Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
But look, last week Martin Dole, APM was appointed the
fifteenth police Commissioner, who is going to be based in
Alice Springs. The Chief Minister told us she's confident the
commissioner is going to take the force forward in the
interests of the community and frontline officers. But while the
police associations congratulated mister Dole on his appointment, they have
(00:21):
raised some concerns over how it happened. Now joining us
in the studio is the Northern Territory's newest Police Commissioner,
Martin Dole.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good morning to you, Good morning Katie, and good morning
to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Commissioner, thanks so much for your time this morning. Now,
first off, I mean congratulations. Are you feeling How are
you feeling about taking on the role permanently?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Look, Katie, I think it's a little bit surreal. It
happened quite quickly. I was only aware of it last
Tuesday when I caught a call from the Chief Chief
Minister after cabinet, so it's all happened a little bit quickly.
But can I say I've been doing that role for
the last seven months and it's about stability, So I'm
really honored and privileged to be asked to continue to
(01:02):
leave the police force. And I think we're heading in
the right direction.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I mean territory boy. I can't remember whether you were
born in the Northern Territory, but certainly have been in
the Northern Territory for a long time. Spent a large
portion of your childhood in you and Dumou, which I
found quite interesting. And then you're an Alice Springs boy
through and through. By the sounds of.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
USh, Yeah, that's right, Katie. So I was born in
the Northern Territory. I was born here in Darwin at
Miley Point, at the old hospital which is now a park. Yes,
spent the early years of my life growing up and
being raised in the Moon and then moved to Alice
Springs when it was time for schooling and grew up
in Alla Springs. So territory born and bred through and through.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
How do you reckon that upbringing sort of you know,
will help to shape the way that you lead the
police force in the Northern Territory.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, I think it's it's a distinct advantage having somebody
that understands the Northern Territory, that has lived in all
parts of the Northern territory and understands the nuances and
the history behind some of the decisions and the things
that the territory have been through in its time. So
to me, it's been an advantage in my policing career
in my twenty nine years as being a police officer,
(02:13):
and it's definitely going to be an advantage to me
as the commissioner continuing to lead this force into the future.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Commissioner, the Police Association's congratulated you on your appointment and
say that you are a well respected, long serving officer,
but they've raised concerns about the direct appointment, saying that
it was made without a transparent recruitment process and they
reckon it undermines public trust and ignores the recent inquiry
recommendations into senior police appointments. What do you say to
(02:40):
those who are worried about the way in which you're
appointed and you know, and to those that may feel
that it does undermine public trust.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, Katie, I don't think it's about getting into arguments
or trying to encounter the narrative that the Police Association
are put out there. I think it's really healthy for
modern police forces to have scrutiny and strong representation through
associations and unions. So I'm not taking away anything from
what Nathan said. And Nathan said that he purports to
(03:11):
speak on behalf of the police force. It's not lost
on me that not everybody in the police force will
be happy with that appointment. And that's something I have
to accept and that's something I have to continue to
address as I continue to lead this police force into
the future.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, you know, taking that into account. And you said
there that some within the force may not sort of
like the way that this process happened or the way
in which that appointment was made. But you know, what
do you say to those people that you know that
maybe are feeling a little bit concerned Because I know
a lot of police officers listen to this show, and
I know, well, I'm sure that for you, a real
(03:45):
priority is to try and bring the police force forward,
you know, to have everybody part of your team and
really move the Northern Territory forward.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Well, I suppose, Katie. What I'll say is we won't
always agree on every single process, but one thing that
myself and the association do agree on and absolutely agree
on is the goal, and that's about a well supported
and strong police force. So we have differing opinions. I
think that's healthy. It's healthy that they're both represented publicly.
(04:18):
But I think when it fundamentally comes down to what's important,
it's about the men and women of this police force
making sure that they're properly resourced, they have the appropriate
legislation to enable them to do their business, and that
they've got a leadership team that's invested in their well
being and supporting them.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
What will your priorities be in this role. I know
you've potentially been sort of you know, trying to deliver
on those for the last seven months as well, but
what are your priorities going to be?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, So, Katie, for me, it's really about evolution, not revolution.
