Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we've spoken already at length about the Northern Territory
Police Commissioner publicly apologizing to Indigenous territorianes for harms and
injustices caused by the force over the last one hundred
and fifty four years of policing. The Commissioner delivering that
apology at the Gama Festival on Saturday. Now joining me
in the studio right now is the Northern Territory Police Minister,
(00:22):
Brent Potter. Good morning to you, Good morning Katie. Now, Minister,
do you think the apology was the right thing to do?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Listen, that's a decision for the commissioner. I do believe
that we need to have a line in the sand.
There has been and you rightly pointed out earlier, we've
had the coronials, we've had historic imagery coming out of
terg At some point we need to all move on together.
And I think a line of the sand has been
drawn by him. He's not apologizing for as an individual.
He's apologizing on behalf of the organization. There'll be people
(00:50):
that agree, there'll be people that don't, But at some
point he had to make a line in the sand
to move forward, because otherwise this would have continued, and
like you rightly pointed out, there'll be coronial findings very shortly,
and he's got ahead of that.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Well's I think it'll continue regardless because it's you know,
some are seeing this as like a symbolic thing rather than,
you know, rather than a meaningful movement forward.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I think he himself has got up a garma
in front of everyone. He's chosen the location. We've had
nothing to do with when he wanted to do it
or where he did it. That's that's completely his decision.
He thought it was the right location to do it.
There will be people that disagree with it. There will
be people in the police force that do support I
know we've heard from a lot of people that don't,
but there will be a silent group of people in
the police force that agree with what he's saying.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Do you think it was the right time? And did
you know that it was going to happen?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah? I knew he was going to make an apology.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
When did you find out?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Probably beout a week before.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
But it's not my place to come out and tell
people and go the Commission is going to make an apology.
That's for him to do.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
That did you make of the timing go three weeks
out from.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
An election, Well, I think it removes the politics of it,
to be completely honest, because in the moment, I'm in
caretaker so I have no meetings with the Commissioner at
the moment unless there's a serious incident that occurs for
all intensive purposes. This is why we have caretaker for
the department heads to run government while we go through
an election. He's made the choice to do it. Then
none of us were at Garma.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I mean, some people would say, though, if you're really
serious about this, that you would be standing alongside him,
or the Chief Minister would be standing alongside him, and
it would be like a whole of government approach rather
than just the police commissioner coming out and doing it.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, they would say that, and I would put it
back on them and say that would politicize it during
an election campaign. And we made a conscious decision not
to be at Garma due to travel, and we've been
in caretaker mode. So he's decided to do it there,
he's well with and he's right, it's his apology, or
you know, he's delivered the apology. I think if I
were standing next to him, that would have politicized him.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So a week ago, you found out about a week ago,
and you do feel it's the right move.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I think it's the right move for the commissioner to
make the apology. When and where he does it is
completely up to him. He chose Garma during Caretaker and
that's a discussion you can have with the commissioners. You
know why he chose that location at that time.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
I mean, some people are already questioning on the tech
SIDNE this morning. You know, Katie, it's just a little
while ago that the police Commissioner was saying he does
not believe there's systemic racism within the Northern Territory Police Force.
So if there's not systemic racism within the force, why
is he apologizing for all of these issues over such
a long period of time.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Well, there's two points you raise there. So the text,
and I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Who it is to is actually there's quite a few.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, sure, but what they're talking about systemic racism institutional racing.
He's saying right now he doesn't believe that's in the force.
And I can tell you the people I meet there's
not institutional racism. Policies and procedures in place that ostracize
one group of people.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
That's what that means.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
He's apologized from inception of the Northern Territory Police Force
and the events at it, and there have been some
very horrific events that have happened in the past that
he's made an apology for and as an organization, he's
doing on a line on this sa end and said
we need to move forward together and we need to
progress the agenda of the Northern Territory Police Force, which
is protecting all territories regardless of where they live.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Do you think that the steps that he's outlined in
terms of stamping any racism and bolstering the numbers of
Indigenous police is a good move.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I think we need to have community members policing in
their community and we need to have a target which
is at thirty percent. And you know, it's an aspiration
when he's got to get the people to be there,
but you set a target your work towards as an organization,
I think it's absolutely needed.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
What do you make of him resigning from the Police
Association this morning?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah, listen, I think it is a it is a
it is a significant step, but he's obviously made that decision,
not lightly. He's very been very clear and articulating why
he's done that, and I support him in that position.
