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Speaker 1: Now we've spoken about private security patrols, of course, which

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Speaker 1: operate around Darwin on this show quite a bit. On

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Speaker 1: Friday last week, the Member for Nightcliff, kat McNamara had

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Speaker 1: raised concerns in the electorate and spoke about approaching the

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Speaker 1: Chief Minister for private security in Nightcliffe Bush. It isn't

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Speaker 1: the only community that's grappling with crime. I mean we

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Speaker 1: in recent months we spoke to the Member four for

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Speaker 1: our Refura, Manuel Brown, about private security in Maningrida and

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Speaker 1: the positive impacts that the guards have had. But residents

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Speaker 1: of man and Greta say that they're concerned about losing

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Speaker 1: their town's security guards as that funding deal with the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police comes to an end. Now Manuel Brown

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Speaker 1: joins me on the line right now. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Manuel, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: Manuel. For the past two years, Maningrida has been serviced

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Speaker 1: by two security guards, as I understand it, as part

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Speaker 1: of this joint partnership between the town and police where sings.

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Speaker 1: That is it going to come to an end in June?

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Speaker 2: Yes, it seems like the funding has been cut and

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Speaker 2: we haven't heard anything, So June is the cutoff date.

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Speaker 2: We're hopeful we hear something else, but obviously we're a

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Speaker 2: bit concerned about that.

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Speaker 1: Manuel, What are locals saying to you because you'd spoken

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Speaker 1: to us, you had told us how effective they have been,

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Speaker 1: So what are they saying now knowing that those guards

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Speaker 1: are going to be coming to an end.

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, it's a community incentive and we've come

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Speaker 2: to the table with all our services chipping in half

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Speaker 2: of the amount and wanting the government to come in

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Speaker 2: half way as well. And we feel like we've been

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Speaker 2: left out of the equation when it comes to keeping

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Speaker 2: community safe out at Maningrida.

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Speaker 1: Manuel, I know that some of the discussion has now

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Speaker 1: been that you know there's going to be well I think,

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Speaker 1: is the police station still underway? What's the go out

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Speaker 1: there at the moment?

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Speaker 2: Well, the police station, there's cleared ground, the foundations haven't

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Speaker 2: been you know, the cement on the ground hasn't been

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Speaker 2: laid yet, so that's still a few months away with imagine.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well it sounds like it. And I guess the

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Speaker 1: other concern that has been raised is by the Police Association.

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Speaker 1: You know, they had said to me yesterday on the show, Katie.

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Speaker 1: It's great to have infrastructure, but you've got to make

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Speaker 1: sure wherever it is that we've got the staff to

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Speaker 1: be able to actually get in there at work. Have

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Speaker 1: you got enough police in the community.

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Speaker 2: We have a ratio of eight police personnel to a

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Speaker 2: population about four thousand people, so I think it's a

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Speaker 2: bit lopsided there and we're very concerned.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So Manuel, from your perspective with the ending of

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Speaker 1: these security guards, it sounds as though it is going

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Speaker 1: to have an impact on the community. Talk me through

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Speaker 1: the positive way that those security guards have really, you know,

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Speaker 1: they've been received, and what this is all going to mean.

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Speaker 2: Well, as I said stated earlier, it was a community

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Speaker 2: initiative in conjunction with community leaders, community stakeholders, the night

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Speaker 2: patrol program there, and we've all worked together to to

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Speaker 2: stem the break ins, you know, like I've stated early,

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Speaker 2: we'd had one, uh but between one and three break

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Speaker 2: ins a night. So it was a community you know

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Speaker 2: project where you know, together we've collectively reduced that and

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Speaker 2: kept people safe in the community.

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Speaker 1: Manual, what can happen now, like, you know, what's the

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Speaker 1: community sort of saying, is there any other option to

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Speaker 1: you know, to try and extend this in some way,

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Speaker 1: shape or form.

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Speaker 2: Yes, we've you know, we've we've we're looking at other

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Speaker 2: options obviously, but we've sort of you know, it's the

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Speaker 2: calm before the storm. When when when the when when

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Speaker 2: the youths who play up, you know, get out and

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Speaker 2: about and see that we don't have that program running

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Speaker 2: on anymore. We don't know what's going to happen.

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Speaker 1: Well, Manuel, please keep us up to date, you know,

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Speaker 1: with what goes on. Let us know how it's all tracking.

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Speaker 2: Mate.

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Speaker 1: I understand yesterday as well, you raised a concern in

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Speaker 1: Parliament during question time to the Health Minister Steve Edgington.

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Speaker 1: It's something that we've spoken about on the show yesterday

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Speaker 1: and have continued to speak about this morning. The head

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Speaker 1: of the AMA, the Australian Medical Association, doctor Robert Parker,

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Speaker 1: had said to us on the show yesterday that he

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Speaker 1: believes that the that you know at Royal Darwin Hospital

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Speaker 1: code yellows are not being called when the hospital's under pressure.

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Speaker 1: The Health Minister has said that that's not the case.

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Speaker 1: But I do know that there's some concerns that the

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Speaker 1: emergency department at the hospital is under pressure as it

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Speaker 1: has been for quite some time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, it's quite concerning that we haven't had any

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Speaker 2: Oh well, you know that Rob came out with that statement.

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Speaker 2: I heard that yesterday. You know, it's about the safety

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Speaker 2: of everyone involved at the the h you know, people

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Speaker 2: and nurses and doctors need to feel safe, you know,

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Speaker 2: in overcrowding like it's about being prioritizing who needs to

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Speaker 2: be on beds and who needs to be pushed out

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Speaker 2: or helped to get out. And you know, the way

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Speaker 2: I'm looking at it is just be upfront with the

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Speaker 2: people because you know, the people that are feeling the

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Speaker 2: strain are the people that work there.

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Speaker 1: Well, Manuel, I agree with you. Thank you as always

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Speaker 1: for your time. I know you've got to get into parliament. Mate,

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for having a quick chat with us.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,