I'm not coming in with a mandate to change everything
because I think the police force has been through a
tumultuous time in the last decade. There's been a significant
man of change. There's been structural change, there's been leadership change,
(05:04):
and what I really want to bring is stability. So
currently my priorities are six recommendations that the government have
directed me to implement from the Blow Report, and that's
currently what I'm working on. Flowing from those recommendations will
be the recruitment and the stabilization of the senior executive
of this Northern Territory Police Force. So that will flow
on from those recommendations. Clear policy in place for transparency
(05:30):
around senior selections, and then that enables us to fill
the positions that have been vacant for some time. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I know the Chief Finister has credited you with the
OC spray rollout. How do you feel it's tracking?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Look, Katie, you know that's a project that was never
without some controversy in risks, but over ninety eight percent
of people purchasing OC spray have done so in alignment
with the terms and conditions of the trial. There's been
a small percentage which we always knew wouldn't comply with
those conditions, but every single purchase has been audited. Those
(06:03):
people that haven't complied or have obtained it illegally have
been tracked down. All of that spray has been recovered
and some of those people have been prosecuted in relation
to their actions.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Have more people purchased it than what you maybe thoughts
were going to or do you reckon it's you know,
is it sort of tracking the way that you'd anticipated
in that sense.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, look, I don't think there's any surprises in the numbers, Katie.
Is about fifteen hundred people have purchased it across the
Northern Territory. I don't know if there was any sort
of set figure that people had in mind, because this
is a personal decision. This is legalizing something that gives
people a choice if they decide they want to go
out and have that option to defend themselves. So I
(06:42):
don't think there was any real prediction of what those
numbers would be. But fifteen hundred people across the Northern
Territory have made that choice to take that course of action.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Now, I know there has been well, there's certainly been
a lot of discussion about the rollout of the new
ppso stream of officers. Where are things at with that?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, So, Katie, when you establish a new position in
any agency, there's an incredible amount of back end work
that needs to be done. So that's involved legislative change,
it's involved ordering of uniforms, it's involved designing a training
course at the Police College. So all of that back
end work's been done. We're just in the process of
finalizing the remuneration package. So exactly what the terms and
(07:23):
conditions of those ppsos will be, and that's obviously going
to have to be in consultation. The next steps of
that will be in consultation with the Police Association who
are going to be representing those new members, and we're
really hopeful that we'll be commencing a course before the
end of this year to graduate in the first quarter
of next year.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
How big an impact do you think that stream of
PPSO going to have, you know, on some of the
issues that we've seen around the place that in some
ways shouldn't be massive issues. You know, people sort of
on you know, like they might be sleeping rough and
then having you know, like drinking alcohol in places where
they shouldn't be. You know, some of the is is
that we're seeing on our public bus network that kind
(08:02):
of thing. What kind of impact do you reckon it's
going to.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Have, Katie, Look, I'm hopeful and I believe it's going
to have a huge impact because one of the core
functions of policing under the Act is prevention. So this
stream of police officers, and they are sworn police officers
under the Act, give us the ability to focus on
the prevention side. Of policing that we really have been
a bit hampered from being able to do because of
(08:28):
the increase in the demand for our services. So we're
still going to have the same amount of police in
vans responding to matters and investigating crimes and attending court
and prosecuting matters, but this gives us the ability to
really be forward facing, highly visible and in that preventative
space that potentially has the ability to stop the criminalization
of behavior that doesn't have to be criminal.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yeah. Look, I know for myself and I know others
would you know, I would agree with this certainly from
messages we've received on the tech side and things like
that over the years that it has felt over the
last few years that we'd sort of reached a point
where it didn't feel like there was a lot of
proactive policing happening, and we all understood that, you know,
the police are understrained. There was so much crime, or
(09:12):
it seemed like there was so much crime happening, and
our police so often, you know, we're being called out
like triaging, I suppose, like you do if you're in
an emergency ward in a hospital where you're having to
triarge different jobs so it felt like some of that
proactive policing wasn't happening. Is that something that you're keen
to sort of really see happening again.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Yes, so that's exactly right. You hit the nail on
the head. So the demand in the services and the
demand in the calls for police stripped our ability away
from being forward facing, being highly visible and stopping things
before they became bigger problems. And when you're stuck in
that cycle, it's really hard to get out of that.
