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Speaker 1: Last month, we know that police revealed on the show

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Speaker 1: that an operation had been launched to help with issues

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Speaker 1: that we've seen in the remote community of what Air.

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Speaker 1: Now Operation Tan aimed to tackle anti social, antisocial and

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Speaker 1: criminal behavior in Darwin from a small cohort that had

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Speaker 1: traveled here from what Air following unrest and displacement in

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Speaker 1: the community. Now joining me in the studio to tell

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Speaker 1: us a little bit more about some of that work

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Speaker 1: that has taken place is Superintendent Daniel Sheen. Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you. Daniel, Good morning Katie, thanks so much for

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Speaker 1: your time this morning. Now. What has been undertaken since

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Speaker 1: that operation began?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so, Operation Tan, as you said, was established due

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Speaker 2: to the displacement of a number of people from what

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Speaker 2: Air community across Toodwin after the civil unrest in a community.

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Speaker 2: Unfortunately that created some vulnerability with people that were sleeping

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Speaker 2: rough and also some over creating of public houses. We

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Speaker 2: saw an increase in anti social behavior by a small

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Speaker 2: cohort of people that were from Whateir and so we

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Speaker 2: saw to tackle that through Operation TAR. A number of

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Speaker 2: action plans were instigated to deal with the issues across

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Speaker 2: Downe and some.

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Speaker 1: What Air as well, and so talk us through that

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Speaker 1: action plan and what it entailed from a police perspective

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Speaker 1: to try to get people back home and try to

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Speaker 1: make sure that things are a bit calmer I'm assuming

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Speaker 1: in what Air as well, so that they were able

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Speaker 1: to go back home. Sure.

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Speaker 2: So we had a number of subaction plans to an

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Speaker 2: operation order. Some of the things that we were doing

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Speaker 2: still are doing in the action plan is we've got

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Speaker 2: a declared drug area on the road to Port Ketch Road.

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Speaker 1: What that does is the.

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Speaker 2: Officers are there twenty four hours a day, seven days

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Speaker 2: a week for the duration of the operation. They've been

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Speaker 2: searching every vehicle that has passed through there on the

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Speaker 2: way to what Air, mainly looking for drugs and alcohol

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Speaker 2: going out to the community. And at this stage they've

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Speaker 2: seized some four hundred and sixty grams of cannabis going

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Speaker 2: out to what Air and about fifty five leaders of

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Speaker 2: our cohol going out to what Air as well. Wow,

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Speaker 2: so those our cool and other drugs make a significant

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Speaker 2: difference to community safety. We've also had police officers at

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Speaker 2: the airport conducting searches of passengers going out to what Air,

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Speaker 2: freight and mail going out there as well. So part

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Speaker 2: of that was looking at reducing issues in what Are

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Speaker 2: a lot of people we spoke to said that they

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Speaker 2: come across too dull on because they didn't feel safe

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Speaker 2: being there, and so we sought to reduce those issues

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Speaker 2: in whatever to make the community safer. Yeah right, and

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Speaker 2: that has had a significant effect on safety in what

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Speaker 2: Air at the moment. So last week we sought to

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Speaker 2: do a return to country and send as many people

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Speaker 2: that wanted to go home back to what Air knowing

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Speaker 2: that Territory Housing have done a good job at to

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Speaker 2: making repairs two houses at what Air so that people

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Speaker 2: can go back to their houses and there's still a

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Speaker 2: large body work that's been done there. But primarily it

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Speaker 2: was looking at reducing vulnerability of people that are sleeping

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Speaker 2: rough around the Darwen area.

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Speaker 1: And so how many people have now been returned home?

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Speaker 2: So we were able to get thirty home last Thursday

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Speaker 2: and there is more schedule to go home.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so it's quite I mean thirty doesn't sound like

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Speaker 1: a huge number, but it is quite a large number

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Speaker 1: when you talk about them then sleeping rough in Darwin

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Speaker 1: and unfortunately in some instances engaged in criminal and anti

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Speaker 1: social behavior, it does have a big impact, doesn't it

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Speaker 1: It does yep.

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Speaker 2: And there were also a number of infants in that

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Speaker 2: group as well, So it's good to get the children

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Speaker 2: back home, back to their community and off the streets

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Speaker 2: around Darwen and Daniel.

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Speaker 1: We had seen throughout that time as well, or we'd

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Speaker 1: heard certainly anecdotally through the show that there were vehicles

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Speaker 1: being stolen and driven out toward air. Was there a

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Speaker 1: large number of vehicles that were being stolen. We did

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Speaker 1: have that.

