Ms CARTER - 2000-05-10
Crimestoppers has proved to be a resounding success since it was introduced in Darwin. Does the minister have any figures on the number of arrests made or stolen goods recovered through Crimestoppers information? Does the minister see any merit in extending this community based initiative to other major centres in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the honourable member for Port Darwin, having just been through an election campaign, would be very familiar with people’s views in relation to programs like Crimestoppers. It’s a community based program with a board that oversees the operations and, on behalf of the community, generates community assistance to police in solving crimes and protecting crimes, and they do a damn good job in achieving that.
In terms of property recovered, something in the order of $250 000-worth of property, a substantial amount of drugs has been taken into custody - that is removed from circulation - as a result of people responding to Crimestoppers. From the point of view of a community program to assist police in making the Northern Territory a safer place to live, it has been very successful. I thank members of the committee who have made it so and have provided the Northern Territory community, at least as it pertains to Darwin, with the opportunity to assist police in a very pro-active and useful way.
In terms of whether or not there are opportunities for people elsewhere in the Northern Territory to take advantage of that program, yes, there are, and it will be my pleasure today to announce at lunchtime that the Crimestoppers program, and people listening in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine I’m sure will be interested, will be extended to those communities. It will afford directly an opportunity for members of the public in those towns to participate in directing advice to police if the information is available to them, then to pass it on to police to assist solving crimes, to assist, hopefully, in preventing further crimes that might be committed by some people, and in turn, to be part of making their particular communities a safer place in which to live.
It is an exciting announcement. It will benefit the people of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, and they will, in the future, through Crimestoppers, see the advantage of that particular program being undertaken in their communities.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the honourable member for Port Darwin, having just been through an election campaign, would be very familiar with people’s views in relation to programs like Crimestoppers. It’s a community based program with a board that oversees the operations and, on behalf of the community, generates community assistance to police in solving crimes and protecting crimes, and they do a damn good job in achieving that.
In terms of property recovered, something in the order of $250 000-worth of property, a substantial amount of drugs has been taken into custody - that is removed from circulation - as a result of people responding to Crimestoppers. From the point of view of a community program to assist police in making the Northern Territory a safer place to live, it has been very successful. I thank members of the committee who have made it so and have provided the Northern Territory community, at least as it pertains to Darwin, with the opportunity to assist police in a very pro-active and useful way.
In terms of whether or not there are opportunities for people elsewhere in the Northern Territory to take advantage of that program, yes, there are, and it will be my pleasure today to announce at lunchtime that the Crimestoppers program, and people listening in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine I’m sure will be interested, will be extended to those communities. It will afford directly an opportunity for members of the public in those towns to participate in directing advice to police if the information is available to them, then to pass it on to police to assist solving crimes, to assist, hopefully, in preventing further crimes that might be committed by some people, and in turn, to be part of making their particular communities a safer place in which to live.
It is an exciting announcement. It will benefit the people of Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, and they will, in the future, through Crimestoppers, see the advantage of that particular program being undertaken in their communities.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016