But this gives us the ability and it gives the
police the ability to have positive interactions when we're not
(09:54):
just dealing with the end result of bad behavior. We
can nip it in the bud before it occurs. We
can and address problem drinking, we can address any social behavior,
and hopefully we can divert a lot of that away
from the justice system. And to me, it's going to
have immense flow on effects. It's going to reduce court loads,
it's going to reduce incarceration, and it's really one of
(10:16):
our core functions that we should be out there doing.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, hey, I know there's been a bit said about
the fact that you're going to be managing the role
of Commissioner from Alice Springs. Do you foresee any hurdles
being being based in Alice.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
No, I don't, Katie. So, Look, leadership is not about
a postcode. I've been doing this role for the last
seven months. I live in Ala Springs. The Commissioner's role
is not about where he's based. It's about leadership across
all of the geographical reasons of the Northern Territory. Look,
travel sees me going into state a lot, representing the
(10:47):
Northern Territory Police Force as well, and whether I'm flying
out of Alla Springs or flying out of Darwin to
do that, it really doesn't matter. With the modern connectivity
that's available these days, it's extremely different to it was
twenty nine years ago when I joined the job. So
it makes electronic file management, the ability to join meetings
via teams, all of that just makes it so much
(11:08):
easier that it doesn't really matter where you're based in
the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
And I know that there's some certainly announcements made in
relation to a summer plan for Alice Springs, because let's
be blunt about it. You know, over recent years, Alice
Springs has struggled a bit over that summer period. I
mean I say a bit. I think that's putting it mildly.
And one thing I will say is you're someone who's
always been pretty honest with me about that when we've
spoken over the years about those crime rates, and you know,
(11:33):
at one point there they were soaring. In terms of
the plan for summer, what is planned for Alice Springs
and then more broadly for the Northern Territory.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
So I think what is what I want to get across,
Katie is is that summer comes around every year, and
with summer every year is an increase in the demand
for policing services and it increase in criminal activity. We
know that's the case, but we're ready for it and
prepared for it, and we're building off the success, particularly
in Central Australia. We're building off the success of Operation
(12:06):
Ludlow last year. And that's why it's titled the same
because the public in Alice Springs know what they're going
to get from the police. They're going to know what
to expect because Ludlow's a familiar term. It's that high
visibility policing presence. It's that concentration on proactive work. It's
patrolling hot spots. It's having the ability to surge resources
(12:27):
when they're required to hot spots and address crime rather
than sit back and wait and just be stuck into
the response mode. It's actually getting out there and doing
those things proactively.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Do you reckon? I know it's you know, it is
sort of early days in terms of some of the
legislative changes, and we've definitely had some changes when it
comes to you know, surpro being used rather than the
old promise system. To those out there listening, you know,
that's a computer system of course at the Northern Territory
Police use in terms of logging jobs, et cetera. Are
(12:57):
we seeing a decrease in crime? I guess is what
I'm trying to ask.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
We definitely are seeing a decrease in crime, Katie. And
whilst I don't want to spook successes, what we're doing
is working and the territory is a safer place today
than it was twelve months ago. But there's a lot
of work to continue, Katie. And there's no way the
Norn Territory Police arresting on our laurels and going we've
sold everything because we have not nice small decreases in
(13:22):
crime across all crime types across the Northern Territory. I
won't shy away from the fact that there's still some
hot spots and there's still spikes, and as we see those,
we address those. But three things are trending in the
right direction. But consistency and concentrated effort by the men
and women of this Northern Territory Police Force. So we're
going to continue to help drive down that crime.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
And look, I want to say as well that you know,
to anybody listening this morning that sort of goes, oh, well, look,
you know that's the new police commissioner. Of course he's
going to say that you're one of the very few
people when crime was absolutely peaking a number of years ago,
who came in or who spoke to me in our
old studio and actually, you're really blunt about it and
said to me that crime had gone up. I think
(14:05):
it had said at the time. I think it was,
you know, threefold on what we'd seen in the previous
five years. And it was at a time where I felt,
and I think other Territorians felt like we were being
gas lit, and you were really honest about it, and
you know, I said, this is something that we got
to deal with. So you know, to me, I know
that you certainly wouldn't make that comment lightly in terms
(14:27):
of there being a slight decrease. But like I know
that I speak on behalf of everybody listening this morning.
