It’s been another incredibly tough year and you have, again, gone above and beyond to uphold your oath to serve and protect. As always, we thank you for keeping Territorians safe.
What your members were subjected to on the weekend of the Darwin lockout can’t be described as anything less than disgusting. We condemn in the strongest terms those who made the appalling decision to attack police, and we continue to work with the NTPA to strengthen laws around assaults on police and emergency service workers – including mandatory sentencing.
I’d also like to highlight recent messaging from police that should be sending serious alarm bells to the Gunner Labor Government that its law and order policy – and in particular youth justice reform – isn’t working.
“The community expects police to be everything to everyone.” That’s what Superintendent Tony Deutrom told ABC radio Alice Springs on October 21. He’s absolutely right.
We’ve seen the slow creep of police duties extend to liquor licensing inspectors, COVID compliance and CHO direction enforcement, taxi drivers for youths when there’s no one else to take them home, or ferrying chronic alcoholics to sobering up shelters.
Superintendent Deutrom went on to say “Our prisons are full, our Youth Detention centres are full, our health system is clogged up with alcohol-related and harm issues, our public housing system is jammed up, there’s a great need for accommodation and police are responsible and have the purview to maintain law and order. But the reality is, you put all those factors together – police are only responsible for a small purview, but we are the ones who constantly turn up and account for the crime statistics.”
It’s a shame the Police Minister, Nicole Manison, isn’t listening to you. If she was, she would be putting pressure on her Labor colleagues – in particular the Minister for Territory Families, Kate Worden – to ensure other government agencies are picking up the slack.
Why are police one of the only agencies combating these issues 24/7?
On October 27, Acting Assistant Commissioner Craig Laidler told Katie Woolf’s 360 program on Mix104.9 that seven youths were arrested in relation to a 72 hour crime spree where police were called to 340 incidents. Some of these youths, aged 15, 16 and 17, have criminal histories of 198, 218, 240 offences. One of the youths was initially granted bail.
“We can’t arrest our way out of this,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Laidler said. We back you on this. Simply locking up kids isn’t the answer, but the CLP believes bringing back breach of bail as an offence for youths is a simple measure that could be implemented immediately to stop the revolving door of repeat offending.
Don Dale is full. But the Gunner Labor Government shouldn’t be patting itself on the back. This only further reinforces a systemic failure by Territory Families.
In Alice Springs in September, four 9-year-olds were arrested late at night for allegedly committing unlawful entries. Acting Assistant Commissioner Laidler told Katie Woolf that no missing person’s reports had been lodged when these kids were picked up by police. No one was concerned for their welfare.
How can four 9-year-olds be out late at night, allegedly committing offences, and no one is looking for them? This is a care and protection issue.
In the same interview, Acting Assistant Commissioner Martin Dole said 167 youths had been apprehended by Strike Force Trident in the three months prior.
We are listening when your members say you’re sick of doing all the heavy lifting. You need appropriate support from other government agencies, in particular Territory Families – as well as non-government organisations.
A CLP Government would return Youth Justice to Corrections so that Territory Families can focus on its core focus – the care and protection of children so they don’t end up in the youth justice system in the first place; Youth offenders who are placed in diversion will undertake mandatory community services. The community expectation is young people pay their debt to society – and community service offers a meaningful and effective option if incarceration is not required. The CLP would also establish a purpose-built ‘Sentenced to a Skill’ boot camp.
My team backs the NT Police Force and I wish your membership a happy and safe festive season. Thank you to all the members working over the Christmas and New Year period – I hope you all get to enjoy well-deserved time with family and friends, at some point!
ENDS