NT Police Association survey finds majority of cops think NT Government doing a bad job

A DAMNING survey of NT police officers has revealed a majority of them rate the government’s handling of law and order issues as ‘poor’ or ‘extremely poor’, with some calling for Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s head

A MAJORITY of NT police officers believe the Government interferes in the force’s operations.

A damning new survey reveals 87 per cent of Territory cops rate the Government’s performance as “poor” or “extremely poor”.

The survey of 500 NT police officers, three-quarters of them experienced frontline staff, also found 87 per cent didn’t believe the NT Government understood policing issues, while 62 per cent felt unsupported by their elected officials.

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President of the NT Police Association, Paul McCue. Picture: Emma Murray

The NT Police Association co-ordinated the pre-election survey in February after a police officer was charged with murder following the fatal shooting of a man in Yuendumu.

Association president Paul McCue said of concern was the 86.5 per cent of officers who believed the NT Government interfered in police operations.

The main gripe is policy changes that are rammed through seemingly without regard of how it could affect the way officers do their job.

Mr McCue, noting the NT Government’s debt would be north of $7 billion, said the NTPA didn’t want to see the police budget “slashed and burned”.

Police minister and Treasurer Nicole Manison said the NT Government would continue to invest in police.

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“That is something that we will always do to back our police,” she said.

The NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services budget for 2019-20 was $449 million, up from an initial 2018-19 budget of $430.9 million.

The damaging survey, released just months out from the election, found 15 per cent believed the Chief Minister should resign and more than a quarter said they were undecided about who to vote for at the August election.

The top three issues for respondents are minimum staffing levels at stations, retention of industrial entitlements and assaults on police and corresponding penalties.

Ms Manison said she had recently met with the NTPA about the survey and backed her Government’s record, including 70 police auxiliary liquor inspectors.

Mr McCue said the extra PALIs were initially not funded so the budget took a hit having to finance those.