Wadeye TOs call for removal of officer in charge Erica Gibson
Sections of a Territory community are agitating for the removal of the officer-in-charge of a troubled remote police station because of a failure to practice community policing. Find out more.
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Sections of a Territory community are agitating for the removal of the officer-in-charge of a troubled remote police station because of a failure to practice community policing.
Residents at Wadeye community late last year wrote to Police Commissioner Michael Murphy and the NT Government seeking the removal of Officer in Charge Erica Gibson from the volatile coastal community, about 420km west of Darwin.
The message was repeated this week when about 20 traditional owners attended a meeting with senior police, Aboriginal Justice Unit director Leanne Liddle and NLC chairman Matthew Ryan.
Wadeye has been in crisis in recent weeks, with senior officers including Commissioner Michael Murphy and Ms Liddle visiting the town and Territory Response Group officers deployed this week after three assaults on police officers in the community within three days last week.
The movement to oust Sen Sgt Gibson after two years in the job is being led by Kardu Diminin, Wadeye’s traditional owners, who want her replaced by another officer currently serving at Wadeye.
In a statement to this masthead, Kardu Diminin said it supports the NT Police.
In late 2022 the group wrote to then Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker requested an officer other than Sergeant Gibson be promoted to replace Brad Fox as officer in charge.
Their request was unsuccessful.
A letter written by TOs on December 11, 2024 to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said that over time “... our disappointment at Gibson’s appointment has turned into a vote of no confidence”.
“We believe that Sergeant Gibson is unable to maintain the peace, safety, and security of all the residents of Wadeye...” the letter said.
Among TO grievances is that Sen Sgt Gibson employed a heavy-handed, non-consultative approach to policing in the community “which has further entrenched distrust of the police, and increased the likelihood of violence in the community between residents, and/or against the police.”
The Kardu Diminin letter listed five key areas of concern leading to the community’s “vote of no confidence” that claimed Sen Sgt Gibson failed to establish rapport and engender goodwill with TOs; didn’t heed warnings about periods of heightened tension; did not afford respect and space to traditional modes of mediation and de-escalation; neglected to acknowledge conflicts of interest such as family ties as an impediment to her demands and that she was not objective in decision making.
“Reactive rather than preventive police action such as this undermines the capacity of TOs to mediate conflict and assist police in maintaining peace, law and order in Wadeye,” the letter said.
Relations were strained further last year when a 20-year-old elder was arrested for public drunkenness, just weeks after an anti-public drunkenness law was put back on the statutes by the Territory Government.
“In early December 2024, members of the executive of Kardu Diminin, including TOs, approached Sergeant Gibson to request her assistance to establish roadblocks to stem the flow of illegal alcohol, and as a corollary, alcohol fuelled violence in Wadeye,” the letter said.
“But the request for practical police intervention went unanswered. Instead, less than a week later, Sergeant Gibson personally oversaw the search for a home for illegal alcohol ... and arrested one of its inhabitants.”
The letter was signed by about 115 community members from 22 clan groups out of the community’s more than 2000 inhabitants.
On Monday about 25 Kardu Diminin elders reaffirmed their desire for a change at the top during a meeting at the Northern Land Council building.
A Northern Territory police spokesman said on Thursday Mrs Gibson would not be relocated and her position was not being reviewed.
In a statement this week, NLC boss Matthew Ryan called for a collaborative approach between the community and police.
“Territory police officers work hard to keep our communities safe and – like other frontline workers – they deserve to be able to do their job without being assaulted, threatened, or intimidated,” Mr Ryan said.
“The violence we have recently seen in Wadeye is unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately.
“Elders, traditional owners and other key community members are the key to restoring calm and building stronger communities, where everyone can feel safe and respected.
“Community-led safety and justice initiatives work best and that’s why people in the community are the ones we need to listen to at this time.
“The Police Commissioner is keen to work with the community to help develop better relationships with police and other stakeholders, and I have told him the Northern Land Council is fully supportive of this approach.”
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Originally published as Wadeye TOs call for removal of officer in charge Erica Gibson
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