But in saying that it is his own personal decision
to whether he has a membership with a union or not.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I mean, it's a it's a bold move, you know too,
obviously to step out following on from the statement that
they had issued. You know, look, I'm I'm quite surprised
by it. I've got to say this morning.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
I'm not I mean, I'm not. I mean, leadership takes
intestinal fortitude. He's made a line in the sand. He's
made a decision on the direction of the agency that
he leads, not the union. There are members in the
Northern Territory Police Force that will support what he has done.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
There will be members that won't.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
But he's made a decision as the leader of that
agency to hand in his recognation for the union, and
he believes this is the best direction for the agency
and I support him in that. That doesn't mean that
that he won't be engaging with the union. That doesn't
mean that he doesn't believe in the principles of why
the police association is there. It just means for him personally,
he doesn't want to be a member.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I mean, do you think it's appropriate that he didn't,
like he told you a week ago that he was
going to make this apology, but that he didn't advise
members that he was going to be doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Well, that's a decision for him.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Like I keep saying to people, yes, I'm the police Minister,
I work with the Police Commissioner. But the day to
day running of the agency.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I guess what it sort of points to. Some people
listening might think to themselves, Well, he sees that it's
more important to advise you as the minister rather than
the rank and file within the force.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'm sure there were other people inside the agency that
will of it, and he obviously told people that needed
to be made aware, and he's learned the He alerted
the union prior to him going out at Garma and
telling them and gave them, gave them a copy of that.
I mean, whether he tells everyone or tells a group
of people, that's his discretion. At the end of the day,
he's decided to go out make the apology, draw the
line the sand so that we can all move on,
(06:19):
because there has been for too long I think too
many people kicking the police force for historical instances and
it was holding the agency back from going forward.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
How can you just tell me a little bit more
about how Leanne Little's role is going to work within
the Northern Territory Police Force.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So I believe she works in she's a public servant,
she's not a uniform member. How she works in the
Community Resilience Engagement Command and one of her roles will
be meeting that thirty percent target, seeing the policies and
frameworks in place to ensure that we can get more
First Nations people into the agency.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Yeah, how are you going to get there when at
the moment we seem to sort of be, you know,
like for a number of years and not even just
under the Labor Party, but for a number of years,
like we've struggled to even meet the numbers that we
need of police at you know, at any stage we.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Recruit above attrition.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Right now, attrition's gone from nine point two to seven
point eight.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Well, the point to point, you know, I think the
point that I'm trying to make is is, you know,
people listening are going to be going we might be
recruiting under attrition, but it still doesn't feel like we've
got enough police on the beat. Everybody would love to see, Like,
I think it's a I think it'd be a great
thing to have thirty percent Indigenous police, So I've got
no issue with that. In fact, I think it's a
really good move. But how are you going to get
(07:29):
there when it feels like we don't even have enough
police Now?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Well, we've committed to two hundred and seventy extra officers
and I don't think anyone could be any clearer than
this government. We said we believe the issues we see
in the Northern Territory is a resourcing issue, not a
first week of Parliament change. The law in the world
will be fixed because it's hard work. But in terms
of getting the thirty percent First Nations or Indigenous people,
the Commissioner the Community Resilience Engagement Command, with Leanne Little
(07:52):
and a few of the others have developed a package
to streamline actpos becoming constables like we did with the
pali's converting into constables. But more importantly, how can they
use alos and the night patrols or community patrols that
we see in community as a pathway? You start there
and then you find yourself having a pathway into being
a constable, going through ALO, through ACPO and into into
constable structure.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
What you just spoke about, then that's something that the
Northern Territory Police Association had spoken about in the pressure
release that they issued. So they said that they were
calling upon the Commissioner to address the gap by immediately
implementing an act PODE to constable transition career pathway. This
would not only offer a practical solution, but also demonstrated
genuine commitment to providing actpos with the same opportunities for
(08:34):
advancement that the Commissioner himself has had, including the potential
to rise through the ranks to one day become the
Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force. So this was
all so already happening.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
The unions come out with something that we already announced
during the police review. It was one of the recommendations
from the Vince the Cali Police Review. So we're not
disputing it happening.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Has that already been.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
The first part of that work getting acposted constable has
already started. I believe they've already put out those expressions
of interest happy to be corrected.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
So you're saying that right now, within the Northern Territory
Police Force, an Indigenous person could become an ACPO and
they could advance all the way up to becoming the
Northern Territory Police.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
The missure, we've got acpos in the Territory Safety Division
that want to become constables and they will be some
of the first that will do the conversion course. So
what the union's talking about there, the Commissioner has already
been implementing and working. So that's roll yes, no, no, I'm
just saying they're rehashing something that we've already been very
public in from the police review. The commission has been
very public ay thirty percent target and saying he wants
to make the change, he's hired the person to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I mean, we're already implementing the police review.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's how you keep territory and say, if you implement
the review, you give them the resources. That's what's going
to make a difference in the territory.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
All right, Look, we're fast running out of time, but
there's a couple of things I want to get to
because we've got the Lord Mayor waiting outside ready to
come in. Now. In all of that coverage over the weekend.
