Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, as I said, the Northern Territory Government's going to
be extending the youth curfew in Alice Springs for a
further six days, the extension covering the entire school holidays,
with crime dramatically decreasing. The Chief Minister, Evil Aula joins
me in the studio. Good morning to your Chief Minister.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And can I start by passing on my condolences to
Tommy's family. Yeah, it's very very sad news. And I
had bits to do with Tommy through when I was
the Environment Minister and.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I held the Bushfire's portfolio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
But yeah, mice a sincere condolences to Tommy's family A
good block.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Such sad news, and I know really well loved family
and well loved bloke.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And I think there's the footage of him feeding the
crocs is iconic territory footage.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Really truly sad news.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Yeah, it truly is.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And look we will will certainly pay our respects to
him after eleven o'clock this morning, now, Chief Minister, this curfew,
it's been widely accepted, with locals saying that it's had
a positive impact.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Why did you decide to extend it?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So I've been on the ground.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
The last two weeks in Nalla Springs, I've come and gone,
and of course it was very very positively accepted the curfew.
But also as the curfew date started to end, the
conversations on the street, also the conversations with the agencies
down there, the NGOs, they said, it makes sense, it's
common sense to extend it until the end of the
(01:22):
school holidays.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So it's a.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Pupil free day on the Monday, so the curf you will
be extended until six am on Tuesday morning. So yeah,
absolutely a common sense approach around really making sure that
the young people aren't in the CBD, that they're home
with families.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
I think it was the right thing to do, and
I know that there's some groups that have come out
and sort of questioned the lawfulness of it, but I
think sometimes you've got to make those tough decisions and
it's the community's expectation exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So you know, I'm really happy if there are people
who want to take us to court over that.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Of course we followed.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
We got advice, we got legal advice from the solicit
for the Northern Territory Attorney Generals, We've got legal advice
before we made the decision, but it was the right
decision to make, Katie. I think everybody truly on the
ground in Alice Springs. There may be a few that aren't,
but the vast majority of people in Alice Springs are
grateful for that, the respite that it's provided that community.
(02:18):
It really has given the police some time and a
breather literally, So I'm happy. If there's people who want
to take us to court around it or whatever else, fine,
but you know, the vast majority of people want this.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
In terms of those stats that have come through or
some of the evidence that its coming through. What are
the police telling you, you know, have we seen a
reduction in crime in Alice Springs.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, so there literally has been, and they've said even
a reduction in domestic violence in Alice Springs. So it started.
I think the first night there was about fifty or
sixty kids on the street. Word got out very quickly
and that dropped down. It dropped down to about thirty.
I think the short the loss that got was about
twenty nine. Think it might have gone up on the
(03:01):
sad Day, but very much the word got out to
all the young people. What it's stopped. Is that the
excitement and the thrill of being in the CBD, you
vidding your video and yourself doing something really stupid, something illegal,
and then sharing it on TikTok or Facebook or social media.
So it's cut that out, but it's also provided parents
(03:23):
and so territory families when they have taken the young
people home, they've had family saying I need a hand,
and so territory families now have been able to step in.
They know, they've been able to identify the kids very clearly.
There's only a small number that have been like repeat
in repeat offenders in your CBD, so they've been able
to really identify those. So it's all like I guess, moving,
(03:46):
getting a clear picture of who and then put support
services in place for those kids and families so cheap.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Minister, what's the plan long term?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Because I guess a lot of people are feeling so
positive about the way it is going now. Yep, there's
some naysayers, but it feels like from what I'm being told,
people are able to go out for dinner again. They're
feeling like they can be out on the street.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
What's the plan long term?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
So that's the conversations I've had with the Acting CEO
of Department, the Chief Minister and Cabinet as well as
Michael Murphy, the Commissioner, is how do we get the
same effect as a curfew without a curfew. Basically there
has been a group, a summit group that was brought
together on Monday. That was their task. There was lots
of conversations, but also myself, I've been down talking to
(04:30):
a whole range, so ranging from LUA Tippa and congresspur
in your shopping center to Tourism Central Australia to the Council,
a broad range of people to get their views and
their ideas. So it won't be just one thing, Katie.
It will be a number of things and we're pulling
that together literally now I'll be down in our Springs
on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon or Friday at some
(04:54):
stage I'll be making announcements around what next after the curfew.
Basically that informations being pulled together. But as I said,
it won't be just a thing, because there is not
just a thing. I mean, the curfew has received a
lot of attention, but it was also a large number
of extra police officers on the ground in Alice Springs.
