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Speaker 1: Our northern territory.

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Speaker 2: Police are reportedly considering a curfew once again in Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: The consideration comes after a violent assault on four off

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Speaker 2: duty police officers. Yesterday morning. At about two point fifteen

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Speaker 2: in the morning, four off duty officers, three female and

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Speaker 2: one male, were walking along the Todd River Walkway near

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Speaker 2: stott Terrace Bridge on their way to a hotel on

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Speaker 2: Barrett Drive. Now. The four were approached from behind by

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Speaker 2: a group of about twenty male youths who proceeded to

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Speaker 2: assault them. One female was reportedly pulled to the ground

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Speaker 2: and had her bag stolen. Another female was punched in

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Speaker 2: the face and kicked multiple times and had her mobile

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Speaker 2: phone taken, while the male was also punched and kicked

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Speaker 2: a number of times.

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Speaker 1: The group of twenty males then.

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Speaker 2: Left the area, with the four victims returning to their

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Speaker 2: accommodation where they call police. Two female victims later taken

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Speaker 2: to Alice Springs Hospital for treatment of wounds. Now joining

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Speaker 2: me in the studio is the Minister for Police, Brent Potter.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to your minister.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Catie.

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Speaker 2: This is absolutely appalling. I don't think there's any other

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Speaker 2: way to put it. Have you spoken to those officers.

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Speaker 2: Are they okay, No.

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Speaker 3: Not as yet.

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Speaker 4: The police Police commissions in Alice Springs, he has spoken

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Speaker 4: to those members. But you know, it was disgusting, cowardly

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Speaker 4: and put simply, he was just criminal what those youth did.

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Speaker 2: It's a thugs act, it's gang behavior, and it is

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Speaker 2: just cowardly waiting in the dark at sort of two

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Speaker 2: am to pray on people as they walk home.

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Speaker 3: I just can't put it any more.

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Speaker 4: Clue than that they're just cowards and their criminals, and

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Speaker 4: they're going to go to the courts.

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Speaker 2: Minister, do you know if they were targeted because they

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Speaker 2: were police officers?

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Speaker 3: No, we don't believe.

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Speaker 4: So that's the advice I've got from the commissioner was

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Speaker 4: that they were just for any instance in this they

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Speaker 4: were Alice Springs residents walking home after a night in town.

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Speaker 4: It just so happens they've targeted without realizing.

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Speaker 3: For Judy police officers look to.

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Speaker 2: Me, it really goes to the heart of what a

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Speaker 2: lot of territory ends are feeling at the moment right

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Speaker 2: like none of us feel like we're safe to walk

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Speaker 2: home at night, and then to have four police officers

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Speaker 2: seat upon by a group of twenty people like I

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Speaker 2: actually can't wrap my head around it.

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Speaker 1: But then I think to myself, well, what hope do

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Speaker 1: the rest of us have? What hope does.

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Speaker 2: Somebody have trying to walk home late at night? What

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Speaker 2: hope does a kid have trying to walk home?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, listen, it's concerning. It's especially concerning. It was four

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Speaker 4: officers that still, even though they didn't know they were

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Speaker 4: four off judy offices, that it's occurred to them. I mean,

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Speaker 4: we had a really good show, show circuit down allis

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Speaker 4: like it'd have been a really good period of time

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Speaker 4: everyone to behave themselves. There was, you know, everyone's enjoying it,

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Speaker 4: and then the show was ended. In the last sort

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Speaker 4: of seventy two to ninety six hours, we've seen people

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Speaker 4: that had come into Alice Springs for the show have

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Speaker 4: stayed too long now and they're going about criminal behavior.

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Speaker 1: So are they visitors?

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Speaker 4: What we're being told initially is looking like they're visitors. Yes,

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Speaker 4: not just that instant, but the other three or so

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Speaker 4: instance of period.

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Speaker 2: Look, I'll get to those in just a sick But

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Speaker 2: were any of those officers our new recruits?

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Speaker 3: One of them was?

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Speaker 4: I believed originally I've got titles too, but that's been changed.

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Speaker 4: Officer had just been posted down there from the twenty

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Speaker 4: ninth graduation on the twenty ninth of June. I mean,

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Speaker 4: it's a horrible way to start, not even your first shift,

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Speaker 4: to go out with a bunch of other coppers that

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Speaker 4: you're going to work with, analysis make that camarade, that bond,

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Speaker 4: and then to walk home and be assaulted by a

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Speaker 4: bunch of cowards.

