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Speaker 1: Yesterday on the show, we spoke about the potential extension

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Speaker 1: of the OC spray trial to become permanent. The Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory Police Commissioner joined us on the show and said

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Speaker 1: that so far all evidence to government is that all

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Speaker 1: of the issues that were flagged as potential concerns, they

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Speaker 1: haven't been seen. He said police are comfortable with the

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Speaker 1: way in which things are currently traveling. Now joining us

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Speaker 1: on the show is the CEO of Neighborhood Watch. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Veronica Larson. Good morning, lovely to have

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Speaker 1: you on the show now, Veronica, how has the trial

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Speaker 1: been going from Neighborhood Watch perspective? Has there been many

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Speaker 1: people contacting you guys.

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Speaker 2: Yes, we are getting a lot of questions and a

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Speaker 2: lot of people reaching out, which is terrific. We're able

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Speaker 2: to share a bit of information with them over the

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Speaker 2: phone and talk to them about OC Spree seaf carriage

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Speaker 2: and handling courses classes that are coming up. In fact,

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Speaker 2: we have one tomorrow right here in Derwen and Barrima.

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Speaker 2: Ye are still ten or so seats left. If anyone's interested,

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Speaker 2: If they just go to their Neighborhood Watch into Facebook page,

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Speaker 2: they can click and come and join us.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's good. So you've got the classes going. So

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Speaker 1: it does sound as so, and we'll get to that

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Speaker 1: the class is a little bit more, but so it

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Speaker 1: does sound as so you're getting people contacting you, like,

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Speaker 1: what are some of the things that people sort of ask.

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Speaker 2: If we recommend it, you know, who recommends it, if

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Speaker 2: we think it'll stay legal for longer than just the

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Speaker 2: September trial. So I think they're just a lot of

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Speaker 2: people are simply trying to feel it out and decide

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Speaker 2: if carrying oh these spray is right for them. We

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Speaker 2: do share that, you know, there's a lot to learn

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Speaker 2: around it, and that's why we're doing what we're doing.

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Speaker 2: But I think a lot of what we're hearing from

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Speaker 2: people calling us specifically is that they're grateful that they

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Speaker 2: have the opportunity to purchase it, that it is available

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Speaker 2: to them. Oftentimes, and especially see this from our women

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Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory. We're carrying bugspray or waspspray or

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Speaker 2: different items that made them feel as that they were safer.

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Speaker 2: So I think there's still that bit that where people

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Speaker 2: are choosing what they do based on how it might

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Speaker 2: make them feel. But that is actually a really significant

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Speaker 2: part of things, because we want to build their confidence

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Speaker 2: to be able to catch a bus or you know,

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Speaker 2: be able to navigate the community without fear. And yeah, do.

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Speaker 1: You get a lot of women who and men potentially

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Speaker 1: who may be more senior in our community that are

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Speaker 1: feeling a little bit less safe Maybe is like you know,

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Speaker 1: as I age and potentially a little bit less mobile.

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Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, and not just men and women, I would

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Speaker 2: say equally, but as they're getting older and things are

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Speaker 2: shifting and maybe they're now using mobility devices, there's additional

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Speaker 2: concerns over the level of vulnerability. So about a month

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Speaker 2: ago we started a seat that's perfect timing. Yeah, I

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Speaker 2: started a Vulnerable and Seniors campaign. So the idea is

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Speaker 2: that we're asking the community to take that strong moment

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Speaker 2: of awareness and look out for people that might be

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Speaker 2: requiring or needing some assistance. And it's you know, you've

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Speaker 2: heard it in your whole life. You know, staff and

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Speaker 2: help Susie cross the road safely, or help Joe carry

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Speaker 2: his groceries, or you know, just make sure that he's

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Speaker 2: safely getting to his car. I mean, there's a million

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Speaker 2: ways that come look like it could just be someone

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Speaker 2: is really tired and out of breath and hot, and

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Speaker 2: they're sitting on a stool, and you just maybe take

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Speaker 2: them some water. Just just have a check in and

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Speaker 2: make sure we're looking after each other. It's everyone's restring.

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Speaker 1: That's a great idea. I did that one day at

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Speaker 1: the Nightcliff Shops car park and I said to a

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Speaker 1: lady who was a little bit more seeing you, do

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Speaker 1: you need a hand putting your stuff in your car? Anyway?

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Speaker 1: She said to me. It was just before the cyclone.

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Speaker 1: And she said to me, love, I've lived here for

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Speaker 1: nearly ninety years. Thank you so much for offering. But

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Speaker 1: I'm okay, I'm tough, and I thought you are. I

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Speaker 1: want a letter.

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Speaker 2: She certainly sounds stuff to me.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but do you know what, there's no harm in asking, right,

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Speaker 1: And I don't mind being rejected if someone if I'm

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Speaker 1: asking someone if they need a hand and they don't

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Speaker 1: actually need it. But you want to try to help

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Speaker 1: people that are a little bit more saying yeah, just

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Speaker 1: in case, I in case.