(05:14):
So those are the conversations with the police commissioner around
what do we need to keep doing, to keep making
to make sure that Alice Springs continues to get that respite.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So we'll have a better plan on Friday. And look,
you know, with those additional police officers. A good segue
I think into the long awaited police review. It was
released yesterday. It's been in the making for the last
seven months. It was conducted by former police officer and
former head of the union, Vince Kelly. It makes eighteen
recommendations and shows what most of us, I think have
realized for quite some time.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
We do need more police.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Fifteen of the eighteen recommendations out of that review have
been accepted by your government. Why didn't you accept the
recommendations to reduce the palis or discontinue that private security.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So Katie and I must acknowledge Vince Kelly and his
team who have done a truly magnificent job. They consulted widely.
I think it was about six hundred and something Territorians
had to say, five hundred of those in the police force.
So it does reflect the voice of police. I can
hear that when I read the report, and I encourage
people to have a read online because often we talk
(06:18):
about the recommendations that haven't been accepted, but there are
some really solid recommendations there that have so. First of all,
in relation to Pally's I've heard loudly and clearly in
relation to Alice Springs and Catherine the value of having
a sworn police officer or a sworn officer on their
lick our outlets so that one will continue. Hey, the
(06:40):
perfect day will be when we don't need them in
ALUs Springs or in Catherine or Tenant Creek, but they
need to continue now. So that was a recommendation, and
I can understand where Vince and the police are coming
from around that. It is a large amount of money
that goes into that, into that whole structure, but it
is one that we need to keep there at the moment.
The other one was around private security services. I know
(07:02):
my electorate's Parmesan, I live in the Parmesan CBD. I
know the value of having those security officers. Again, eventually,
when we get those additional two hundred sworn police officers,
the seventy one admin and non sworn off non sworn
staff as well, we might get to the day where
we don't need security. But as you say, the security
(07:23):
of their their presence is enough to as a deterrent,
and whether that's walking through car parks, whether it's in
shopping centers. I think we're seeing that worldwide. I mean,
if anybody who travels overseas see security guards in places,
and we want the police to be doing the big jobs.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
And so I didn't accept that one.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Do you think we'll ever reach a point where we
have got enough police that we don't need those palis
or don't need the private security again.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
The Pali one, I think we possibly could, but again
definitely around the security, I think you need that. I
mean I made the announcement on I think I think
it was Chooda can't right. I'm losing tracking day yesterday
around the transit safety officers and the security guards, and
so that was an additional eight million dollars for them
to continue. So you don't really want a police officer
(08:10):
to be walking through the bus interchange.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yes, you do want them, but it's day.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
In, day out, constant work to keep an eye on
someone just being like a bit of a dickhead really
and doing something stupid but may not be a violent crime.
I'm talking about someone who's just been prestling someone for
money or being a pest.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Just a really quick one on that, because we did
speak to a mum whose son was unfortunately set upon
by quite a large group out at the Palmerston bus
exchange a couple of weeks ago, and she had said,
maybe we do need sort of increased presents on those
bus stops, I know, or at those bus exchanges. I
know the police can't be everywhere. I know that there
are security around there, but around those hours of when
(08:50):
school is being you know, like school kids are being
dropped off, is it something that could be looked at.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, so I think the police do their patrols.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They do actually drive around the back there of we're
between Kazales and the bus interchange. Yeah, my children went
to the bus interchange all their schooling lives. I know that,
you know how volatile that space can be, but it
is having constantly having security guards, transit safety officers and.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Then police coming through.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So yeah, just recommend that just reinforces the reason why
we needed we couldn't accept recommendation twelve of the review.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Let's move along.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I know the public has been screaming out about the
lack of police and delays to response times for quite
some time, Chief Minister. Why has it taken this review
for the government to listen to some of those concerns.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So, I mean, I think this is what was needed
and you know, a great decision to have the review.
This is an organizational review as well. It's not a
policy review. It focuses on the organization. But it was
around not and government has continued to provide additional police.
I think there's about an additional two hundred and fifty
that we've put in during our term. But it needed
(09:55):
a comprehensive look rather than an ad hoc a few
more here, a few.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
More there more. It really needed.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
This comprehensive approach, bring someone independent in like Vince who's
respected by the police force, respected by the public as well,
to have a comprehensive look at what needs to be done.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So it was around.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's an additional seventy one non sworn officers that are recruited,
so we know we need more forensic scientists for example,
as well. We need the technical and crime is the
face of crime is also changing, where you need those
technical covert operations that can do work, and so some
of it isn't just around police, but that will make
the support staff and the support staff, but they'll make
(10:36):
the police jobs easier. So the JESK was around an
extra twenty five call takers and CCTV operators. There'll probably
be some additional police officers that sworn police officers that
will also go out of that two hundred go into.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
The jes as well.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So the reports found four hundred and seventy two sworn
officers have left the force over the past three years.
