Ms MARTIN - 1997-02-25
Will he admit that police themselves are telling Territorians they do not have enough resources to respond to crime call-outs? Will he accept that this is the message I received when reporting the break-in to my car 2 weeks ago? Will he admit that this is what Karama residents were told when they reported trespassers at Manunda Terrace school? Will he now admit that he and the Country Liberal Party are the only people mug enough to believe that the police have enough resources?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, members of the opposition ask a range of questions about a range of topics. What I find curious this morning is that they are aware that a major ministerial statement on police is to be delivered immediately after Question Time. I wonder whether the opposition members feel a little embarrassed. If this is such a hot topic, they had all of last week to raise it either as the reason for a censure motion or for discussion as a matter of public importance. This smacks of the opposition trying to regain a little ground. Once again, members opposite have been demonstrated to be incompetent and not across the issues.
I challenge the member for Fannie Bay to show me when a police officer has actually said they do not have adequate resources. I will concede to her that police prioritise resources depending on what they are tasked to do at any particular time. For example, over the Christmas and New Year period, emphasis was placed on traffic matters. We should be very proud of the fact that not a single person, Territorian or visitor, was killed on our roads during that period. That is the nature of modern policing. Resources are diverted to where there is the need.
Mr Bailey: Diverted from one need to another.
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Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri's theory is that a policeman should be stationed on every street corner. The reality is that there will never be enough police to do that. That is the sad fact. You can never have a policeman in every carpark. I sympathise with the member for Fannie Bay whose car was broken into. The only way that would have been circumvented would have been by stationing a policeman on duty in the carpark at the museum. Does she seriously suggest that is the way police resources should be used in the Territory?
We can go on and on about how resources are used. However, let Territorians who are listening to this broadcast understand that I am very concerned to ensure that our police are adequately resourced. That is why I rely on the advice of the commissioner ...
Mr Bailey: Surprise, surprise!
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri must be the rudest person who ever walked into this Chamber. What is your problem? Why are you not prepared to let other people have their say?
Mr Bailey: You are not looking after ordinary Territorians.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: What is your problem? Why are you not prepared to let ministers answer questions? Are you just innately rude? You cannot help yourself. I shall continue with the answer ...
Mr Ah Kit: There are never any interjections from your bunch of angels, are there?
Mr STONE: Oh, the jelly baby! He cannot help himself.
Mr Ah Kit: That is good. We are getting close. When you resort to that, we are getting close.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The reality is that the government relies on the advice of its Commissioner of Police. As I indicated last week, I have a series of Cabinet submissions ...
Mr Bailey: He asked for more resources.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri interjects yet again.
The Commissioner for Police has a number of Cabinet submissions coming through at present which address everything from staffing to communications through to housing. Most of it is consistent with the McAulay/Bowe report. We do not go out in a knee-jerk fashion, grab the political high ground and say that we should have an extra 100 police.
After the Leader of the Opposition first announced that the ALP wanted an additional 100 police, she backed off that night on television but reaffirmed it next morning on radio.
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What that all indicates is that the Labor Party in the Territory has no idea what the real needs of the police are. The people who have a better idea of what is needed are the police themselves. There is a process to be followed whereby the police force is able to make its bids in the budgetary cycle, and this is exactly what it is doing.
I agree with the member for Wanguri and the member for Fannie Bay that there is a problem, and I will tell the House what it is. It is that the same people continue to re-offend. The people who advise me in the police portfolio tell me that a very small and narrow group of people commit many of the larger property crimes. The member for Wanguri is nodding. Why then will the Labor Party not support mandatory sentencing?
Mr Bailey: There is 90% failure in terms of the clear-up rate.
Mr STONE: Why won't the Labor Party join with the CLP and get tough on crims through sentencing?