There was a line from the speech which I've had
listeners already contact me about after reading in an article
on the ABC online. That line is one police are
route teemly tasked with enforcing policies, laws and regulations, both
(10:04):
federal and here in the Northern Territory that are often
influenced by media coverage of crime, victims and community safety,
regardless of the data, evidence and expert advice. Now, one
victim of crime had said to me, crime rates have
never been higher. We've been very patient with the police
unable to take our phone calls. But to read this
(10:24):
from the police commissioner as a slap in the face.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Well, listen to that individual. I can only understand and
appreciate how that makes them feel. But we know it's
a very emotive topic, crime and it has the absolute
focus of everyone at the moment.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
But do you acknowledge that those crime rates have gone up, Katie.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
I've been on the show every time, and I acknowledge that.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yes, I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around
why he's been on you.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah, So, criminalizing the act of having an open container
as an example, the Mensis report into public or into
alcoholism was released and it said mandatory alcohol rehab doesn't work,
It costs three times as more, it put more burden
on the health system in the emergency department.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Well that's that's the facts.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So when we talk about alcohol and you know, bringing
back the criminalization of alcohol, that doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
What does work? But that's one example, given an example.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
That's one thing. And again I'll say, you.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Know, change behavior programs.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Look, you know, to a lot of people listening though
at the moment, they like crime is a major major
concern for them. You know, if you've had somebody try
to get into your home, if you are in a
situation where you've felt very, very vulnerable and you've called
the Northern Territory Police and you've not had somebody come
out for several hours, you know, you can understand why,
(11:37):
you know why they might be feeling a bit disheartened.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Absolutely, I've had people in my yard and I've had
to call police and haven't had them attending in the time.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
That we do all want them to.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
But people that the police commissioner is there to to
not be political, to talk to the facts, to implement
you know, the resources and put the resources on the
ground to keep territory.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
It makes things political, right, kind of stepped into a
political space.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Because I like I just said, he's got to be
there to do what actually keeps territori In safe, and
he has obviously got his own concerns about how that
plays out in the public and he wants to get
to a point where Territorians are absolutely safe and a
police officer a teen so he's made the decision to
make that point. I think we all understand it's a
very emotive issue and no one wants to be victim.
I don't want to have to talk to a person
(12:18):
and say to them I'm sorry that we couldn't get
a police vehicle to you. And that's why we keep saying.
The actual peace to solve this is resources. If it
was as simple as a one week in Parliament and
it would all be fixed overnight, we would have done it. Katie,
my kids go on the bus. I know your kids
catch the bus and I've been there dealing with that before.
No one wants this to happen. It's not as simple
as a law change.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Well, look, Bruce in Moyle's message through, so can you
ask police Minister Brent Potter and the government to apologize
to the general public for the day to day crime
wave that we all face.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
I'm more than happy to.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I want to see not a single territory in have
to see visual any social behavior, or see domestic family
violence or be a victim themselves.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
We have a plan to get on.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Top of it, which is more resources to police, the
productive policing that Leah spoke about just before.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
We've got the Territory Safety Division. We know what needs
to be done. It is now recruiting those officers, getting
them out on the beat. They were at the races
on the weekend, They've been at the show's circuit. They're
the ones doing all the tip out of our grog.
That's how we solve this problem and change behaviors.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Brent, we are unfortunately going to have to leave it there.
I've had Hope to speak to about a few other things,
but we have got the Lord Mayor sitting outside.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Brandy to get in here.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Brent Potter, thanks so much this time this morning. Much appreciated.
