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Speaker 1: And we did just hear from the lovely Waldo and

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Speaker 1: Sue obviously Waldo reading that poem for us for National

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Speaker 1: Police Remembrance Day, and we do know that it is

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Speaker 1: a day for reflection on the ultimate sacrifice made by

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Speaker 1: our brave police officers right around the nation. But indeed

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Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory and joining me in the

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Speaker 1: studio right now is the Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Good morning, Cody Commissioner. What is

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Speaker 1: Remembrance Day all about?

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Speaker 2: Well, importantly just referencing Waldo. So Glenn Hewitts and I

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Speaker 2: work together in Kalkarni before he transferred to Adelaide River

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Speaker 2: and all those poems held in very high regard by

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Speaker 2: many of us. Indeed, it's actually on Glenn's memorial out

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Speaker 2: there at Old Bino Road, so it's always special. But

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Speaker 2: it does highlight the impact that police have on our

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Speaker 2: community and how in Trench we are in the rich

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Speaker 2: history of the Northern Territory, and when we see people

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Speaker 2: die in the life of duty, as occurred with Glenn, we.

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Speaker 1: Remember that it must have been an incredibly difficult time

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Speaker 1: when that happened, and when Glenn's life was lost.

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Speaker 2: It was the sad reality though, as any death hits

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Speaker 2: us because we are a big family and when that occurs,

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Speaker 2: and unfortunately, earlier this year we've had a number of

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Speaker 2: serving that have passed as well, and today was a

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Speaker 2: day to be able to stop, pause and reflect on

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Speaker 2: all the sacrifices that people who are police, not only

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Speaker 2: in the Northern territory, but it is personal for us

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Speaker 2: here but across the Asia Pacific region.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, is it? I mean, I guess on a daylight

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Speaker 1: today National Police Remembrance Day, we do often think about

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Speaker 1: those offices that have been lost in the line of duty,

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Speaker 1: but is it really also a day to reflect on

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Speaker 1: all those offices that have been part of what you

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Speaker 1: just said is a larger family and thinking about them

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Speaker 1: on a daylight today?

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Speaker 2: Definitely. We've had twenty six who've currently or previously served

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Speaker 2: also passed away in the last twelve months, so we

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Speaker 2: get the opportunity to stop and reflect on those. It's

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Speaker 2: no great secret that many of the things that we

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Speaker 2: get exposed to we carry into a time and post

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Speaker 2: resignation and leaving the force, and we're trying to be

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Speaker 2: a lot better in that space I think nationally, But

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Speaker 2: today's really about the community having that opportunity to acknowledge

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Speaker 2: and remember the police and what they do, and that's

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Speaker 2: always gratefully received by police, the appreciation of all that

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Speaker 2: we do.

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Speaker 1: And you said the twenty six officers have passed away

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Speaker 1: throughout this year. I know that mental health has been

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Speaker 1: one of those issues that you and I have spoken

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Speaker 1: about before, but is it a day to reflect on

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Speaker 1: that as well?

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Speaker 2: I think that's synonymous currently unfortunately, and you know, we're

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Speaker 2: seeing that across the community. That's the other part that

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Speaker 2: probably isn't appreciated is we, unfortunately, are the ones that

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Speaker 2: receive the calls when people choose to take their own

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Speaker 2: life in the norm more circumstance of the world and

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Speaker 2: day to day things, and we're seeing that first hand

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Speaker 2: play out. So it's challenging space. Dealing with people who've

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Speaker 2: passed away is an emotional time for family, friends and

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Speaker 2: being the ones that ultimately have to provide that advice

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Speaker 2: is not a great task.

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Speaker 1: How did those services go this morning?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Well, so we had services in Nullen Boy, Catherine

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Speaker 2: Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and of course Darwin, and there

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Speaker 2: was march in Darwin and also in Alice Springs, and

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Speaker 2: my understanding is they were well attended and well supported events,

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Speaker 2: which is great and good to see community turn up.

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Speaker 1: Commissioner, with everything that has happened or have been happening lately,

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Speaker 1: was it more important today to unite the force than

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Speaker 1: ever before?

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Speaker 2: I think every day is important for us. There's a

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Speaker 2: lot going on and we continue to be in the

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Speaker 2: public domain, and the Inquest is certainly front and center

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Speaker 2: with that. You know, the inquest is focusing on a

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Speaker 2: period of some near three years ago, and what we're

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Speaker 2: trying to make sure as we're putting our best foot

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Speaker 2: forward each and every day to improve on where we were.