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Speaker 2: We never know what we're preventing. If a situation looks

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Speaker 2: a little bit off or feels a little bit off,

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Speaker 2: maybe just you know, see if we can guide people

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Speaker 2: that might not be noticing what's going on around you

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Speaker 2: out of a potentially difficult situation. There's just so many

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Speaker 2: things if we just increase the awareness and again, people

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Speaker 2: with mobility issues or mental disabilities or you know, you

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Speaker 2: do only seventy percent of disabilities are visible, so you know,

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Speaker 2: there's just a humongous part of that that you wouldn't

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Speaker 2: necessarily see unless you were really aware and you're seeing

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Speaker 2: kind of how a person's functioning physically, emotionally, how they're

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Speaker 2: navigating and traveling through the areas and community.

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Speaker 1: But it's good to just help each other out totally. Anique.

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Speaker 1: Can I ask because last time when you came in,

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Speaker 1: it was just before the cyclone heat and we'd spoken

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Speaker 1: about the personal safety classes. Now I know you touched

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Speaker 1: on this just a moment ago, that you've got one tomorrow,

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Speaker 1: but obviously catching up on some of those safety classes,

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Speaker 1: when do they happen and what will people learn?

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Speaker 2: Right? Well, we love and these are long term course

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Speaker 2: that we've built out with our partners personal protection strategies

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Speaker 2: and victims of crime. We've done over gosh eighty I

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Speaker 2: think over the last few years, going really well. Really

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Speaker 2: that there are three hour sessions where an incredible facilitator

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Speaker 2: comes and we sort of join together and she pulls

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Speaker 2: us through all the things that we can have and

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Speaker 2: do to build your safety toolkit. And a lot of

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Speaker 2: people think, well, it's so expensive, I can't afford personal

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Speaker 2: safety devices in my home. But there are so many

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Speaker 2: inexpensive things that we can do, different kinds of alarms

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Speaker 2: for doors and windows, tons of items that can deter people.

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Speaker 2: And we really focus on trying to prevent opportunistic crime,

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Speaker 2: and so doing a lot of these preventative safety things

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Speaker 2: and building them toolkit really reduce someone's chances of becoming

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Speaker 2: victim to opportunistic crime. So we start there, but again

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Speaker 2: it is a whole lot of talking and awareness about

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Speaker 2: what should and shouldn't be around your house, things like

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Speaker 2: do you have the house number visible from the streets,

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Speaker 2: so if something were to happen, that triple zero or

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Speaker 2: the firefighters can find you immediately. We also talk about

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Speaker 2: legally what you can and can't have if someone's trying

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Speaker 2: to do weapons, because we of course want to abide

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Speaker 2: by the laws and I know what we are, what

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Speaker 2: we are and are not allowed to do. And then

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Speaker 2: there's certainly a part where I don't like calling it

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Speaker 2: self defense. We definitely have a peace that is physical

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Speaker 2: and participation is always up to the attendee. But there

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Speaker 2: are just a few moves that are designed for life

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Speaker 2: saving events to distance yourself from an attacker, so that

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Speaker 2: hopefully never occur, but if it did, at least you

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Speaker 2: have a bit of muscle memory there to have an

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Speaker 2: idea how to guide you away from that unsafe situation.

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Speaker 1: So I think is fair enough, Veronica. Where can people

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Speaker 1: go if they want to maybe find out more about

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Speaker 1: one of these safety classes and how they can take part.

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Speaker 2: Yes, you can always send us an email, fifth through

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Speaker 2: our website or message us on Facebook. We have a

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Speaker 2: Northern one which is Neighborhood Watch Northern Territory, and then

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Speaker 2: you can contact us via the website which is NHWNT

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Speaker 2: or AU shoot us a message and we will get

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Speaker 2: them across to you. But if you do follow us

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Speaker 2: on Facebook or sign up to receive our quarterly newsletters,

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Speaker 2: you can see as many as we have prepared at

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Speaker 2: the moment that you look. So we have almost double

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Speaker 2: the personal safety sessions from last year that we'll be

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Speaker 2: able to do this year, so they are coming. We're

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Speaker 2: all over. We're going to go of Catherine Tenant, Rural Darwin,

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Speaker 2: just as many places as we can get out to you.

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Speaker 2: And that's both with the OC Safe Carriage and Handling

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Speaker 2: and the Personal Protection Workshop that.

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Speaker 1: It is good to hear and I know people can

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Speaker 1: find out learn a lot more from those workshops as well.

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Speaker 1: Veronica Larson, the CEO of Neighborhood Watch, wonderful to see

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Speaker 1: you this morning. Thank you so much for joining us.

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Speaker 2: Great, thank you, thank you,