It's a massive number. You last weeke anounced this edition
two hundred more police over the next four years. That
is on top of attrition. Is that going to be
enough to cope with the level of crime that we're experiencing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
So that is vitally important. That was the number.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So Michael Murphy as soon as he came in as commissioner,
he's been working on those figures and when you read
the report, there's a bit of a scientific equation to
it how long it takes to respond to a call
and how many they need. So, yeah, two hundred is
the number that obviously, between Michael Murphy and Vince Kelly,
we needed that work to put it into our budget.
(11:34):
So we've got our budget coming down in May, so
that work was done and that's why I made those
announcements prior to the report coming out, because they were
budget announcements. But Katie, two of the really important recommendations,
and I encourage people them to read a recommendation eighteen
and seventeen eighteen is all about the well being. There's
a whole chapter in here around the well being of
(11:54):
our police force and it is you know, they've got
the strategy, but it talks about a culture triviagionys stigma
of mental health, looking at the physical and psychological risk,
cultural responsiveness, work health, life balance. And a really important
one is around fatigue management. So if you're burnt out,
of course you're going to have to take sick leave
(12:15):
or take leave, and so two hundred extra officers is
part of that equation. Then you've got more police on
the beach, more vans on the road. You can then
manage fatigue and that's one of the critical ones. We
all know if you're exhausted, you can't do your job well.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
We know.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Even in the report, Vince's pointed to a few different
incidents over the last ten years which have contributed to
the morale within the force really falling to all time low.
So I think all you've got to do is go
back to some of those Police Association surveys that they've
done as well to know just how low morale has
(12:51):
been over recent years.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
I mean, has the government.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Let the force down over those years by not providing
that support not really getting stuck into this work sooner?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Okay, it's a really tricky one. You know, as a government,
you rely on the leadership and you have the police commissioners,
you know, and we've had a number of police commissioners
over the term of our government. But there has been
some really tough, critical incidences that the police force has faced,
and the report talks about that. In twenty fifteen, the
dismissal of the Commissioner of Police, John McRoberts, you know,
(13:26):
unheralded to have a police commissioner that actually serves some
jail time. We've then had Kumin Jai Walker. We know
the impact of that on the police force. We've also
had COVID and there were sadly suicides of police officers
and so it has actually been a really, really tough
time for police. We understand that. I understand that. I
(13:48):
think we've got a police commissioner that's very compassionate, very understanding.
He's i think, been a police officer and worked his
way through for about twenty odd years and the police force,
so we actually really truly understand police force. Brent Potter, iye,
I believe is doing a really good job. He also
gets the police and understands and is on the side
of police and backing police. So I think the report,
(14:11):
which it's five hundred and seventy million dollars over five years,
I'm going to be as you say, talking about the infrastructure,
that one also has some good money around police housing.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
So again, if you have some you know, some.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Quality housing in your remote communities, improved police stations in
your remote communities, so people want to be out there.
You've got a nice new police station, you've got a
really comfortable house for your family. We need to have
police who want to go to a remote communities and
build a relationship with the community. So to me, the report,
I know we've often concentrated on the res that haven't
(14:47):
been accepted. The other one that's really important is Recommendation
seventeen and that's talking about the people management, and it
talks about how we can manage poor performance in the
police force very much, turning it around from being punitive
to educational and getting in early. So you know, somebody
does stuff up and does something small or you know,
(15:08):
not outlandish in the police force, how do you actually
correct that but change? And I'm firmly believe that we
need to keep our police in the police force. What
can we do around, you know, improve professional development, to
develop our police force so if there are issues, you
catch them early and you develop your force rather than
being punitive. So that Recommendatation seventeen is a really important
(15:30):
one for Chane.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
So you said at that press conference yesterday that some
things were hard to read in that report.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
What was hard to read?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Oh, there's probably a lot, Katie, that was hard to read.
You know, I can understand the organization a government organization.
So first and foremost it was that whole the police
are very good at doing their police work. And the
first recommendation is about putting in a high level public servant,
not a sworn officer, to really look at the organization.
