More than 800 Katherine residents had their voice on crime heard in Parliament today, with Shadow Minister for Education Jo Hersey tabling a petition from locals.
The petition called on the Northern Territory Government to “restore some measure of law and order” to Katherine.
Mrs Hersey said Katherine experienced a Crime Crisis spiralling out of control and the petition urged the Labor government to bring back consequences for youth offending.
“It shouldn’t have to come to this, but when the Labor government has no idea how to fix crime, Katherine people come up with their own ideas,” she said.
“The petition was circulated at a crime rally in Katherine on Saturday, which was held in conjunction with the crime rally in Darwin, which was attended by about 4000 protesters.
“Territorians are saying ‘enough is enough’ not just in Alice Springs and Darwin but in Katherine as well.
“Katherine locals are passionate about their town and it breaks their heart to see such disregard for the law from criminals and such indifference from the Labor government.”
The petition identified a number of practical measure that could be employed by the government to address Labor’s Crime Crisis, including:
- Giving police power to tip out alcohol consumed in a public place;
- A whole-of-government audit of NGOs in Katherine to determine needs-based youth support and outcomes; and
- Excluding BDR banned drinkers from all licensed venues.
Mrs Hersey said residents had run out of patience with the Labor government’s inaction on crime and were concerned about the inter-generation culture of crime becoming entrenched in the community.
“When you see young offenders becoming more brazen and more destructive, it makes us all fear for where the Crime Crisis will take us,” she said.
The Katherine petition also outlined measure petitioners want considered to address youth crime, including:
- A curfew for children under the age of criminal responsibility;
- Shops required to refuse service to children during school hours, unless the children are accompanied by a responsible adult; and
- Non-attendance of children at school be dealt with immediately by engagement officers appointed by the schools.
ENDS