We're all really hoping that we continue to make those
in roads because goodness me, for a while there it
felt really tough for a lot of us.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, there's no escaping Katie that the Territory's been through
some tough times. The police force has been through some
tough times. But what I want to do is try
and restore the confidence in the public in the non
Territory Police Force, and that starts here. And that's about
being honest with the public. That's about owning our mistakes
when we make them, and it's about being honest with
what the situation is and that we're faced with. So
(15:02):
my mandate really is to try and restore the trust
in the great institution of the Northern Territory Police Force
and the fantastic work that the women and men of
this agency deliver every day.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Commissioner, a message coming through on the tech side. Good morning, Katie.
Congratulations to the Commissioner, and please let the new Police
commissioner know that the police would love to go back
to our roots and have khaki uniforms. Again, what do
you reckon.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Look, Katie, that has been part of the discussion of
as I asked that question the other day. Look, nothing's
off the table, but at the moment, that's not our
priority at the moment. At the moment, driving down crime
in the Northern Territories our priority and making sure the
men and women of the police force feel supported. And
if that's something that makes them feel supported and back
to their grassroots, sure we can consider that into the future.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Commissioner. Before I let you go, what do you hope
your legacy will be as the Northern Territory's police commissioner.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Look, I hope Katie, that my legacy will be that
I've bought stability back to the norn Territory Police Force.
Ikov said, It's been a tumultuous decade for this agency
and I really want that relationship between the police and
the community to be restored and that confidence and faith
in the police force once again seen across the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Well, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks for joining us in the studio.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Thanks Katie,
But look, last week Martin Dole, APM was appointed the
fifteenth police Commissioner, who is going to be based in
Alice Springs. The Chief Minister told us she's confident the
commissioner is going to take the force forward in the
interests of the community and frontline officers. But while the
police associations congratulated mister Dole on his appointment, they have
(00:21):
raised some concerns over how it happened. Now joining us
in the studio is the Northern Territory's newest Police Commissioner,
Martin Dole.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good morning to you, Good morning Katie, and good morning
to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Commissioner, thanks so much for your time this morning. Now,
first off, I mean congratulations. Are you feeling How are
you feeling about taking on the role permanently?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Look, Katie, I think it's a little bit surreal. It
happened quite quickly. I was only aware of it last
Tuesday when I caught a call from the Chief Chief
Minister after cabinet, so it's all happened a little bit quickly.
