Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with NT Police Incident Controller Acting Commander Hege Burns

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Katie Woolf spoke with NT Police Incident Controller Acting Commander Hege Burns · 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. Well.
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  Speaker 2: As we've heard this morning, the Chief Health Officer declared
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  Speaker 2: quarantine and testing directions for people who've been to COVID
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  Speaker 2: nineteen case location in New South Wales. It's effective immediately now.
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  Speaker 2: New South Wales health authorities have advised that a confirmed
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  Speaker 2: case of COVID nineteen from Melbourne was in Jervis Bay, Golbn,
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  Speaker 2: Haymes Beach and Vincentia while potentially infectious on the twenty
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  Speaker 2: third and twenty fourth of May. Now this is in
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  Speaker 2: addition to the Victorian locations which we know are also
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  Speaker 2: in place. As a result of the situation in Victorias,
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  Speaker 2: some people have been concerned about the Northern Territories road
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  Speaker 2: borders and have questioned if we need police back on
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  Speaker 2: those borders. But as I understand it, there are measures
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  Speaker 2: in place to ensure that we have will that those
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  Speaker 2: who have been in those hot spots still go into
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  Speaker 2: self quarantine if required. Now joining me on the line
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  Speaker 2: to tell us more about the borders. Anti Police Incident Controller,
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  Speaker 2: Acting Commander hager Burns, Good morning.
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  Speaker 3: To you, Hagar, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Commander,
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  Speaker 2: can you tell me about the situation and what exactly
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  Speaker 2: is happening on our road borders at the moment.
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  Speaker 3: So nothing's actually changed for the last few months now.
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  Speaker 3: So we've got our AMPR our automatic number plate recognition
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  Speaker 3: which is stationed at each of our road borders into
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  Speaker 3: the Northern Territory. So with that and cross checking our
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  Speaker 3: vehicles and the border forms entry forms that the travelers
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  Speaker 3: fill in, we're managing them to capture and catch up
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  Speaker 3: with the travelers coming into the Northern Territory, and if
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  Speaker 3: anyone is of concern, we obviously make sure that they're
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  Speaker 3: isolating and testing is so required.
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  Speaker 2: And so Commander, I guess you know, for some people
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  Speaker 2: crossing the borders at the moment, would they be aware
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  Speaker 2: that that technology is actually checking them or in some
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  Speaker 2: cases would they not even realize that it's happening.
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  Speaker 3: They should be aware, and there's signage as you're coming
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  Speaker 3: up to the anti border and crossing the border. So
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  Speaker 3: if they're not paying attention and they're not aware that
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  Speaker 3: we're in a pandemic, then I guess, yeah, that you
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  Speaker 3: might have some crossing without knowing, but you know there'll
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  Speaker 3: be a few. I would think very few, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And so I guess just to make it really clear
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  Speaker 2: for people, because as I said, I know that some
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  Speaker 2: people have been concerned that you know that we don't
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  Speaker 2: have police on those borders, but there is that technology there.
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  Speaker 2: So essentially, if somebody crosses over in their vehicle and
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  Speaker 2: let's say they've come from Victoria, that number plate recognition
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  Speaker 2: would obviously pick that up. And then what steps are
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  Speaker 2: taken from your perspective to ensure that then they do
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  Speaker 2: go into self quarantine if that's what's required, or into
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  Speaker 2: mandatory quarantine.
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  Speaker 3: Yes. So one is the AMPR system that picks up
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  Speaker 3: the registration plate number so we can get the owner
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  Speaker 3: details of the vehicle. We cross reference that with our
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  Speaker 3: border entry forms, so we've got two ways of contacting
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  Speaker 3: them through their border entry forms. Some obviously are traveling
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  Speaker 3: in a vehicle that's not there, so we double check
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  Speaker 3: that when we catch up with the owner, they might
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  Speaker 3: be saying no, mister and missus Smith has been using
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  Speaker 3: my car, and then we can cross reference that with
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  Speaker 3: the border entry forms.
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  Speaker 2: And so if you know when you so basically you
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  Speaker 2: call them, you ask them where they've been, and if
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  Speaker 2: they don't tell the truth, or if they're not honest,
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  Speaker 2: they could really land themselves in a lot more trouble.
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  Speaker 3: Well they could, and so far it has been stringent
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  Speaker 3: enough and so far the members of the public generally
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  Speaker 3: are doing the right thing, and it's really a burden
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  Speaker 3: on members of the public when they're traveling around in
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  Speaker 3: Australia that they're doing the right thing. So far, it's
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  Speaker 3: been working very very well. What's happening now in Victoria
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  Speaker 3: specifically Wealth has just popped up. That's very sort of exposure.
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  Speaker 3: Sites at this date are very few comparatively to Melbourne,
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  Speaker 3: so our concerns are always risk assessing what's happening interstate
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  Speaker 3: and obviously we are here in the best interests of
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  Speaker 3: the Northern territories to keep our boarders safe. Currently now
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  Speaker 3: majority of travels are coming in by air, so hence
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  Speaker 3: we have police and public health screening officers at Darwin,
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  Speaker 3: Alice Springs, Lara Nulan boy and goes meeting those planes.
