Mr MILLS - 2009-11-24
No matter how you look at the statistics, you have failed to address violent crime. Is it not the case, since the parliament was here last that, year-on-year, violent crime has increased by 20% and property crime by 10%? Will you now finally admit that your policies to address crime have failed? Will you apologise to the people of Alice Springs for your failure? Will you advise the House why there are fewer police on the beat in Alice Springs than there were in 2001 when you came to office?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the inaccurate question from the Leader of the Opposition. It was this government which inherited, in 2001, an under-funded, under-staffed, demoralised police force, where there had been no recruitment - not one new police officer recruited - in four years in the 1990s under the CLP.
Since we came to office, we have an additional 300 police officers, auxiliaries and ACPOs in our police squad, and significant additional police in Alice Springs - 175 …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … at the moment. There is absolutely no doubt, when you look at the funding increases, the staffing increases, the additional powers and investments the police have, that police are much better equipped, much better staffed, and much better supported today than they were in the years of the CLP government.
Regarding the allegations of increases in violent crime, it was not until about four years ago that police started accurately recording incidents explicitly of domestic violence. Attitudes were changing within the police force whereby previously it was a societal attitude that what happened between husband and wife and partners was their business. It was not recorded, it was not reported, and it was left for individuals to deal with. Senior police officers have publicly attested that that was society’s attitude.
As a result of the police introducing a specific domestic violence action procedure, a set of policies within police, and established dedicated Domestic Violence Prevention Units in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin, which are permanently staffed for dealing with domestic violence issues, women have become more confident in reporting. More reports are coming in. We now have mandatory declaration of domestic violence enshrined in law. For the first time, we are providing dedicated police support, dedicated support through other government agencies, $15m committed to support domestic violence initiatives, and we are seeing more reports.
We also gave police the powers to initiate and serve their own domestic violence orders without having to go through court processes in the first instance. For the 2009-10 year, 737 domestic violence orders were initiated by police. Previously, they could not do this. Those figures were never captured previously because the police did not have the power to do it. There was a 40% increase from the same period in 2008-09. For the 2009-10 financial year, 513 domestic violence orders contraventions were reported, a 34% increase. Police are now targeting repeat offenders; as women have more confidence, they report; and police are being more active. So those numbers are going up.
Tragically, so much of that violence is alcohol fuelled, and the only policy the CLP has is to pour more fuel on the fire by increasing the sale of alcohol for another four hours ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: We can debate this up hill and down dale. In regard to the increase in violence and those statistics going up, the vast majority of that is domestic violence which is fuelled by alcohol.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the inaccurate question from the Leader of the Opposition. It was this government which inherited, in 2001, an under-funded, under-staffed, demoralised police force, where there had been no recruitment - not one new police officer recruited - in four years in the 1990s under the CLP.
Since we came to office, we have an additional 300 police officers, auxiliaries and ACPOs in our police squad, and significant additional police in Alice Springs - 175 …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin, cease interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … at the moment. There is absolutely no doubt, when you look at the funding increases, the staffing increases, the additional powers and investments the police have, that police are much better equipped, much better staffed, and much better supported today than they were in the years of the CLP government.
Regarding the allegations of increases in violent crime, it was not until about four years ago that police started accurately recording incidents explicitly of domestic violence. Attitudes were changing within the police force whereby previously it was a societal attitude that what happened between husband and wife and partners was their business. It was not recorded, it was not reported, and it was left for individuals to deal with. Senior police officers have publicly attested that that was society’s attitude.
As a result of the police introducing a specific domestic violence action procedure, a set of policies within police, and established dedicated Domestic Violence Prevention Units in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin, which are permanently staffed for dealing with domestic violence issues, women have become more confident in reporting. More reports are coming in. We now have mandatory declaration of domestic violence enshrined in law. For the first time, we are providing dedicated police support, dedicated support through other government agencies, $15m committed to support domestic violence initiatives, and we are seeing more reports.
We also gave police the powers to initiate and serve their own domestic violence orders without having to go through court processes in the first instance. For the 2009-10 year, 737 domestic violence orders were initiated by police. Previously, they could not do this. Those figures were never captured previously because the police did not have the power to do it. There was a 40% increase from the same period in 2008-09. For the 2009-10 financial year, 513 domestic violence orders contraventions were reported, a 34% increase. Police are now targeting repeat offenders; as women have more confidence, they report; and police are being more active. So those numbers are going up.
Tragically, so much of that violence is alcohol fuelled, and the only policy the CLP has is to pour more fuel on the fire by increasing the sale of alcohol for another four hours ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: We can debate this up hill and down dale. In regard to the increase in violence and those statistics going up, the vast majority of that is domestic violence which is fuelled by alcohol.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016