Mr Bailey: You don't catch them in the first place.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: What is the point of having more police, simply to catch the same crooks, put them through the revolving door of the courts and put them back out on the street again? The Labor Party has an opportunity to demonstrate its bona-fides on this issue. It can get behind the government on mandatory sentencing. It can stop being soft on crime. It can stop taking the easy way out, simply flagging extra police numbers. It can stop using taxpayers' money to try to push a message out that is only causing fear and loathing among Territorians.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, members of the opposition ask a range of questions about a range of topics. What I find curious this morning is that they are aware that a major ministerial statement on police is to be delivered immediately after Question Time. I wonder whether the opposition members feel a little embarrassed. If this is such a hot topic, they had all of last week to raise it either as the reason for a censure motion or for discussion as a matter of public importance. This smacks of the opposition trying to regain a little ground. Once again, members opposite have been demonstrated to be incompetent and not across the issues.
I challenge the member for Fannie Bay to show me when a police officer has actually said they do not have adequate resources. I will concede to her that police prioritise resources depending on what they are tasked to do at any particular time. For example, over the Christmas and New Year period, emphasis was placed on traffic matters. We should be very proud of the fact that not a single person, Territorian or visitor, was killed on our roads during that period. That is the nature of modern policing. Resources are diverted to where there is the need.
Mr Bailey: Diverted from one need to another.
Page 1945
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri's theory is that a policeman should be stationed on every street corner. The reality is that there will never be enough police to do that. That is the sad fact. You can never have a policeman in every carpark. I sympathise with the member for Fannie Bay whose car was broken into. The only way that would have been circumvented would have been by stationing a policeman on duty in the carpark at the museum. Does she seriously suggest that is the way police resources should be used in the Territory?
We can go on and on about how resources are used. However, let Territorians who are listening to this broadcast understand that I am very concerned to ensure that our police are adequately resourced. That is why I rely on the advice of the commissioner ...
Mr Bailey: Surprise, surprise!
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri must be the rudest person who ever walked into this Chamber. What is your problem? Why are you not prepared to let other people have their say?
Mr Bailey: You are not looking after ordinary Territorians.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: What is your problem? Why are you not prepared to let ministers answer questions? Are you just innately rude? You cannot help yourself. I shall continue with the answer ...
Mr Ah Kit: There are never any interjections from your bunch of angels, are there?
Mr STONE: Oh, the jelly baby! He cannot help himself.
Mr Ah Kit: That is good. We are getting close. When you resort to that, we are getting close.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: The reality is that the government relies on the advice of its Commissioner of Police. As I indicated last week, I have a series of Cabinet submissions ...
Mr Bailey: He asked for more resources.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri interjects yet again.
The Commissioner for Police has a number of Cabinet submissions coming through at present which address everything from staffing to communications through to housing. Most of it is consistent with the McAulay/Bowe report. We do not go out in a knee-jerk fashion, grab the political high ground and say that we should have an extra 100 police.
After the Leader of the Opposition first announced that the ALP wanted an additional 100 police, she backed off that night on television but reaffirmed it next morning on radio.
Page 1946
What that all indicates is that the Labor Party in the Territory has no idea what the real needs of the police are. The people who have a better idea of what is needed are the police themselves. There is a process to be followed whereby the police force is able to make its bids in the budgetary cycle, and this is exactly what it is doing.
I agree with the member for Wanguri and the member for Fannie Bay that there is a problem, and I will tell the House what it is. It is that the same people continue to re-offend. The people who advise me in the police portfolio tell me that a very small and narrow group of people commit many of the larger property crimes. The member for Wanguri is nodding. Why then will the Labor Party not support mandatory sentencing?
Mr Bailey: There is 90% failure in terms of the clear-up rate.
Mr STONE: Why won't the Labor Party join with the CLP and get tough on crims through sentencing?
Mr Bailey: You don't catch them in the first place.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: What is the point of having more police, simply to catch the same crooks, put them through the revolving door of the courts and put them back out on the street again? The Labor Party has an opportunity to demonstrate its bona-fides on this issue. It can get behind the government on mandatory sentencing. It can stop being soft on crime. It can stop taking the easy way out, simply flagging extra police numbers. It can stop using taxpayers' money to try to push a message out that is only causing fear and loathing among Territorians.
Page 1947
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016