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Speaker 2: It is absolutely appalling, like to put it really mildly.

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Speaker 2: Do you know in terms of those officers now, particularly

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Speaker 2: that new recruit, are they going to be staying in Alice.

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Speaker 4: They will remain in Alice. There'll probably be a couple

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Speaker 4: of days or a period of time off. I suspect

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Speaker 4: i'n't had a chance to speak to them, and it's

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Speaker 4: obviously happened yesterday the day and then the commission's down

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Speaker 4: there talking to them, and we'll get to that. Obviously,

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Speaker 4: if they don't want me to reach out, I won't,

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Speaker 4: but normally I'll put the offer out there to go

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Speaker 4: and give them a call. So we'll see how that plays.

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Speaker 4: But I suspect that they'll have a little bit of

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Speaker 4: time off.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, it's Unfortunately not the only incident. A police

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Speaker 2: officer was also run over at a bottle shop as well,

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Speaker 2: as I understand it towards the end of last week.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, what happened there.

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Speaker 4: That officers identified an intoxicated mail entering or in the car.

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Speaker 4: He's going to take the keys out from the vehicle,

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Speaker 4: move the individual from the vehicle, and that person's driven

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Speaker 4: off and run over the police officer. Very very very

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Speaker 4: lucky that there wasn't a worse outcome and we had

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Speaker 4: a further injury or even worse injuries to that officer.

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Speaker 4: I believe he's just come out of surgery. He'll have

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Speaker 4: a period of time off. The Commissioner has spoken to him.

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Speaker 4: But also for the driver, could have ended horribly and

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Speaker 4: all because that individual is intoxicated, not thinking it's not

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Speaker 4: an excuse.

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Speaker 3: He will go to court and he'll be put before

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Speaker 3: the judiciary.

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Speaker 1: What injuries has that police officers sustained.

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Speaker 4: What I'm told is some injuries to the hand and feet,

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Speaker 4: but the specifics of that are for the member and

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Speaker 4: I'm not going to make them public. But he's had

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Speaker 4: to undergo surgery, so quite significant. But we need to

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Speaker 4: support the member.

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Speaker 2: I mean that happened at three point fifteen on Friday afternoon.

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Speaker 3: Shows you we have a problem.

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Speaker 4: There is a particular group of people in the community

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Speaker 4: of a problem with alcohol and substance abuse and driving

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Speaker 4: around drunk, going to licensed venues to try and access

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Speaker 4: more alcohol, and then when being stopped by a uniform

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Speaker 4: police officer thinking it's okay to continue about your merry way,

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Speaker 4: Well we're going to He'll be going before the court,

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Speaker 4: and I hope the court puts an absolutely sends the

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Speaker 4: most strong message they can to the maximum that they can.

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Speaker 2: And look again, I'll get to that in a second,

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Speaker 2: but before I get there, I understand that there was

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Speaker 2: a stabbing as well.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so yesterday and these are all the events as

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Speaker 4: to why the Commission is considering that curfew and looking

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Speaker 4: at his options there, and it's legislation that the Law

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Speaker 4: of Government gave him in the last sittings of the term,

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Speaker 4: so you know, at his discretion. But one of the

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Speaker 4: events that occurred yesterday was two i'm told, two female

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Speaker 4: women fighting in vicinity of the Natock event and one

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Speaker 4: of them stabbed the other one. Now, thankfully that individual's

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Speaker 4: gone to hospital. I believe stable condition, and the other

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Speaker 4: lady was arrested and she's currently spending some time in

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Speaker 4: the Ars Springs watch House before she goes to the courts.

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Speaker 2: So where is the consideration at right now for another curfew.

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Speaker 3: Well, that's with the Commissioner.

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Speaker 4: I mean he's made indications to me that he's seriously

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Speaker 4: considering it, looking at his options, you know, getting everything aligned.

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Speaker 4: So if he does decide to make it, he has

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Speaker 4: the capacity to do so with the laws that we

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Speaker 4: passed for him. It is, as I said previously, the

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Speaker 4: direction and discussion that he'll have in me, but ultimate

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Speaker 4: at the end of the day, he will have to

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Speaker 4: make that decision. So he keeps everyone abreast of what

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Speaker 4: he's thinking, but that solely rests with him through the legislation.