Now we've spoken already at length about the Northern Territory
Police Commissioner publicly apologizing to Indigenous territorianes for harms and
injustices caused by the force over the last one hundred
and fifty four years of policing. The Commissioner delivering that
apology at the Gama Festival on Saturday. Now joining me
in the studio right now is the Northern Territory Police Minister,
(00:22):
Brent Potter. Good morning to you, Good morning Katie. Now, Minister,
do you think the apology was the right thing to do?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Listen, that's a decision for the commissioner. I do believe
that we need to have a line in the sand.
There has been and you rightly pointed out earlier, we've
had the coronials, we've had historic imagery coming out of
terg At some point we need to all move on together.
And I think a line of the sand has been
drawn by him. He's not apologizing for as an individual.
He's apologizing on behalf of the organization. There'll be people
(00:50):
that agree, there'll be people that don't, But at some
point he had to make a line in the sand
to move forward, because otherwise this would have continued, and
like you rightly pointed out, there'll be coronial findings very shortly,
and he's got ahead of that.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Well's I think it'll continue regardless because it's you know,
some are seeing this as like a symbolic thing rather than,
you know, rather than a meaningful movement forward.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I think he himself has got up a garma
in front of everyone. He's chosen the location. We've had
nothing to do with when he wanted to do it
or where he did it. That's that's completely his decision.
He thought it was the right location to do it.
There will be people that disagree with it. There will
be people in the police force that do support I
know we've heard from a lot of people that don't,
but there will be a silent group of people in
the police force that agree with what he's saying.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Do you think it was the right time? And did
you know that it was going to happen?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah? I knew he was going to make an apology.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
When did you find out?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Probably beout a week before.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
But it's not my place to come out and tell
people and go the Commission is going to make an apology.
That's for him to do.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
That did you make of the timing go three weeks
out from.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
An election, Well, I think it removes the politics of it,
to be completely honest, because in the moment, I'm in
caretaker so I have no meetings with the Commissioner at
the moment unless there's a serious incident that occurs for
all intensive purposes. This is why we have caretaker for
the department heads to run government while we go through
an election. He's made the choice to do it. Then
none of us were at Garma.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
I mean, some people would say, though, if you're really
serious about this, that you would be standing alongside him,
or the Chief Minister would be standing alongside him, and
it would be like a whole of government approach rather
than just the police commissioner coming out and doing it.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, they would say that, and I would put it
back on them and say that would politicize it during
an election campaign. And we made a conscious decision not
to be at Garma due to travel, and we've been
in caretaker mode. So he's decided to do it there,
he's well with and he's right, it's his apology, or
you know, he's delivered the apology. I think if I
were standing next to him, that would have politicized him.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
So a week ago, you found out about a week ago,
and you do feel it's the right move.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I think it's the right move for the commissioner to
make the apology. When and where he does it is
completely up to him. He chose Garma during Caretaker and
that's a discussion you can have with the commissioners. You
know why he chose that location at that time.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
I mean, some people are already questioning on the tech
SIDNE this morning. You know, Katie, it's just a little
while ago that the police Commissioner was saying he does
not believe there's systemic racism within the Northern Territory Police Force.
So if there's not systemic racism within the force, why
is he apologizing for all of these issues over such
a long period of time.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Well, there's two points you raise there. So the text,
and I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Who it is to is actually there's quite a few.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah, sure, but what they're talking about systemic racism institutional racing.
He's saying right now he doesn't believe that's in the force.
And I can tell you the people I meet there's
not institutional racism. Policies and procedures in place that ostracize
one group of people.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
That's what that means.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
He's apologized from inception of the Northern Territory Police Force
and the events at it, and there have been some
very horrific events that have happened in the past that
he's made an apology for and as an organization, he's
doing on a line on this sa end and said
we need to move forward together and we need to
progress the agenda of the Northern Territory Police Force, which
is protecting all territories regardless of where they live.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Do you think that the steps that he's outlined in
terms of stamping any racism and bolstering the numbers of
Indigenous police is a good move.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I think we need to have community members policing in
their community and we need to have a target which
is at thirty percent. And you know, it's an aspiration
when he's got to get the people to be there,
but you set a target your work towards as an organization,
I think it's absolutely needed.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
What do you make of him resigning from the Police
Association this morning?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah, listen, I think it is a it is a
it is a significant step, but he's obviously made that decision,
not lightly. He's very been very clear and articulating why
he's done that, and I support him in that position.