(15:59):
And of those were really tough around things like fatigue
management and having a better handle on that. But it
was around strategic workforce, the well being, fatigue management, so
that that really critical first recommendation was tough around what
we need to do and put in a high level
position that won't be paid for by the police budget.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
It will be paid for by government.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
The other one, Katie, there's a lovely but sad, a
lovely case study that's in the report about a young
female police officer at gun Bolunya. So she's only a
case study in the report, so she's only been out,
she hadn't been out long I think four months, and
she's literally holding the whole, holding the fort literally at
at gun Bolunya and loves her job. So it's fabulous
(16:43):
to hear how much she loves the work that she's doing,
loves working with the community, but is exhausted and at
times she was the only person there. And so my
heart goes out to someone young like that that comes
to the or is a Territorian who really wants to
do the right thing. But an extra two hundred police
officers will help that. So yeah, I like stories, Katie.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
It makes things real.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
So that there's two case studies in this report which
are lovely as well.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Now, a couple of the areas we know that you
know that listeners that Territorians are talking about very regularly.
One of those is calls to those two emergency services.
What we know from this report is they've doubled since
twenty sixteen. So the response times as well have almost
doubled in Priority one calls in the last five years.
(17:32):
So priority one jobs we know of the highest severity,
which have ten minute response time targets. They took police
an average of forty nine minutes to respond to in
Darwin and Casarina in twenty twenty two twenty three. How
are you going to get that time back to the
ten minute target?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, Katie, I mean that was probably another one that
was one of the tough parts to read. So it's
really just blown i mean blown out over the last
few years. So if you look at the data, and
the report actually has some really strong data in it.
So up until two years ago, things were so in
our budget papers, we have targets. Police have targets to
make to have ninety percent of the calls done within
(18:12):
those timeframes, so triple zero within ten minutes, and they
have tight targets. Literally the last few years, though those
targets are blown out. Prior to that, Prior to that,
actually crime and when you look at the data, crime
was actually declining, so.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
It's fourteen years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
During that ten year period we've seen actually we saw
the actual trajectory of crime was in a reasonable position
for quite a few years. But then in the last
few years and since COVID and we've seen that Australia wide.
So it's it is a major issue for police, it's
a major issue for government how to get on top
of that. And that's you know, that's why Vince Kelly
was fabulous, had a good look at that and said,
(18:52):
we need more We need more operators, So we need
more operators who are taking the calls to respond quickly
to the calls that are coming in a triple zero call.
But then we need more officers. So it's about literally
having more vans on the road. So the Commissioner over
probably the coming months or even because we have to
have an implementation planning by June, end of June, he'll
(19:12):
be able to tell us very clearly where those vans
will be. So we'll and I'm making this up, but
will it be four more vans in Palmerston, or three
more vans in Palmerston formal vans each shift in Darwin,
so that you can respond to those. So that's the whole.
That's the holistic approach of the report. The importance of
having that report. It isn't just saying more police and
not having more call takers. You have to have all
(19:35):
those parts together. But we also have I think it's
about one hundred and sixty police officers who are on
sick leave. How do we get that them back? That's
I'm the treasure.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
It's important to me.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
They're already getting paid.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
If we could get those extra one hundred and sixty
back into the workforce as well as our two hundred,
we're in a really good position around police. So the
report needs to be read in whole. It wasn't a
addressing policy. That's the role of government and you know
that's what you do through elections. This is an organizational review.
The police commissioner has a busy job. It's going to
(20:08):
be even busier now.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Well, Chief Finister, we are going to have to wrap
up just very quickly before I let you go, What
really is your priority? You know this week upon receiving
that review to make sure that these recommendations get implemented
and they happen quickly.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Exactly, Katie.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
A report otherwise just sits on the shelf, and I've
seen plenty of reports over the years as a public
servant for a long time, and so that's why I've
been adamant around making sure we've got a and Vince
Kelly the same. There is an implementation There will be
an implementation team. There's also going to be a high
level and people who understand government and executive contract officer
(20:46):
for that will drive that work. We want an implementation
plan done by the end of June twenty twenty four,
and then there's twelve months Dune twenty twenty five to
have the recommendations underway and being implemented. There will be
also report backs to Cabinet around that, so we will
be making sure that every one of these recommendations that
we've accepted that gets implemented in full, Katie, and we've
(21:09):
put the dollars for that.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Evil Aula, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Appreciate your time this morning, Appreciate you speaking through extensively
with us that review.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Thanks Katie, thank you
Now, as I said, the Northern Territory Government's going to
be extending the youth curfew in Alice Springs for a
further six days, the extension covering the entire school holidays,
with crime dramatically decreasing. The Chief Minister, Evil Aula joins
me in the studio. Good morning to your Chief Minister.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And can I start by passing on my condolences to
Tommy's family. Yeah, it's very very sad news. And I
had bits to do with Tommy through when I was
the Environment Minister and.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I held the Bushfire's portfolio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
But yeah, mice a sincere condolences to Tommy's family A
good block.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Such sad news, and I know really well loved family
and well loved bloke.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And I think there's the footage of him feeding the
crocs is iconic territory footage.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Really truly sad news.