But can I say I've been doing that role for
the last seven months and it's about stability, So I'm
really honored and privileged to be asked to continue to
(01:02):
leave the police force. And I think we're heading in
the right direction.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I mean territory boy. I can't remember whether you were
born in the Northern Territory, but certainly have been in
the Northern Territory for a long time. Spent a large
portion of your childhood in you and Dumou, which I
found quite interesting. And then you're an Alice Springs boy
through and through. By the sounds of.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
USh, Yeah, that's right, Katie. So I was born in
the Northern Territory. I was born here in Darwin at
Miley Point, at the old hospital which is now a park. Yes,
spent the early years of my life growing up and
being raised in the Moon and then moved to Alice
Springs when it was time for schooling and grew up
in Alla Springs. So territory born and bred through and through.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
How do you reckon that upbringing sort of you know,
will help to shape the way that you lead the
police force in the Northern Territory.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, I think it's it's a distinct advantage having somebody
that understands the Northern Territory, that has lived in all
parts of the Northern territory and understands the nuances and
the history behind some of the decisions and the things
that the territory have been through in its time. So
to me, it's been an advantage in my policing career
in my twenty nine years as being a police officer,
(02:13):
and it's definitely going to be an advantage to me
as the commissioner continuing to lead this force into the future.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Commissioner, the Police Association's congratulated you on your appointment and
say that you are a well respected, long serving officer,
but they've raised concerns about the direct appointment, saying that
it was made without a transparent recruitment process and they
reckon it undermines public trust and ignores the recent inquiry
recommendations into senior police appointments. What do you say to
(02:40):
those who are worried about the way in which you're
appointed and you know, and to those that may feel
that it does undermine public trust.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, Katie, I don't think it's about getting into arguments
or trying to encounter the narrative that the Police Association
are put out there. I think it's really healthy for
modern police forces to have scrutiny and strong representation through
associations and unions. So I'm not taking away anything from
what Nathan said. And Nathan said that he purports to
(03:11):
speak on behalf of the police force. It's not lost
on me that not everybody in the police force will
be happy with that appointment. And that's something I have
to accept and that's something I have to continue to
address as I continue to lead this police force into
the future.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, you know, taking that into account. And you said
there that some within the force may not sort of
like the way that this process happened or the way
in which that appointment was made. But you know, what
do you say to those people that you know that
maybe are feeling a little bit concerned Because I know
a lot of police officers listen to this show, and
I know, well, I'm sure that for you, a real
(03:45):
priority is to try and bring the police force forward,
you know, to have everybody part of your team and
really move the Northern Territory forward.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Well, I suppose, Katie. What I'll say is we won't
always agree on every single process, but one thing that
myself and the association do agree on and absolutely agree
on is the goal, and that's about a well supported
and strong police force. So we have differing opinions. I
think that's healthy. It's healthy that they're both represented publicly.
(04:18):
But I think when it fundamentally comes down to what's important,
it's about the men and women of this police force
making sure that they're properly resourced, they have the appropriate
legislation to enable them to do their business, and that
they've got a leadership team that's invested in their well
being and supporting them.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
What will your priorities be in this role. I know
you've potentially been sort of you know, trying to deliver
on those for the last seven months as well, but
what are your priorities going to be?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Yeah, So, Katie, for me, it's really about evolution, not revolution.
I'm not coming in with a mandate to change everything
because I think the police force has been through a
tumultuous time in the last decade. There's been a significant
man of change. There's been structural change, there's been leadership change,
(05:04):
and what I really want to bring is stability. So
currently my priorities are six recommendations that the government have
directed me to implement from the Blow Report, and that's
currently what I'm working on. Flowing from those recommendations will
be the recruitment and the stabilization of the senior executive
of this Northern Territory Police Force. So that will flow
on from those recommendations. Clear policy in place for transparency
(05:30):
around senior selections, and then that enables us to fill
the positions that have been vacant for some time. Now.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I know the Chief Finister has credited you with the
OC spray rollout. How do you feel it's tracking?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Look, Katie, you know that's a project that was never
without some controversy in risks, but over ninety eight percent
of people purchasing OC spray have done so in alignment
with the terms and conditions of the trial. There's been
a small percentage which we always knew wouldn't comply with
those conditions, but every single purchase has been audited. Those
(06:03):
people that haven't complied or have obtained it illegally have
been tracked down. All of that spray has been recovered
and some of those people have been prosecuted in relation
to their actions.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Have more people purchased it than what you maybe thoughts
were going to or do you reckon it's you know,
is it sort of tracking the way that you'd anticipated
in that sense.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, look, I don't think there's any surprises in the numbers, Katie.
