Kelly police review: NT Police union and CLP welcome report

The Opposition says the unprecedented demands facing Territory police are proof of policy failings, despite joining the government in rejecting key recommendations from the Kelly review.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro and her deputy Gerard Maley say the Kelly police review is a 'damning report card' of government failures to support police. Picture: Fia Walsh.

The Opposition says the “limited” scope of a major review into policing has left key policy failures unexamined, while the union has expressed disappointment in both major parties rejecting key recommendations.

Fifteen of 18 recommendations made by the Kelly review will be adopted, with the government investing $570m over five years to fund a major overhaul of police resourcing and systems.

The Northern Territory Police Association welcomed the “long overdue” review, saying it hoped would go some way to alleviating pressure on the “depleted” force.

Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) President Nathan Finn. Picture: Fia Walsh

President Nathan Finn said he was largely supportive of the 18 “common sense” recommendations, “which represent a good first step towards enabling our hardworking police to do their job”.

While “disappointed” three recommendations had been ignored, Mr Finn acknowledged the significant investment made by government and called for the funding to “flow swiftly”.

Similar to the government, the Country Liberal Party rejected a recommendation for PALIs to be removed from bottleshops.

The review suggested private businesses should instead be required to fund security, allowing police resources to be freed up.

“Licensees already have to do a range of things that they cover the costs of and bear responsibility for, what we believe is that the Northern Territory government has a responsibility to provide community safety,” Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said.

The CLP partially accepted a recommendation for prisoner transfers to be privatised, and – again mirroring Labor – said it could not currently accept a recommendation to discontinue the use of private security for social order issues.

The Nightcliff Police Station was built at a cost of $12m, while 17 remote stations need upgrades. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A recommendation to develop a capital works program was accepted in principal by Labor, but fully supported by the CLP, who accused the government of leaving room for politically expedient infrastructure developments.

Seventeen out of 41 remote stations are operating beyond their economic lives of 50 years, and 15 police posts, constructed during 2008 as part of the federal intervention and designed as temporary structures, have also well exceeded their projected lives of eight years.

Ms Finocchiaro said the “reckless” construction of Nightcliff Police Station at a cost of $12m showed “how badly Labor had mismanaged the police budget”.

“The review is a damning report card on Labor’s failures to support our police,” she said.

“Let me say very clearly – we don’t have a broken police force – we have a broken government.

“The review was deliberately constrained by Labor so that it did not consider the role that other departments should play in supporting a safe community or failed laws and policies impacting our police.”

In his foreword, review chair and former NTPA President Vince Kelly listed what he believed were “deeply traumatic organisational events” that had scarred the force over the past decade.

This included the 2015 imprisonment of former Commissioner John McRoberts, the impact of the Covid-19 response, and the suicide of four serving or former police members in 2022.

He also pointed to the death of Kumanjayi Walker, who was shot by former Constable Zach Rolfe during a botched arrest in 2019, the subsequent public commentary, and associated prosecution, trial and coronial inquest.

Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all charges over the death, and during his evidence at the inquest in February made explosive allegations of widespread racism within NT Police.

Mr Kelly said the review did not provide “a historical or political narrative” of police operations over the past decade, or “judge individual or organisational responses to the variety of challenges during that period”, but that the issues had “injected” themselves into consultations.

More than 500 police members met with the review team, along with 171 government and non-government stakeholders.

Police Minister Brent Potter said “our police do an amazing job every day”.

“This Police Review highlights we need to do more to support our police.

“To do this we will make sure there is comprehensive and common sense plan to lower crime – and that’s what we are focused on delivering.”