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Speaker 1: What do you think, like if it was up to you,

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Speaker 1: would you be calling a curfew?

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Speaker 4: Oh listen, I don't want to influence him in the

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Speaker 4: way that we do this. I am absolutely concerned. I

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Speaker 4: did call him when I heard about the four officers

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Speaker 4: and I said, this is sort of this is this

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Speaker 4: is gang behavior and we have to send a very

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Speaker 4: clear message. So how he handles that is completely up

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Speaker 4: to him. I mean, we have additional resources now and hours.

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Speaker 4: You saw those thirty three that have posted into there,

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Speaker 4: and obviously one of those was the one assaulted. So

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Speaker 4: if he does do that, he has more than enough

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Speaker 4: resources in Alice Springs to an actor curfew.

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Speaker 3: And I'll know more way of this after decided this.

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Speaker 2: Morning, Minister, can you understand how people across the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory right now are feeling pretty disheartened? To put it mildly,

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Speaker 2: I mean, four officers being bashed by a group of

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Speaker 2: kids is absolutely horrifying. A stabbing incident near the Natoork

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Speaker 2: week events is unbelievable. And then a police officer being

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Speaker 2: you know, run over in broad daylight.

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to wrap my head around it.

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Speaker 2: And then in addition to that, we also know over

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Speaker 2: the weekend these police officers being spat on towards the

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Speaker 2: end of last week as well at a number of

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Speaker 2: different locations across the top end. I mean, this behavior

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Speaker 2: is appalling and can you see how people have lost

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Speaker 2: a bit of hope.

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Speaker 3: I can understand why people have had a gutful soul eye.

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Speaker 4: I mean people seem to think that we don't know

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Speaker 4: or understand what's going on. It's like, well, no, we

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Speaker 4: live here as well. I live here, I speak to

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Speaker 4: the police officer. I've had the every sentiment.

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Speaker 2: Right there hit around is how maybe the laws aren't

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Speaker 2: changing to be harsher, you know, like even when you

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Speaker 2: look at assaults on our police officers. Is the law

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Speaker 2: of government right now considering increasing the minimum mandatory sentencing

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Speaker 2: for those who assault police officers.

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Speaker 4: No, we increase the maximum penalty for that. During COVID

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Speaker 4: we actually increase the penalty.

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Speaker 1: So the maximum.

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Speaker 2: But I guess what I'm asking is the minimum is

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Speaker 2: that something that's been considered.

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Speaker 4: Well, let's put in context. For a person who's first

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Speaker 4: offense and spits on someone, there is still a chance

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Speaker 4: they'll go to prison. But if you make it a

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Speaker 4: minimum mandatory for what could be, you know, exceptional circumstances

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Speaker 4: around the periphery of that assault, even though no assault

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Speaker 4: should have happen, it means everyone's going to prison. We

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Speaker 4: have a capacity issue at the prisons at the moment.

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Speaker 4: I want the offenders that should be in prison, the

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Speaker 4: serious offenders in prison, those that spit on officers, I

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Speaker 4: want them before the court. There was a whole magnitude

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Speaker 4: of options available to the judiciary, but those are the

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Speaker 4: serial offenders. I can tell you they are going into

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Speaker 4: prison time. I'll speaking to one officer recently who'd been

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Speaker 4: assaulted in Catherine and that person was known, was flagged

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Speaker 4: as a potential person that woul assault police, had served

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Speaker 4: prison time for assault police and then went and did

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Speaker 4: it again to that same officer. And this is what

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Speaker 4: the point I tried to get across the territories, like

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Speaker 4: we can have the strongest we could have the strongest

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Speaker 4: laws in the world, but people don't think they're going

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Speaker 4: to get caught.

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Speaker 3: They don't care.

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Speaker 4: But what we need to do is once they do

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Speaker 4: do that act, they're put before the judiciary and their

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Speaker 4: liberties are taken from them.

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Speaker 2: That point that you made there that they don't care, Like,

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Speaker 2: how are we in a situation where people don't care?