Is about fifteen hundred people have purchased it across the
Northern Territory. I don't know if there was any sort
of set figure that people had in mind, because this
is a personal decision. This is legalizing something that gives
people a choice if they decide they want to go
out and have that option to defend themselves. So I
(06:42):
don't think there was any real prediction of what those
numbers would be. But fifteen hundred people across the Northern
Territory have made that choice to take that course of action.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Now, I know there has been well, there's certainly been
a lot of discussion about the rollout of the new
ppso stream of officers. Where are things at with that?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, So, Katie, when you establish a new position in
any agency, there's an incredible amount of back end work
that needs to be done. So that's involved legislative change,
it's involved ordering of uniforms, it's involved designing a training
course at the Police College. So all of that back
end work's been done. We're just in the process of
finalizing the remuneration package. So exactly what the terms and
(07:23):
conditions of those ppsos will be, and that's obviously going
to have to be in consultation. The next steps of
that will be in consultation with the Police Association who
are going to be representing those new members, and we're
really hopeful that we'll be commencing a course before the
end of this year to graduate in the first quarter
of next year.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
How big an impact do you think that stream of
PPSO going to have, you know, on some of the
issues that we've seen around the place that in some
ways shouldn't be massive issues. You know, people sort of
on you know, like they might be sleeping rough and
then having you know, like drinking alcohol in places where
they shouldn't be. You know, some of the is is
that we're seeing on our public bus network that kind
(08:02):
of thing. What kind of impact do you reckon it's
going to.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Have, Katie, Look, I'm hopeful and I believe it's going
to have a huge impact because one of the core
functions of policing under the Act is prevention. So this
stream of police officers, and they are sworn police officers
under the Act, give us the ability to focus on
the prevention side. Of policing that we really have been
a bit hampered from being able to do because of
(08:28):
the increase in the demand for our services. So we're
still going to have the same amount of police in
vans responding to matters and investigating crimes and attending court
and prosecuting matters, but this gives us the ability to
really be forward facing, highly visible and in that preventative
space that potentially has the ability to stop the criminalization
of behavior that doesn't have to be criminal.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yeah. Look, I know for myself and I know others
would you know, I would agree with this certainly from
messages we've received on the tech side and things like
that over the years that it has felt over the
last few years that we'd sort of reached a point
where it didn't feel like there was a lot of
proactive policing happening, and we all understood that, you know,
the police are understrained. There was so much crime, or
(09:12):
it seemed like there was so much crime happening, and
our police so often, you know, we're being called out
like triaging, I suppose, like you do if you're in
an emergency ward in a hospital where you're having to
triarge different jobs so it felt like some of that
proactive policing wasn't happening. Is that something that you're keen
to sort of really see happening again.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Yes, so that's exactly right. You hit the nail on
the head. So the demand in the services and the
demand in the calls for police stripped our ability away
from being forward facing, being highly visible and stopping things
before they became bigger problems. And when you're stuck in
that cycle, it's really hard to get out of that.
But this gives us the ability and it gives the
police the ability to have positive interactions when we're not
(09:54):
just dealing with the end result of bad behavior. We
can nip it in the bud before it occurs. We
can and address problem drinking, we can address any social behavior,
and hopefully we can divert a lot of that away
from the justice system. And to me, it's going to
have immense flow on effects. It's going to reduce court loads,
it's going to reduce incarceration, and it's really one of
(10:16):
our core functions that we should be out there doing.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, hey, I know there's been a bit said about
the fact that you're going to be managing the role
of Commissioner from Alice Springs. Do you foresee any hurdles
being being based in Alice.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
No, I don't, Katie. So, Look, leadership is not about
a postcode. I've been doing this role for the last
seven months. I live in Ala Springs. The Commissioner's role
is not about where he's based. It's about leadership across
all of the geographical reasons of the Northern Territory. Look,
travel sees me going into state a lot, representing the
(10:47):
Northern Territory Police Force as well, and whether I'm flying
out of Alla Springs or flying out of Darwin to
do that, it really doesn't matter. With the modern connectivity
that's available these days, it's extremely different to it was
twenty nine years ago when I joined the job. So
it makes electronic file management, the ability to join meetings
via teams, all of that just makes it so much
(11:08):
easier that it doesn't really matter where you're based in
the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
And I know that there's some certainly announcements made in
relation to a summer plan for Alice Springs, because let's
be blunt about it. You know, over recent years, Alice
Springs has struggled a bit over that summer period. I
mean I say a bit. I think that's putting it mildly.