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Speaker 2: Crime series, yes, where Toyatos were targeted, the primary vehicle

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Speaker 2: that we're being targeted, and they were driven out to

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Speaker 2: whatever by a group of people who have all been arrested.

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Speaker 2: And we had the incident out at whatever where they

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Speaker 2: broke into the police compound and drove one of the

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Speaker 2: vehicles through the fencing to escape.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it was incredible for all the wrong reasons. Hey,

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Speaker 1: So frustrating and so frustrating them for the police as

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Speaker 1: well in terms of trying to keep that compound all

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Speaker 1: locked up and the cars safe. Exactly right, Yeah, Hey,

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Speaker 1: talk us through with that alcohol. So fifty leaders of alcohol,

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Speaker 1: see's on that road going into whatever. That must have

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Speaker 1: a big impact in terms of not actually them being

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Speaker 1: consumed in the community.

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Speaker 2: Correct, So with the fifty five leaders of alcohol that

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Speaker 2: Spain see so far, unfortunately, we see our cohol abuse

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Speaker 2: result in domestic and family violence, and to be able

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Speaker 2: to take that alcohol away reduces the likelihood of family violence.

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Speaker 2: So that's a that's really good results for the women

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Speaker 2: and children that would be subjected to that domestic violence

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Speaker 2: had the alcohol got into the community and people become

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Speaker 2: aebriated on the alcohol.

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Speaker 1: So is what are they now since the end of

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Speaker 1: that Stronger Futures legislation? Are they still a dry community?

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Speaker 2: Yes?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so obviously it would have had a big impact.

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Speaker 1: What are like, what are the women out in the

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Speaker 1: community saying to police at the moment or what were

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Speaker 1: they saying, you know when they were worried about that alcohol?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it look interesting question. I was out there, not

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Speaker 2: last week, the week before. While I was out there,

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Speaker 2: it was pleasing to see that. I was engaging with

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Speaker 2: some community members who made observation of cars of ladies

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Speaker 2: attending the shop, and one of the comments was, we

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Speaker 2: haven't seen those people out in public for quite some time,

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Speaker 2: So that in itself is a really positive for improving

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Speaker 2: community safety. The other thing, when I was out there.

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Speaker 2: They had football scratch match which drew a crowd of

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Speaker 2: people to watch, and that in itself is excellent because

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Speaker 2: there was no fighting, a good game of footy by

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Speaker 2: both sides. So those things that improve community safety and

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Speaker 2: sports is an excellent thing for the what Air community.

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Speaker 1: Daniel, it does sound like there's been that sort of

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Speaker 1: increased presence as well of police in the community. Is

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Speaker 1: that going to need sort to keep up? I know

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Speaker 1: that the operation can't go on forever, but what work

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Speaker 1: will happen to try to keep that community at rest

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Speaker 1: and try to keep people out there.

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Speaker 2: So now is a really good time for the community

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Speaker 2: to embrace community safety committee meetings and to drive the

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Speaker 2: community safety action plans where the community themselves come out

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Speaker 2: with ideas and solutions to maintain community safety. And now

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Speaker 2: is an excellent time for them to embrace that and

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Speaker 2: then move forward trying to maintain the calmness that's there

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Speaker 2: at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Right, no doubt there will be continue work I'm assuming

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Speaker 1: with other agencies.

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Speaker 2: And that kind of thing, And you're exactly right, and

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Speaker 2: the police work with other agencies in community to enhance

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Speaker 2: community safety.

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Speaker 1: Well. Daniel Sheen, superintendent with the Northern Territory Police. I

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Speaker 1: appreciate you coming in and having a chat to us

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Speaker 1: about this. I know, you know, I guess some people

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Speaker 1: might be thinking to themselves, oh, look, what is a

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Speaker 1: remote community that's a little way away from Darwin. But

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Speaker 1: the fact is that unrest that's been happening in what

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Speaker 1: air has had such a big impact right across the board,

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Speaker 1: not only for the people that live there, but then

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Speaker 1: you know, seeing that unrest spill into dar And at

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Speaker 1: different times throughout this year, it's been it's been quite frightening,

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Speaker 1: I suppose for people to see. Correct. Yeah, we appreciate

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Speaker 1: you coming in and having a chat with us. No

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Speaker 1: doubt we'll talk to you again very soon. Thank you,

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Speaker 1: Thank you,