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  Speaker 3: So that's capturing predominant in most of the travelers and
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  Speaker 3: at this stage, but like I said, we monitor this
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  Speaker 3: with and under the guidance of our Chief Health Officer
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  Speaker 3: and the Hazard Management Authority, Department of Health and the
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  Speaker 3: Territory of Controller. This is something we're monitoring very regularly.
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  Speaker 2: And do we have any idea how many people have
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  Speaker 2: crossed the border from some of those places or those
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  Speaker 2: locations of concern or hot spots on our road borders
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  Speaker 2: since those announcements were made last week?
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  Speaker 3: Yep, So we've got just from the last two days,
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  Speaker 3: by the Queensland anti border we've had three hundred and
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  Speaker 3: ninety seven vehicles cross and from the South Australia Anti
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  Speaker 3: border we've had one hundred and thirty one vehicles cross
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  Speaker 3: in the last two days.
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  Speaker 2: And any idea like have any of those people that
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  Speaker 2: have crossed needed to go into mandatory quarantine or self isolation.
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  Speaker 3: So through our cross referencing, we currently in the Northern
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  Speaker 3: Territory have three that are home isolating and we'll need
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  Speaker 3: to stay home quarantine for fourteen days. I am being
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  Speaker 3: monitored by Public Health.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Commander I knows it that obviously the compliance checks
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  Speaker 2: are a massive part of what's going on at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: As well. Towards the end of last week, we thought
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  Speaker 2: that there were around thirteen thousand people that were at
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  Speaker 2: home in self isolation. The Health Minister said on Monday
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  Speaker 2: that that number was significantly less than the initial estimate.
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  Speaker 2: How do you go about doing all of these compliance checks?
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  Speaker 3: I think most I think sorry, most of the compliance
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  Speaker 3: checks are done through public health. Yeah, so they are
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  Speaker 3: the ones who either contact them through initially calling, text
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  Speaker 3: messaging and attending the resident. Yeah. And then we've also
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  Speaker 3: got Operation Crown that also supplements the compliance checks if
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  Speaker 3: needs be right.
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  Speaker 2: And so have you had I know that there's been
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  Speaker 2: a couple of breaches, but have you had many breaches
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  Speaker 2: over the last few days?
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  Speaker 3: No, only the ones that have been reported on. So
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  Speaker 3: we had the two in Alice Springs and we had
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  Speaker 3: the Gentlemen, So there's been three breaches.
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  Speaker 2: So the majority of people are the majority are doing
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  Speaker 2: the right thing by the sounds of it.
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  Speaker 3: Yes they are, and we need we need members of
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  Speaker 3: the public to continue to do the right thing. So,
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  Speaker 3: you know, we want to be able to have into
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  Speaker 3: interstate travelers traveling here, but we need them to regularly
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  Speaker 3: check our anti health website every day to make sure
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  Speaker 3: that there's no other exposure sites, especially now if it's
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  Speaker 3: new So if you're coming from New South Wales or Victoria, yep,
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  Speaker 3: we need anti residents coming home to do the same thing,
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  Speaker 3: and we really need to look after each other.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree, we've got to all make sure that
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  Speaker 2: we are doing the right thing and keeping an eye
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  Speaker 2: out for each other. If there is somebody out there
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  Speaker 2: listening this morning who's maybe concerned, they're aware of somebody
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  Speaker 2: who should be self isolating, who's maybe not self isolating
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  Speaker 2: or not doing the right thing, is the best thing
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  Speaker 2: for them to do to get in contact with police.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, one three one, triple four and report the matter
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  Speaker 3: any sort of concerns.
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  Speaker 2: Well, hager Burns, we really appreciate your time this morning, obviously,
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  Speaker 2: the NT Police Incident Controller, Acting Commander. We really appreciate
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  Speaker 2: your having a chat with us and really talking us
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  Speaker 2: through what is going on and the way in which
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  Speaker 2: those those road borders are managed.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, thank you very much for having me. Thank you,
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  Speaker 3: BAFE everyone.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks very much. That is the commander there, Hagar Burns.
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  Speaker 2: And yeah, I think it's interesting to hear exactly how
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  Speaker 2: it is being managed on those borders and knowing that
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  Speaker 2: we have got that situation where technology is being utilized,
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  Speaker 2: so that number plate recognition is being utilized. It's in
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  Speaker 2: cross reference by the Northern Territory Police. They get a
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  Speaker 2: phone call, people obviously have to tell the truth and
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  Speaker 2: say where they have been and make sure that they're
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  Speaker 2: doing the right things. Let us know your thoughts. Eight
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  Speaker 2: nine four one one four nine is the number. Do
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  Speaker 2: you feel comfortable with that? Do you think that we
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  Speaker 2: need police back on those borders? You know, in my
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  Speaker 2: experience or I guess in my opinion is probably the
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  Speaker 2: right way of saying it. I think our police are
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  Speaker 2: incredibly important, important, there's no doubt about that, but also
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  Speaker 2: incredibly busy at this point in time dealing with day
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  Speaker 2: to day and making sure that they're managing everything else.
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  Speaker 2: And if we have got a situation where everybody is
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  Speaker 2: doing the right thing on those borders, then hopefully that
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  Speaker 2: is enough. But keen to hear your thoughts this morning.
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  Speaker 2: If you would like to call through, or if you'd
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  Speaker 2: like to send us a text. You can also send
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  Speaker 2: us an email if you'd like to three P sixty
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  Speaker 2: at Mix one O four nine dot com dot au.