.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: But for our police. You know, what what can we
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: do here? What needs to change? Yeah?
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Well, obviously you know there are good maximum sentences in
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: place for assaulting police officers and workers generally. And of
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: course now i'm here i represent the police officers as
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: by the Police Association, but we all know there are
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: other front line workers out there doing an amazing job
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: who all fall into this category and they are out
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: there keeping us safe. Right now, the maximum sentences are sufficient,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: it's the minimum sentencing provisions that need some urgent assessment.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: Now we were pleased. I was very pleased. I know
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: many of our officers will pleased. At last Friday, Judge
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Birchdown in our Spring sentenced an offender to ten months
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: imprisonment for assaulting a police officer the file disgusting act
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: of spitting twice in the face of one of our
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: remote sergeants down in that part of Australia, and that
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: judge in his sentencing commented that the public needs to
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: know the courts would not tolerate assaults on police officers. Now,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: that's the message that we need to get out there.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: We need to make sure we're helping the victims, sending
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: a message that we are listening, and the police and
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: all frontline workers are part of that as well.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: So really, it does sound as though, you know, if
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: we've got a judge who's come out and said that,
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: it does sound as though in some instances the penalties
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: are there and they are receiving half sentences. But it's
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: about making sure that people know that so that we
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: can try and avoid this from happening in the first place.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Exactly right. I mean, we know more than ever you know.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: We know what we're dealing with across the country, the
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: pandemic that we're dealing with. We know police very much
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: of the front line of that. On our borders, at
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: our airports. They are stretched extremely thin at the moment.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: We've got a lot of resourcing concerns on the front line.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: The last thing we need is our police attacked on
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: a regular basis, put off the road because of these
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: violent attacks and those sorts of messages such as Judge
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Birchers are welcome, but we haven't seen that enough, and
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: the government certainly haven't committed yet despite us speaking with
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: them for several years over this to look at those
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: minimum sentencing provisions to protect our police and the rest
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: of the front line people.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: So that legislation does still need to change. Paul, is
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: that what you're saying.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what I'm saying is obviously there are provisions there,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: but right now somebody can have sold an officer and
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: walk straight out of court the moment they walk in
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: to receive that that sentence. There's no minimum sentencing that
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: to us if they're causing serious harm or physical harm
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: to one of our officers. I'm sorry, but that's not
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: good enough. If you're allowed to just simply get up
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: and walk out free. You need to simply be able
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: to say as strong send a strong meases the community.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: The judge needs to send that strong message that they
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: can only do that on a regular basis if there
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: are those minimum sentences in place.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Paul mque is there anything else happening in your sector
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: at the moment that I should be aware of. I
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: know that there's always a lot going on for our
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: police force, but anything else we should be aware of
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: this morning.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, obviously there's always a whole lot going on
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: in the police space. You know, what we need to
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: know is what the public needs to know is our
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: police are out there doing an incredible job. I went
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: to a graduation last Friday. We saw fifty one constables
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: and tan original community police officers graduate on Friday. They're
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: off to all parts of the territory to help heap safe.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: But you know, I can tell you we've got nearly
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: one hundred police tied up on COVID duties at the moment,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: and that is an enormous stretch on our front line
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: and something we're very concerned about. And we've raised this
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: with the Minister and the Commissioner, and we need to
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: know that the government are thinking about this in advance
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: because COVID is not going anywhere and we need to
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: make sure our front line are properly resourced and right
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: now they're pretty stretched.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: So we need it. Sounds like we need more officers,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: but I mean, you know, even like you said, there
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: was those recruit squads last week, how do we you know, like,
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: how do we try to make some change here? Paul,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: if we are finding it more difficult to sort of
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: resource the usual areas that require that resourcing, eye fighting
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: crime and you know some of the issues that we've
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: got around the territory at the moment that we speak
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: about very often on this show, but also making sure
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: that we keep the territory safe when it comes to COVID.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, obviously day to day policing doesn't stop just
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: because COVIDS here, but COVID is well and truly here
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: for quite a long period of time. We see what's
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: happening in New South Wales. There is obviously an emergency
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: meeting going on this morning. Our police are at the
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: front line of that. The moment we need to stand
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: up a border, we need to boost the border protection
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: police are called in to do that. Heaven forbid. What
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: we saw initially in the COVID response was a lockdown
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: of all our biosecurity areas in northern territory, which is
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: all our remote communities. If we need to do that,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: we are well and truly under resource for the gap
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: for that. So the government needs to sit down and say, well,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: if other states have done it. Victoria at Queensland, New
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: South Wales They all looked at this and gone, we
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: need extra police right now. We haven't had the same
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: from the anti government. They need to simply get on
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: board and submit and commit to having more police if
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: they want the police to do the COVID response work.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: It's as simple as that.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Police Association President, Paul McHugh, I always appreciate your time.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for having a chat with us this morning.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Got on you. Thanks Katty, thank you