Senior Australian of the Year Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann speaks out on youth crime crisis in communities
Senior Australian of the Year Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann said her community of Daly River has turned around its youth crime crisis by ensuring kids know where to turn when they’re in need.
Northern Territory
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RESPECTED Indigenous elder Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann has backed calls for police to stay in remote communities beyond 2022.
Funding arrangements from the federal government made during the intervention are set to expire mid next year.
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The Senior Australian of the Year, who lives in the Daly River community south of Darwin, has said she’d even be in favour of more police in communities such as hers.
But she said other government departments also needed a presence in these regions, to prevent kids becoming caught up in the criminal justice system.
“We got an Aboriginal police officer that lives here, and he’s a member of the community, and he’s always around to support us,” Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann said.
“They’ve always spoken to us about using other agencies to support and educate us in the community in what is expected of us,” she said.
“Where are they, where do they fit into all this?”
Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann said it was the responsibility of the community to look after young kids who were at risk.
“We’ve got to start walking and talking with them,” she said.
Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann said Daly River had seen a remarkable turn around since locals began encouraging at-risk youths and their families to go fishing and do activities after school and on weekends.
“Before early this year and the end of last year, (youths) were going berserk, breaking into the shop, breaking into houses around the community, the school,” she said.
“Now they know where to go if they feel down and out or need to be supported, and if they’re hungry, we can get food for them.”
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Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann encouraged families not to be angry if police arrest juveniles for committing crimes, saying immediate and distant relatives needed to work with authorities to help bring offending kids back into society.
Her comments come after recent calls for East Arnhem MLA Yingiya Mark Guyula has called for peacekeepers to be deployed in remote communities to prevent Aboriginal youth from becoming stuck in the criminal justice system.
Alice Springs deputy mayor Jacinta Price has however urged for police to remain.
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