Mr NATT - 2006-08-24
Domestic violence is a problem that ruins the lives of countless families and their children. Can the minister advise the Assembly on the steps being taken to target this crime?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for his question. There is nothing more important in policing than protecting our women and children across the Northern Territory. The scourge of domestic violence, wherever it occurs, is something that police are taking a very significant and proactive approach to.
One of the great benefits of this government’s commitment to Building Our Police Force, with an extra 200 police being resourced through an allocation of an additional $75m, is that it does give the police the capacity to deploy a specialist task force and groups to focus in on different types of crime. I pay credit to our Commissioner, Paul White, who adopted an intelligence-led policing approach in the Northern Territory, initially targeting property crime and repeat offenders of property crime. That approach has seen property crime decrease around 53% across the Northern Territory since this government came to office.
With the additional police numbers we are allocating, we now have dedicated Domestic Violence Protection Units in all of our regional centres across the Territory focusing on this scourge. The police intelligence-led priorities are seeing repeat offenders of domestic violence being targeted by police, and also support for repeat victims. To date, in the six months from February to July this year, apprehensions for breaches of Domestic Violence Orders were up by 48% - from 479 to 711. The police are proactively policing and encouraging women to come forward if there has been a breach. What this shows is that there is increased confidence from victims of domestic violence across the Northern Territory in reporting to police because police are taking action.
As well as providing additional resources …
Dr Lim: How come the unions are still concerned?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you will withdraw from the Chamber for an hour.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, as well as additional resources to police, we gave police additional powers by strengthening domestic violence legislation, giving the police powers to actually apply interim orders when courts are not sitting, late at night and on the weekends. Police have been using those powers - powers that the CLP opposed. I never did quite understand why they opposed giving police those additional powers.
I know the Chief Minister has met with the Domestic Violence Protection Unit in Alice Springs; so have I. The work that those people do makes your hair stand up on end. Some of the victims and the victimisation that we see …
Madam SPEAKER: I do not have any hair, minister.
Mr HENDERSON: Maybe that was not quite such a good analogy, Madam Speaker. It makes my hair stand up on end.
The victims and the victimisation that has occurred is absolutely appalling, and anything we can do to better protect those women and children across the Northern Territory, we should. I congratulate the police on their approach.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for his question. There is nothing more important in policing than protecting our women and children across the Northern Territory. The scourge of domestic violence, wherever it occurs, is something that police are taking a very significant and proactive approach to.
One of the great benefits of this government’s commitment to Building Our Police Force, with an extra 200 police being resourced through an allocation of an additional $75m, is that it does give the police the capacity to deploy a specialist task force and groups to focus in on different types of crime. I pay credit to our Commissioner, Paul White, who adopted an intelligence-led policing approach in the Northern Territory, initially targeting property crime and repeat offenders of property crime. That approach has seen property crime decrease around 53% across the Northern Territory since this government came to office.
With the additional police numbers we are allocating, we now have dedicated Domestic Violence Protection Units in all of our regional centres across the Territory focusing on this scourge. The police intelligence-led priorities are seeing repeat offenders of domestic violence being targeted by police, and also support for repeat victims. To date, in the six months from February to July this year, apprehensions for breaches of Domestic Violence Orders were up by 48% - from 479 to 711. The police are proactively policing and encouraging women to come forward if there has been a breach. What this shows is that there is increased confidence from victims of domestic violence across the Northern Territory in reporting to police because police are taking action.
As well as providing additional resources …
Dr Lim: How come the unions are still concerned?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you will withdraw from the Chamber for an hour.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, as well as additional resources to police, we gave police additional powers by strengthening domestic violence legislation, giving the police powers to actually apply interim orders when courts are not sitting, late at night and on the weekends. Police have been using those powers - powers that the CLP opposed. I never did quite understand why they opposed giving police those additional powers.
I know the Chief Minister has met with the Domestic Violence Protection Unit in Alice Springs; so have I. The work that those people do makes your hair stand up on end. Some of the victims and the victimisation that we see …
Madam SPEAKER: I do not have any hair, minister.
Mr HENDERSON: Maybe that was not quite such a good analogy, Madam Speaker. It makes my hair stand up on end.
The victims and the victimisation that has occurred is absolutely appalling, and anything we can do to better protect those women and children across the Northern Territory, we should. I congratulate the police on their approach.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016