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Speaker 4: Well, I think it's We could talk for hours about

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Speaker 4: all of the policy positions that have got us to

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Speaker 4: this point within the Northern Territory around some of the

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Speaker 4: most disadvantaged people that we have, and that's why we're

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Speaker 4: putting money into health, education, employment, because we know when

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Speaker 4: we get people working that there's a sense of purpose

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Speaker 4: and they have self respect for themselves and they're out

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Speaker 4: there going to work. The problem we have at the

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Speaker 4: moment is that we have so much social disadvantage across

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Speaker 4: the Northern Territory. But regardless, at the end of the day,

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Speaker 4: when someone commits the offense, there is absolutely laws in

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Speaker 4: place to put them before the judiciary and hold them

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Speaker 4: on remand alternatives to custody, a whole bunch of options.

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Speaker 2: And look, to me, I'm not a police officer, so

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Speaker 2: I don't know either way whether you know that mandatory

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Speaker 2: minimum sentencing should be changing or not. But what I

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Speaker 2: do know is I have been contacted by police officers

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Speaker 2: since yesterday who've said to me, Wolfe, I actually think

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Speaker 2: that that minimum mandatory sentencing does need to change. So

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Speaker 2: I guess my question this morning is what do you

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Speaker 2: say to those officers this morning who are listening, who

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Speaker 2: are thinking I can be spat on, I can be hit,

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Speaker 2: I can be run over doing my job, and the

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Speaker 2: government's not even going to consider strengthening those laws.

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Speaker 4: What I would say is the issue of the also

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Speaker 4: being run over is different to say, the officer being

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Speaker 4: spat on, So there are differences in that space, and listen,

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Speaker 4: being a police officer is inherently dangerous it has to be.

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Speaker 4: It is the most dangerous profession. I think we're having

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Speaker 4: the Northern Territory right now for any public servant, and

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Speaker 4: I thank them for it, but we need to have

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Speaker 4: a tiered approach to dealing with crime. They know that

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Speaker 4: there are different penalties for different offenses. What I can

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Speaker 4: tell every police officers listening, if it goes before the

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Speaker 4: court and the judiciary don't meet their end of the bargain,

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Speaker 4: there is absolutely appeals process and I've been very clear

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Speaker 4: with the Commissioner on a bunch of issues, not just

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Speaker 4: as sold police, but around youth and solar motive vehicles

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Speaker 4: that the expectation is absolutely taken to the Supreme Court

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Speaker 4: because if the Youth Court and the local court are

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Speaker 4: not going to uphold their end of the bargain, which

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Speaker 4: is protecting our frontline officers and the community and they're

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Speaker 4: going to weigh it for the offender first, then we'll

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Speaker 4: contest it with the Supreme Court.

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Speaker 2: Again, though I'll ask, can you see how people listening

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Speaker 2: will be thinking, Okay, you're prepared to sort of you're

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Speaker 2: prepared to do that and put it back on the judiciary,

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Speaker 2: but you're not prepared to look at strengthening other laws.

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Speaker 1: And look, I'm not an expert when it comes to

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Speaker 1: those laws.

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Speaker 4: Now, but I think if you compare them against other jurisdictions,

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Speaker 4: we are right where we need to be. We don't

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Speaker 4: have we're not Our laws are in line with other jurisdictions.

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Speaker 4: So to say that the laws need to be strengthened,

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Speaker 4: it is not true.

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Speaker 3: Like we've done.

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Speaker 4: Strengthening around spitting on frontline workers, which we did during COVID,

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Speaker 4: and we increase the penalties on that. We've got up

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Speaker 4: to sixteen years for the assault workers that are out

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Speaker 4: there right now, those youth that and potentially the gentleman

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Speaker 4: that's driven the car over the police officer. There is

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Speaker 4: significant penalties. At the end of the day, the judiciary

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Speaker 4: is separate to government. We can't tell the judge what

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Speaker 4: to do. We give them a scope and they operate

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Speaker 4: within the scope. When they don't do that, then it's

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Speaker 4: incumbent on the DPPs, the Director of Public Prosecutions and

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Speaker 4: police to take it to the Supreme Court.