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Speaker 2: The fact of the matter is we finally got some

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Speaker 2: good resourcing back. I think we're down to only one

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Speaker 2: person being positive with COVID across the agency, which we

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Speaker 2: haven't seen for a significant period of time, and as

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Speaker 2: a result of that, we've seen a roturn to our

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Speaker 2: high visibility policing, which is great.

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Speaker 1: Now. Look, I'm sure I'll have you on another point

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Speaker 1: to talk about some of those other issues that are

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Speaker 1: happening around the place, but I am keen this morning

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Speaker 1: to focus on Remembrance Day. And I know that there

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Speaker 1: were some special recognitions. So there was something that happened

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Speaker 1: this year that was a little bit different, wasn't that?

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Speaker 2: There was We've got a contingent who've headed down to

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Speaker 2: Canberra to the National Police Memorial because through the work

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Speaker 2: that was undertaken through the one hundred and fifty years

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Speaker 2: of policing in the Northern Territory, it was identified that

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Speaker 2: two Native constables and a Native tracker back in the

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Speaker 2: eighteen nineties had died while serving. So it was appropriate

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Speaker 2: that they be recognized today. And that's occurring down in camera,

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Speaker 2: which is fantastic.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So they were territorials, were they? Yeah? And how

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Speaker 1: long ago were they working.

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Speaker 2: Back in the eighteen nineties.

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Speaker 1: Wow.

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Speaker 2: So that's the history of Aboriginal people and policing in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. It's been there for a long period

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Speaker 2: of time, and we know that there's elements of that

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Speaker 2: history that are not great, and we strive to be

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Speaker 2: better to ensure that those things don't occur again.

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Speaker 1: How was that sort of how was that history uncovered

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Speaker 1: then through journals.

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Speaker 2: As I understand it, because many of the journals back

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Speaker 2: in the day, of course, were all handwritten and some

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Speaker 2: of the script writing. I have to say, you look

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Speaker 2: back to that era, it was pretty impressive sort of writing.

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Speaker 2: I think we might have lost that art.

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Speaker 1: And so with that recognition for those two Native constables,

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Speaker 1: what exactly is going to happen for them today?

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Speaker 2: So they're identified now at the National Memorial as on

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Speaker 2: the Wall of Respect. So that's quite a good thing

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Speaker 2: that those three individuals certainly well overdue, but today that

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Speaker 2: gets corrected and they're recognized now.

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Speaker 1: Commissioner, just before I let you go, obviously, like I said,

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Speaker 1: today is such an important day. We know that there

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Speaker 1: have been a lot of issues when it comes to

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Speaker 1: the territory police. You know, you and I have spoken

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Speaker 1: about them. But what is your message, you know for

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Speaker 1: those police officers that are listening this morning on a

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Speaker 1: day like today.

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Speaker 2: Well, it is important that we all remember what we do,

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Speaker 2: but we also remember that it's our family and friends

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Speaker 2: that provide support to us to be able to be

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Speaker 2: the best that we can be. We've all got a

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Speaker 2: role to try and provide that support to each other.

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Speaker 2: And where we're heading is a positive direction and one

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Speaker 2: that has the community and our people at our forefront,

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Speaker 2: and the work that we're doing in our well being

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Speaker 2: in health space. You know, we've managed to get out

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Speaker 2: to new chaplains on board, how we're growing our honorary

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Speaker 2: chaplaincy service. We've appointed a peer supervisor now that's really

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Speaker 2: going to grow that space and support, and we're rolling

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Speaker 2: out training. So there's a lot of things going in

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Speaker 2: that place. So the future as we look to launch

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Speaker 2: into twenty twenty three is positive and we can start

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Speaker 2: getting back out there to do what we do best.

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Speaker 1: So those two new chaplains are on board now. Where

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Speaker 1: about today Alice.

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Speaker 2: Springs and Darwin, And we've already gotten one of our

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Speaker 2: honorary chaplains providing additional support in Alice Springs, which is fantastic.

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Speaker 1: All right, Well, no doubt we'll talk again very soon.

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Speaker 1: I am keen to catch up at some point as

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Speaker 1: well about Alice Springs and some of the issues that

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Speaker 1: are obviously being experienced down there. But Police Commissioner Jamie

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Speaker 1: Talker really appreciate your time this morning on National Police

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Speaker 1: Remembrance Day. Thanks Katie,