Speaker 4 (00:44):
Yeah, it truly is.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And look we will will certainly pay our respects to
him after eleven o'clock this morning, now, Chief Minister, this curfew,
it's been widely accepted, with locals saying that it's had
a positive impact.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Why did you decide to extend it?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So I've been on the ground.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
The last two weeks in Nalla Springs, I've come and gone,
and of course it was very very positively accepted the curfew.
But also as the curfew date started to end, the
conversations on the street, also the conversations with the agencies
down there, the NGOs, they said, it makes sense, it's
common sense to extend it until the end of the
(01:22):
school holidays.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So it's a.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Pupil free day on the Monday, so the curf you will
be extended until six am on Tuesday morning. So yeah,
absolutely a common sense approach around really making sure that
the young people aren't in the CBD, that they're home
with families.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
I think it was the right thing to do, and
I know that there's some groups that have come out
and sort of questioned the lawfulness of it, but I
think sometimes you've got to make those tough decisions and
it's the community's expectation exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So you know, I'm really happy if there are people
who want to take us to court over that.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Of course we followed.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
We got advice, we got legal advice from the solicit
for the Northern Territory Attorney Generals, We've got legal advice
before we made the decision, but it was the right
decision to make, Katie. I think everybody truly on the
ground in Alice Springs. There may be a few that aren't,
but the vast majority of people in Alice Springs are
grateful for that, the respite that it's provided that community.
(02:18):
It really has given the police some time and a
breather literally, So I'm happy. If there's people who want
to take us to court around it or whatever else, fine,
but you know, the vast majority of people want this.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
In terms of those stats that have come through or
some of the evidence that its coming through. What are
the police telling you, you know, have we seen a
reduction in crime in Alice Springs.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, so there literally has been, and they've said even
a reduction in domestic violence in Alice Springs. So it started.
I think the first night there was about fifty or
sixty kids on the street. Word got out very quickly
and that dropped down. It dropped down to about thirty.
I think the short the loss that got was about
twenty nine. Think it might have gone up on the
(03:01):
sad Day, but very much the word got out to
all the young people. What it's stopped. Is that the
excitement and the thrill of being in the CBD, you
vidding your video and yourself doing something really stupid, something illegal,
and then sharing it on TikTok or Facebook or social media.
So it's cut that out, but it's also provided parents
(03:23):
and so territory families when they have taken the young
people home, they've had family saying I need a hand,
and so territory families now have been able to step in.
They know, they've been able to identify the kids very clearly.
There's only a small number that have been like repeat
in repeat offenders in your CBD, so they've been able
to really identify those. So it's all like I guess, moving,
(03:46):
getting a clear picture of who and then put support
services in place for those kids and families so cheap.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Minister, what's the plan long term?
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Because I guess a lot of people are feeling so
positive about the way it is going now. Yep, there's
some naysayers, but it feels like from what I'm being told,
people are able to go out for dinner again. They're
feeling like they can be out on the street.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
What's the plan long term?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
So that's the conversations I've had with the Acting CEO
of Department, the Chief Minister and Cabinet as well as
Michael Murphy, the Commissioner, is how do we get the
same effect as a curfew without a curfew. Basically there
has been a group, a summit group that was brought
together on Monday. That was their task. There was lots
of conversations, but also myself, I've been down talking to
(04:30):
a whole range, so ranging from LUA Tippa and congresspur
in your shopping center to Tourism Central Australia to the Council,
a broad range of people to get their views and
their ideas. So it won't be just one thing, Katie.
It will be a number of things and we're pulling
that together literally now I'll be down in our Springs
on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon or Friday at some
(04:54):
stage I'll be making announcements around what next after the curfew.
Basically that informations being pulled together. But as I said,
it won't be just a thing, because there is not
just a thing. I mean, the curfew has received a
lot of attention, but it was also a large number
of extra police officers on the ground in Alice Springs.