But in saying that it is his own personal decision
to whether he has a membership with a union or not.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
I mean, it's a it's a bold move, you know too,
obviously to step out following on from the statement that
they had issued. You know, look, I'm I'm quite surprised
by it. I've got to say this morning.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
I'm not I mean, I'm not. I mean, leadership takes
intestinal fortitude. He's made a line in the sand. He's
made a decision on the direction of the agency that
he leads, not the union. There are members in the
Northern Territory Police Force that will support what he has done.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
There will be members that won't.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
But he's made a decision as the leader of that
agency to hand in his recognation for the union, and
he believes this is the best direction for the agency
and I support him in that. That doesn't mean that
that he won't be engaging with the union. That doesn't
mean that he doesn't believe in the principles of why
the police association is there. It just means for him personally,
he doesn't want to be a member.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I mean, do you think it's appropriate that he didn't,
like he told you a week ago that he was
going to make this apology, but that he didn't advise
members that he was going to be doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Well, that's a decision for him.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Like I keep saying to people, yes, I'm the police Minister,
I work with the Police Commissioner. But the day to
day running of the agency.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
I guess what it sort of points to. Some people
listening might think to themselves, Well, he sees that it's
more important to advise you as the minister rather than
the rank and file within the force.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I'm sure there were other people inside the agency that
will of it, and he obviously told people that needed
to be made aware, and he's learned the He alerted
the union prior to him going out at Garma and
telling them and gave them, gave them a copy of that.
I mean, whether he tells everyone or tells a group
of people, that's his discretion. At the end of the day,
he's decided to go out make the apology, draw the
line the sand so that we can all move on,
(06:19):
because there has been for too long I think too
many people kicking the police force for historical instances and
it was holding the agency back from going forward.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
How can you just tell me a little bit more
about how Leanne Little's role is going to work within
the Northern Territory Police Force.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
So I believe she works in she's a public servant,
she's not a uniform member. How she works in the
Community Resilience Engagement Command and one of her roles will
be meeting that thirty percent target, seeing the policies and
frameworks in place to ensure that we can get more
First Nations people into the agency.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Yeah, how are you going to get there when at
the moment we seem to sort of be, you know,
like for a number of years and not even just
under the Labor Party, but for a number of years,
like we've struggled to even meet the numbers that we
need of police at you know, at any stage we.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Recruit above attrition.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Right now, attrition's gone from nine point two to seven
point eight.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Well, the point to point, you know, I think the
point that I'm trying to make is is, you know,
people listening are going to be going we might be
recruiting under attrition, but it still doesn't feel like we've
got enough police on the beat. Everybody would love to see, Like,
I think it's a I think it'd be a great
thing to have thirty percent Indigenous police, So I've got
no issue with that. In fact, I think it's a
really good move. But how are you going to get
(07:29):
there when it feels like we don't even have enough
police Now?
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Well, we've committed to two hundred and seventy extra officers
and I don't think anyone could be any clearer than
this government. We said we believe the issues we see
in the Northern Territory is a resourcing issue, not a
first week of Parliament change. The law in the world
will be fixed because it's hard work. But in terms
of getting the thirty percent First Nations or Indigenous people,
the Commissioner the Community Resilience Engagement Command, with Leanne Little
(07:52):
and a few of the others have developed a package
to streamline actpos becoming constables like we did with the
pali's converting into constables. But more importantly, how can they
use alos and the night patrols or community patrols that
we see in community as a pathway? You start there
and then you find yourself having a pathway into being
a constable, going through ALO, through ACPO and into into
constable structure.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
What you just spoke about, then that's something that the
Northern Territory Police Association had spoken about in the pressure
release that they issued. So they said that they were
calling upon the Commissioner to address the gap by immediately
implementing an act PODE to constable transition career pathway. This
would not only offer a practical solution, but also demonstrated
genuine commitment to providing actpos with the same opportunities for
(08:34):
advancement that the Commissioner himself has had, including the potential
to rise through the ranks to one day become the
Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force. So this was
all so already happening.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
The unions come out with something that we already announced
during the police review. It was one of the recommendations
from the Vince the Cali Police Review. So we're not
disputing it happening.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Has that already been.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
The first part of that work getting acposted constable has
already started. I believe they've already put out those expressions
of interest happy to be corrected.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
So you're saying that right now, within the Northern Territory
Police Force, an Indigenous person could become an ACPO and
they could advance all the way up to becoming the
Northern Territory Police.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
The missure, we've got acpos in the Territory Safety Division
that want to become constables and they will be some
of the first that will do the conversion course. So
what the union's talking about there, the Commissioner has already
been implementing and working. So that's roll yes, no, no, I'm
just saying they're rehashing something that we've already been very
public in from the police review. The commission has been
very public ay thirty percent target and saying he wants
to make the change, he's hired the person to do it.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I mean, we're already implementing the police review.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
That's how you keep territory and say, if you implement
the review, you give them the resources. That's what's going
to make a difference in the territory.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
All right, Look, we're fast running out of time, but
there's a couple of things I want to get to
because we've got the Lord Mayor waiting outside ready to
come in. Now. In all of that coverage over the weekend.