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Speaker 2: All right, Minister, I know your press for time as

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Speaker 2: am I, but I do want to ask, so what

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Speaker 2: are the next steps now for our of springs this morning?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so the Police Commission has the powers. He'll go

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Speaker 4: through and do his due diligence to deliberations, and if

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Speaker 4: he decides to enact a curfew, then it will be

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Speaker 4: very well known publicly. All of the processes will be

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Speaker 4: put in place. As it was last time. He can

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Speaker 4: only declare it for up to three days, so a

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Speaker 4: short sharp circuit break. And I think, to be honest,

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Speaker 4: it worked the first time. Alice Springs needed that. We

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Speaker 4: had a really good show. We've seen ninety six hours

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Speaker 4: of some unrest from certain groups of people. Well maybe

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Speaker 4: that's why we need this, the short sharp circuit breaker.

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Speaker 4: But that's up for the Commissioner to make those determinations,

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Speaker 4: and then from there there'll be a bunch of public

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Speaker 4: messaging if he does go down that path, but if not,

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Speaker 4: at the very least you'll see a bunch of operations.

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Speaker 3: Being an active I want.

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Speaker 2: To just quickly ask you because last time you and

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Speaker 2: I spoke, not on Friday, during the week that was,

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Speaker 2: but our last interview, we've spoken about Catherine and the

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Speaker 2: situation in Catherine. Now I also know over the weekend,

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Speaker 2: well yesterday we learned there was another horrible situation in

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Speaker 2: Catherine the Northern Territory Police calling for witnesses to an

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Speaker 2: assault on a worker at the Catherine Service Station in

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Speaker 2: the early hours of yesterday morning. So the United Service

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Speaker 2: Station on Catherine Terrace had been robbed and as staff

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Speaker 2: member assaulted. It's alleged that that man attempted to leave

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Speaker 2: the store without paying for goods, at which time the

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Speaker 2: staff locked the doors in an attempt to try to

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Speaker 2: stop that thief from leaving. That staff member, though, was

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Speaker 2: then assaulted by the alleged thief and two other men

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Speaker 2: who were with him at the time. The group of

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Speaker 2: males were able to pry open the doors and leave

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Speaker 2: the area. As I understand it, though the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: Police have since caught them. But look, last time you

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Speaker 2: and I spoke, we spoke about those concerns raised by

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Speaker 2: the local member there, Joe Hersey. She was calling for

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Speaker 2: a curfew in Catherine. Have you spoken to Joe?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I told after that interview we spoke, and there's

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Speaker 4: additional resources in Catherine Roma.

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Speaker 3: There's a general purpose police dog down there.

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Speaker 4: You've got additional crime also tried and assets that went

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Speaker 4: down to support them, which were the guys that go

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Speaker 4: after stolen motor vehicles and the on and property offending.

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Speaker 4: And you've also had members of the Territory Safety Division

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Speaker 4: listen that instance, the police arrest that identified and those

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Speaker 4: people are on remand I believe still at the moment.

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Speaker 4: We recently did a working group with the Retail Associations

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Speaker 4: of Australia, the Shoppies Union and Woolies and Coals around

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Speaker 4: how can we deal with not only stock theF but

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Speaker 4: also drive offs. Police have a really good system in

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Speaker 4: relation to dealing with drive offs of fuel and what

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Speaker 4: I don't want any retail worker putting themselves in harm's

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Speaker 4: way to deal with one hundred two hundred dollars worth

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Speaker 4: of fuel. When we get the number plate, we get

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Speaker 4: the people on CCTV and police can chase them up

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Speaker 4: and get it back later.

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Speaker 2: It's a pretty ordinary situation though, right, I mean, honestly,

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Speaker 2: I feel like we're at this point at the moment

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Speaker 2: where we're going, all right, well, we've just got to

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Speaker 2: you know, you let someone drive off and let the

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Speaker 2: behavior continue on.

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Speaker 1: Can you see how people are really frustrated?

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Speaker 4: What I'm saying is that is a national approach to

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Speaker 4: dealing with fuel drive offs, and it is proven to

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Speaker 4: work and it removes the risk to the worker. You

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Speaker 4: asked me what we're doing about protecting people. One of

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Speaker 4: the things I don't believe if retail workers should be

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Speaker 4: engaging with people who are not intending to pay. That

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Speaker 4: is what police are there for.

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Speaker 3: It's criminal. So let's let the police go and deal

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Speaker 3: with it.