(05:14):
So those are the conversations with the police commissioner around
what do we need to keep doing, to keep making
to make sure that Alice Springs continues to get that respite.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So we'll have a better plan on Friday. And look,
you know, with those additional police officers. A good segue
I think into the long awaited police review. It was
released yesterday. It's been in the making for the last
seven months. It was conducted by former police officer and
former head of the union, Vince Kelly. It makes eighteen
recommendations and shows what most of us, I think have
realized for quite some time.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
We do need more police.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Fifteen of the eighteen recommendations out of that review have
been accepted by your government. Why didn't you accept the
recommendations to reduce the palis or discontinue that private security.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So Katie and I must acknowledge Vince Kelly and his
team who have done a truly magnificent job. They consulted widely.
I think it was about six hundred and something Territorians
had to say, five hundred of those in the police force.
So it does reflect the voice of police. I can
hear that when I read the report, and I encourage
people to have a read online because often we talk
(06:18):
about the recommendations that haven't been accepted, but there are
some really solid recommendations there that have so. First of all,
in relation to Pally's I've heard loudly and clearly in
relation to Alice Springs and Catherine the value of having
a sworn police officer or a sworn officer on their
lick our outlets so that one will continue. Hey, the
(06:40):
perfect day will be when we don't need them in
ALUs Springs or in Catherine or Tenant Creek, but they
need to continue now. So that was a recommendation, and
I can understand where Vince and the police are coming
from around that. It is a large amount of money
that goes into that, into that whole structure, but it
is one that we need to keep there at the moment.
The other one was around private security services. I know
(07:02):
my electorate's Parmesan, I live in the Parmesan CBD. I
know the value of having those security officers. Again, eventually,
when we get those additional two hundred sworn police officers,
the seventy one admin and non sworn off non sworn
staff as well, we might get to the day where
we don't need security. But as you say, the security
(07:23):
of their their presence is enough to as a deterrent,
and whether that's walking through car parks, whether it's in
shopping centers. I think we're seeing that worldwide. I mean,
if anybody who travels overseas see security guards in places,
and we want the police to be doing the big jobs.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
And so I didn't accept that one.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Do you think we'll ever reach a point where we
have got enough police that we don't need those palis
or don't need the private security again.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
The Pali one, I think we possibly could, but again
definitely around the security, I think you need that. I
mean I made the announcement on I think I think
it was Chooda can't right. I'm losing tracking day yesterday
around the transit safety officers and the security guards, and
so that was an additional eight million dollars for them
to continue. So you don't really want a police officer
(08:10):
to be walking through the bus interchange.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Yes, you do want them, but it's day.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
In, day out, constant work to keep an eye on
someone just being like a bit of a dickhead really
and doing something stupid but may not be a violent crime.
I'm talking about someone who's just been prestling someone for
money or being a pest.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Just a really quick one on that, because we did
speak to a mum whose son was unfortunately set upon
by quite a large group out at the Palmerston bus
exchange a couple of weeks ago, and she had said,
maybe we do need sort of increased presents on those
bus stops, I know, or at those bus exchanges. I
know the police can't be everywhere. I know that there
are security around there, but around those hours of when
(08:50):
school is being you know, like school kids are being
dropped off, is it something that could be looked at.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, so I think the police do their patrols.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
They do actually drive around the back there of we're
between Kazales and the bus interchange. Yeah, my children went
to the bus interchange all their schooling lives. I know that,
you know how volatile that space can be, but it
is having constantly having security guards, transit safety officers and.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Then police coming through.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So yeah, just recommend that just reinforces the reason why
we needed we couldn't accept recommendation twelve of the review.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Let's move along.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
I know the public has been screaming out about the
lack of police and delays to response times for quite
some time, Chief Minister. Why has it taken this review
for the government to listen to some of those concerns.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So, I mean, I think this is what was needed
and you know, a great decision to have the review.
This is an organizational review as well. It's not a
policy review. It focuses on the organization. But it was
around not and government has continued to provide additional police.
I think there's about an additional two hundred and fifty
that we've put in during our term. But it needed
(09:55):
a comprehensive look rather than an ad hoc a few
more here, a few.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
More there more. It really needed.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
This comprehensive approach, bring someone independent in like Vince who's
respected by the police force, respected by the public as well,
to have a comprehensive look at what needs to be done.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So it was around.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's an additional seventy one non sworn officers that are recruited,
so we know we need more forensic scientists for example,
as well. We need the technical and crime is the
face of crime is also changing, where you need those
technical covert operations that can do work, and so some
of it isn't just around police, but that will make
the support staff and the support staff, but they'll make
(10:36):
the police jobs easier. So the JESK was around an
extra twenty five call takers and CCTV operators. There'll probably
be some additional police officers that sworn police officers that
will also go out of that two hundred go into.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
The jes as well.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So the reports found four hundred and seventy two sworn
officers have left the force over the past three years.