There was a line from the speech which I've had
listeners already contact me about after reading in an article
on the ABC online. That line is one police are
route teemly tasked with enforcing policies, laws and regulations, both
(10:04):
federal and here in the Northern Territory that are often
influenced by media coverage of crime, victims and community safety,
regardless of the data, evidence and expert advice. Now, one
victim of crime had said to me, crime rates have
never been higher. We've been very patient with the police
unable to take our phone calls. But to read this
(10:24):
from the police commissioner as a slap in the face.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Well, listen to that individual. I can only understand and
appreciate how that makes them feel. But we know it's
a very emotive topic, crime and it has the absolute
focus of everyone at the moment.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
But do you acknowledge that those crime rates have gone up, Katie.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
I've been on the show every time, and I acknowledge that.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Yes, I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around
why he's been on you.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah, So, criminalizing the act of having an open container
as an example, the Mensis report into public or into
alcoholism was released and it said mandatory alcohol rehab doesn't work,
It costs three times as more, it put more burden
on the health system in the emergency department.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Well that's that's the facts.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So when we talk about alcohol and you know, bringing
back the criminalization of alcohol, that doesn't work.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
What does work? But that's one example, given an example.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
That's one thing. And again I'll say, you.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Know, change behavior programs.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Look, you know, to a lot of people listening though
at the moment, they like crime is a major major
concern for them. You know, if you've had somebody try
to get into your home, if you are in a
situation where you've felt very, very vulnerable and you've called
the Northern Territory Police and you've not had somebody come
out for several hours, you know, you can understand why,
(11:37):
you know why they might be feeling a bit disheartened.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Absolutely, I've had people in my yard and I've had
to call police and haven't had them attending in the time.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
That we do all want them to.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
But people that the police commissioner is there to to
not be political, to talk to the facts, to implement
you know, the resources and put the resources on the
ground to keep territory.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
It makes things political, right, kind of stepped into a
political space.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Because I like I just said, he's got to be
there to do what actually keeps territori In safe, and
he has obviously got his own concerns about how that
plays out in the public and he wants to get
to a point where Territorians are absolutely safe and a
police officer a teen so he's made the decision to
make that point. I think we all understand it's a
very emotive issue and no one wants to be victim.
I don't want to have to talk to a person
(12:18):
and say to them I'm sorry that we couldn't get
a police vehicle to you. And that's why we keep saying.
The actual peace to solve this is resources. If it
was as simple as a one week in Parliament and
it would all be fixed overnight, we would have done it. Katie,
my kids go on the bus. I know your kids
catch the bus and I've been there dealing with that before.
No one wants this to happen. It's not as simple
as a law change.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Well, look, Bruce in Moyle's message through, so can you
ask police Minister Brent Potter and the government to apologize
to the general public for the day to day crime
wave that we all face.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
I'm more than happy to.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I want to see not a single territory in have
to see visual any social behavior, or see domestic family
violence or be a victim themselves.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
We have a plan to get on.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Top of it, which is more resources to police, the
productive policing that Leah spoke about just before.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
We've got the Territory Safety Division. We know what needs
to be done. It is now recruiting those officers, getting
them out on the beat. They were at the races
on the weekend, They've been at the show's circuit. They're
the ones doing all the tip out of our grog.
That's how we solve this problem and change behaviors.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Brent, we are unfortunately going to have to leave it there.
I've had Hope to speak to about a few other things,
but we have got the Lord Mayor sitting outside.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Brandy to get in here.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Brent Potter, thanks so much this time this morning. Much appreciated.
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