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Speaker 4: And you're right, it is despicable, but fuel drive offs

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Speaker 4: happens all across the country and it is a symptom

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Speaker 4: of a bunch of issues.

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Speaker 2: And so no issue like no looking at Catherine at

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Speaker 2: this point in time as to whether they need a curfew.

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Speaker 2: You feel as though what's gone on with the additional

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Speaker 2: resources isn't.

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Speaker 4: Us And I know the local member down there was

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Speaker 4: pushing and you know, wants to see a curfew there. Well,

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Speaker 4: that's for the commission to make that determination. I had

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Speaker 4: to chat to him after the radio interview we did

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Speaker 4: a couple of weeks ago, and he made it pretty

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Speaker 4: clear he doesn't believe. He looked at all the trend data,

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Speaker 4: he doesn't believe it was appropriate for Catherine.

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Speaker 3: But also those people were arrested.

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Speaker 4: So in those times that occurred down in Catherine, they

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Speaker 4: arrested the people as they did it, whereas this one,

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Speaker 4: there's twenty outstanding individuals and that's what's a concerned to

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Speaker 4: public safety.

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Speaker 2: So where are things at now with the arrests of

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Speaker 2: these twenty individuals or with locating them.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so police will through that at the moment it

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Speaker 4: happened at two in the morning, you know, in the dark,

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Speaker 4: so that they're working through that. But I would put

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Speaker 4: an appeal at that is something someone's family, they are

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Speaker 4: someone's friends, they are someone's accomplishes. If you know who

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Speaker 4: they are, call police, let's get them off the streets.

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Speaker 4: So we do to We don't have to have these

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Speaker 4: people running around potentially a threat to public and it

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Speaker 4: makes it easy for police going forward.

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Speaker 2: Look, I was planning on speaking to you about this

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Speaker 2: this morning, but you know, really we've not had a

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Speaker 2: lot of time to cover off on it. The tourism

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Speaker 2: numbers and the tourism sentiment across the Northern Territory. We

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Speaker 2: spoke about it briefly on Friday during the week that

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Speaker 2: was you know, this situation now in Alice Springs is

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Speaker 2: really not something that's you know, that's going to be

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Speaker 2: helpful in terms of driving that tourism sentiment in somewhere

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Speaker 2: like Central Australia.

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Speaker 3: No, you're absolutely right.

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Speaker 4: And I've been one of those advocates that I hate

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Speaker 4: talking the negative about our springs because yes, you've got

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Speaker 4: a right to talk about an incident that is a

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Speaker 4: concerning to people, but it lasts longer than just the

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Speaker 4: week that it's on radio.

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Speaker 3: It last four months.

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Speaker 4: In the tourism sector, arguably, we're still seeing carry over

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Speaker 4: from the curfew earlier. This year we've done, We're putting

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Speaker 4: money into the sector. We're putting a significant around in

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Speaker 4: the discount of travel schemes. We saw the caravan, million

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Speaker 4: dollar caravan. I think it was off the top of

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Speaker 4: my head that was being implemented by Joel.

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Speaker 3: The numbers.

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Speaker 4: We want to see the numbers grow, but also we

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Speaker 4: want to make people feel safe. And I make no

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Speaker 4: apologies for doing what we have to do to keep

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Speaker 4: people safe. I'm not going to let twenty people roll

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Speaker 4: around the streets of Alice Springs and threaten Laura Binding

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Speaker 4: citizens going about their business after having a good night out.

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Speaker 3: That behavior is discussing as criminal. So we'll do what

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Speaker 3: we have to do.

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Speaker 4: What I would say the tourism operators, Joel obviously if

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Speaker 4: the curfew is called, Joel and that team will be

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Speaker 4: engaging with you.

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Speaker 1: I mean twenty youths.

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Speaker 2: Is there a likelihood here that they're just going to

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Speaker 2: be taken home to responsible adults.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely not, no way it is.

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Speaker 4: Yes, some youth will always be taken home and responsible.

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Speaker 4: They may be in the car and not involved in

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Speaker 4: the criminal activity. But in this instance they've insaulted police.

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Speaker 4: Actually they've insulted a territoriy because they didn't know they

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Speaker 4: were police officers. They will be put before the court.

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Speaker 2: Brent Potter, Minister for Police, really appreciate your time this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much.

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Speaker 3: Perfect Thanks