It's a massive number. You last weeke anounced this edition
two hundred more police over the next four years. That
is on top of attrition. Is that going to be
enough to cope with the level of crime that we're experiencing.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
So that is vitally important. That was the number.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So Michael Murphy as soon as he came in as commissioner,
he's been working on those figures and when you read
the report, there's a bit of a scientific equation to
it how long it takes to respond to a call
and how many they need. So, yeah, two hundred is
the number that obviously, between Michael Murphy and Vince Kelly,
we needed that work to put it into our budget.
(11:34):
So we've got our budget coming down in May, so
that work was done and that's why I made those
announcements prior to the report coming out, because they were
budget announcements. But Katie, two of the really important recommendations,
and I encourage people them to read a recommendation eighteen
and seventeen eighteen is all about the well being. There's
a whole chapter in here around the well being of
(11:54):
our police force and it is you know, they've got
the strategy, but it talks about a culture triviagionys stigma
of mental health, looking at the physical and psychological risk,
cultural responsiveness, work health, life balance. And a really important
one is around fatigue management. So if you're burnt out,
of course you're going to have to take sick leave
(12:15):
or take leave, and so two hundred extra officers is
part of that equation. Then you've got more police on
the beach, more vans on the road. You can then
manage fatigue and that's one of the critical ones. We
all know if you're exhausted, you can't do your job well.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
We know.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Even in the report, Vince's pointed to a few different
incidents over the last ten years which have contributed to
the morale within the force really falling to all time low.
So I think all you've got to do is go
back to some of those Police Association surveys that they've
done as well to know just how low morale has
(12:51):
been over recent years.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
I mean, has the government.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Let the force down over those years by not providing
that support not really getting stuck into this work sooner?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Okay, it's a really tricky one. You know, as a government,
you rely on the leadership and you have the police commissioners,
you know, and we've had a number of police commissioners
over the term of our government. But there has been
some really tough, critical incidences that the police force has faced,
and the report talks about that. In twenty fifteen, the
dismissal of the Commissioner of Police, John McRoberts, you know,
(13:26):
unheralded to have a police commissioner that actually serves some
jail time. We've then had Kumin Jai Walker. We know
the impact of that on the police force. We've also
had COVID and there were sadly suicides of police officers
and so it has actually been a really, really tough
time for police. We understand that. I understand that. I
(13:48):
think we've got a police commissioner that's very compassionate, very understanding.
He's i think, been a police officer and worked his
way through for about twenty odd years and the police force,
so we actually really truly understand police force. Brent Potter, iye,
I believe is doing a really good job. He also
gets the police and understands and is on the side
of police and backing police. So I think the report,
(14:11):
which it's five hundred and seventy million dollars over five years,
I'm going to be as you say, talking about the infrastructure,
that one also has some good money around police housing.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
So again, if you have some you know, some.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Quality housing in your remote communities, improved police stations in
your remote communities, so people want to be out there.
You've got a nice new police station, you've got a
really comfortable house for your family. We need to have
police who want to go to a remote communities and
build a relationship with the community. So to me, the report,
I know we've often concentrated on the res that haven't
(14:47):
been accepted. The other one that's really important is Recommendation
seventeen and that's talking about the people management, and it
talks about how we can manage poor performance in the
police force very much, turning it around from being punitive
to educational and getting in early. So you know, somebody
does stuff up and does something small or you know,
(15:08):
not outlandish in the police force, how do you actually
correct that but change? And I'm firmly believe that we
need to keep our police in the police force. What
can we do around, you know, improve professional development, to
develop our police force so if there are issues, you
catch them early and you develop your force rather than
being punitive. So that Recommendatation seventeen is a really important
(15:30):
one for Chane.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
So you said at that press conference yesterday that some
things were hard to read in that report.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
What was hard to read?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
Oh, there's probably a lot, Katie, that was hard to read.
You know, I can understand the organization a government organization.
So first and foremost it was that whole the police
are very good at doing their police work. And the
first recommendation is about putting in a high level public servant,
not a sworn officer, to really look at the organization.
