Police commissioner Michael Murphy flags possible hand sanitiser regulations in the Northern Territory
The Territory’s Police Commissioner says he wants to treat one everyday product like ‘Rexonas and glues’ after learning what some people were doing with it in the Red Centre. Find out what.
Northern Territory
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Hand sanitiser could soon be placed under lock and key in the Northern Territory, if the police commissioner follows through with what he says and meets with industry after hearing people are “drinking” the disinfectant.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy told this masthead he “might” be engaging with industry to “treat (hand sanitiser) like Rexonas and glues”.
“I’m hearing they’re drinking hand sanitiser,” he said.
“I’ve got some intel (on Friday) that they’re actually buying hand sanitiser and zero beer and mixing it together.
“So they’ve got the effect of a beer but it’s alcoholic now which is concerning because hand sanitiser doesn’t really make you function very well and (leads to) poor choices.”
In the Northern Territory, aerosol deoderant has been kept in locked cabinets in major supermarkets for years in a bid to deter it being improperly used as an inhalant.
Aside from aerosols, those in the grips of addiction are also using nitrous oxide bullets, commonly referred to as ‘nangs’, to inhale noxious substances.
Welfare groups have also previously pushed for restrictions on the sale of vanilla essence and mouth wash, after concern they were also being used improperly due to their high alcohol content.
Mr Murphy said he learned of the alternative use of hand sanitiser from Neighbourhood Watch NT chief executive Veronica Larson during “coffee with a cop”, held at The Locals Cafe in Alice Springs on Friday.
He said he’d only heard of it being done in Alice Springs, and was unsure if it was happening in other parts of the Territory.
In February 2023, some pharmacies in Alice Springs took matters into their own hands and stopped selling hand sanitiser, in an attempt to stop the “misuse” of the product.
“We’ve noticed on social media there has been some reports of hand sanitiser being poured into drink bottles that would commonly be used to drink out of and we were concerned that potential for misuse might escalate,” Priceline Chemists owner Peter Hatswell told this masthead at the time.
Health Minister Steve Edgington said he’d heard reports of “people misusing” hand sanitiser, “something we have seen since Covid”.
“It was flagged at the Central Australian Regional Coordination Committee (on Friday) and organisations are being encouraged to be mindful of its placement,” he said.
Joining Mr Murphy at The Locals cafe was Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who said she had made it “explicitly clear” to Mr Murphy “that everything has to be on the table to reduce crime” in Alice Springs.
“I’m very, very keen to reduce crime and I’m absolutely supportive of if he needs to call for South Australian police, for example, to come into the Territory – I would support that call,” she said.
A South Australian police spokesman said “no formal request” had been made to deploy additional officers in Alice Springs.
“NT police have sought advice from SA police on the availability of officers should any request be made,” the spokesman said.
In April, South Australian Police were called into Alice Springs during the town’s first curfew of 2024.
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