And one thing I will say is you're someone who's
always been pretty honest with me about that when we've
spoken over the years about those crime rates, and you know,
(11:33):
at one point there they were soaring. In terms of
the plan for summer, what is planned for Alice Springs
and then more broadly for the Northern Territory.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
So I think what is what I want to get across,
Katie is is that summer comes around every year, and
with summer every year is an increase in the demand
for policing services and it increase in criminal activity. We
know that's the case, but we're ready for it and
prepared for it, and we're building off the success, particularly
in Central Australia. We're building off the success of Operation
(12:06):
Ludlow last year. And that's why it's titled the same
because the public in Alice Springs know what they're going
to get from the police. They're going to know what
to expect because Ludlow's a familiar term. It's that high
visibility policing presence. It's that concentration on proactive work. It's
patrolling hot spots. It's having the ability to surge resources
(12:27):
when they're required to hot spots and address crime rather
than sit back and wait and just be stuck into
the response mode. It's actually getting out there and doing
those things proactively.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Do you reckon? I know it's you know, it is
sort of early days in terms of some of the
legislative changes, and we've definitely had some changes when it
comes to you know, surpro being used rather than the
old promise system. To those out there listening, you know,
that's a computer system of course at the Northern Territory
Police use in terms of logging jobs, et cetera. Are
(12:57):
we seeing a decrease in crime? I guess is what
I'm trying to ask.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
We definitely are seeing a decrease in crime, Katie. And
whilst I don't want to spook successes, what we're doing
is working and the territory is a safer place today
than it was twelve months ago. But there's a lot
of work to continue, Katie. And there's no way the
Norn Territory Police arresting on our laurels and going we've
sold everything because we have not nice small decreases in
(13:22):
crime across all crime types across the Northern Territory. I
won't shy away from the fact that there's still some
hot spots and there's still spikes, and as we see those,
we address those. But three things are trending in the
right direction. But consistency and concentrated effort by the men
and women of this Northern Territory Police Force. So we're
going to continue to help drive down that crime.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
And look, I want to say as well that you know,
to anybody listening this morning that sort of goes, oh, well, look,
you know that's the new police commissioner. Of course he's
going to say that you're one of the very few
people when crime was absolutely peaking a number of years ago,
who came in or who spoke to me in our
old studio and actually, you're really blunt about it and
said to me that crime had gone up. I think
(14:05):
it had said at the time. I think it was,
you know, threefold on what we'd seen in the previous
five years. And it was at a time where I felt,
and I think other Territorians felt like we were being
gas lit, and you were really honest about it, and
you know, I said, this is something that we got
to deal with. So you know, to me, I know
that you certainly wouldn't make that comment lightly in terms
(14:27):
of there being a slight decrease. But like I know
that I speak on behalf of everybody listening this morning.
We're all really hoping that we continue to make those
in roads because goodness me, for a while there it
felt really tough for a lot of us.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, there's no escaping Katie that the Territory's been through
some tough times. The police force has been through some
tough times. But what I want to do is try
and restore the confidence in the public in the non
Territory Police Force, and that starts here. And that's about
being honest with the public. That's about owning our mistakes
when we make them, and it's about being honest with
what the situation is and that we're faced with. So
(15:02):
my mandate really is to try and restore the trust
in the great institution of the Northern Territory Police Force
and the fantastic work that the women and men of
this agency deliver every day.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Commissioner, a message coming through on the tech side. Good morning, Katie.
Congratulations to the Commissioner, and please let the new Police
commissioner know that the police would love to go back
to our roots and have khaki uniforms. Again, what do
you reckon.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Look, Katie, that has been part of the discussion of
as I asked that question the other day. Look, nothing's
off the table, but at the moment, that's not our
priority at the moment. At the moment, driving down crime
in the Northern Territories our priority and making sure the
men and women of the police force feel supported. And
if that's something that makes them feel supported and back
to their grassroots, sure we can consider that into the future.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Commissioner. Before I let you go, what do you hope
your legacy will be as the Northern Territory's police commissioner.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Look, I hope Katie, that my legacy will be that
I've bought stability back to the norn Territory Police Force.
Ikov said, It's been a tumultuous decade for this agency
and I really want that relationship between the police and
the community to be restored and that confidence and faith
in the police force once again seen across the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Well, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks for joining us in the studio.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Thanks Katie,
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