(15:59):
And of those were really tough around things like fatigue
management and having a better handle on that. But it
was around strategic workforce, the well being, fatigue management, so
that that really critical first recommendation was tough around what
we need to do and put in a high level
position that won't be paid for by the police budget.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
It will be paid for by government.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
The other one, Katie, there's a lovely but sad, a
lovely case study that's in the report about a young
female police officer at gun Bolunya. So she's only a
case study in the report, so she's only been out,
she hadn't been out long I think four months, and
she's literally holding the whole, holding the fort literally at
at gun Bolunya and loves her job. So it's fabulous
(16:43):
to hear how much she loves the work that she's doing,
loves working with the community, but is exhausted and at
times she was the only person there. And so my
heart goes out to someone young like that that comes
to the or is a Territorian who really wants to
do the right thing. But an extra two hundred police
officers will help that. So yeah, I like stories, Katie.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
It makes things real.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
So that there's two case studies in this report which
are lovely as well.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Now, a couple of the areas we know that you
know that listeners that Territorians are talking about very regularly.
One of those is calls to those two emergency services.
What we know from this report is they've doubled since
twenty sixteen. So the response times as well have almost
doubled in Priority one calls in the last five years.
(17:32):
So priority one jobs we know of the highest severity,
which have ten minute response time targets. They took police
an average of forty nine minutes to respond to in
Darwin and Casarina in twenty twenty two twenty three. How
are you going to get that time back to the
ten minute target?
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, Katie, I mean that was probably another one that
was one of the tough parts to read. So it's
really just blown i mean blown out over the last
few years. So if you look at the data, and
the report actually has some really strong data in it.
So up until two years ago, things were so in
our budget papers, we have targets. Police have targets to
make to have ninety percent of the calls done within
(18:12):
those timeframes, so triple zero within ten minutes, and they
have tight targets. Literally the last few years, though those
targets are blown out. Prior to that, Prior to that,
actually crime and when you look at the data, crime
was actually declining, so.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
It's fourteen years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
During that ten year period we've seen actually we saw
the actual trajectory of crime was in a reasonable position
for quite a few years. But then in the last
few years and since COVID and we've seen that Australia wide.
So it's it is a major issue for police, it's
a major issue for government how to get on top
of that. And that's you know, that's why Vince Kelly
was fabulous, had a good look at that and said,
(18:52):
we need more We need more operators, So we need
more operators who are taking the calls to respond quickly
to the calls that are coming in a triple zero call.
But then we need more officers. So it's about literally
having more vans on the road. So the Commissioner over
probably the coming months or even because we have to
have an implementation planning by June, end of June, he'll
(19:12):
be able to tell us very clearly where those vans
will be. So we'll and I'm making this up, but
will it be four more vans in Palmerston, or three
more vans in Palmerston formal vans each shift in Darwin,
so that you can respond to those. So that's the whole.
That's the holistic approach of the report. The importance of
having that report. It isn't just saying more police and
not having more call takers. You have to have all
(19:35):
those parts together. But we also have I think it's
about one hundred and sixty police officers who are on
sick leave. How do we get that them back? That's
I'm the treasure.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
It's important to me.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
They're already getting paid.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
If we could get those extra one hundred and sixty
back into the workforce as well as our two hundred,
we're in a really good position around police. So the
report needs to be read in whole. It wasn't a
addressing policy. That's the role of government and you know
that's what you do through elections. This is an organizational review.
The police commissioner has a busy job. It's going to
(20:08):
be even busier now.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Well, Chief Finister, we are going to have to wrap
up just very quickly before I let you go, What
really is your priority? You know this week upon receiving
that review to make sure that these recommendations get implemented
and they happen quickly.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Exactly, Katie.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
A report otherwise just sits on the shelf, and I've
seen plenty of reports over the years as a public
servant for a long time, and so that's why I've
been adamant around making sure we've got a and Vince
Kelly the same. There is an implementation There will be
an implementation team. There's also going to be a high
level and people who understand government and executive contract officer
(20:46):
for that will drive that work. We want an implementation
plan done by the end of June twenty twenty four,
and then there's twelve months Dune twenty twenty five to
have the recommendations underway and being implemented. There will be
also report backs to Cabinet around that, so we will
be making sure that every one of these recommendations that
we've accepted that gets implemented in full, Katie, and we've
(21:09):
put the dollars for that.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Evil Aula, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Appreciate your time this morning, Appreciate you speaking through extensively
with us that review.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Thanks Katie, thank you
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