AMA NT raises Covid-19 safety concerns over lack of police presence at NT road entry points, as Victorian cluster grows

The head of the AMA NT says he is concerned about the lack of police presence at road entry points into the Territory, as the Covid-19 cluster in Melbourne continues to grow.

• Territory Netball Stadium converted to Covid-19 testing centre as NT Health scales up facilities in response to high demand
• NT chief health officer Hugh Heggie forced into Howard Springs after Victoria trip
• 13,000 recent arrivals to the NT ordered into self-isolation after government declares Greater Melbourne, Bendigo as hot spots

THE head of the Australian Medical Association NT (AMA NT) says he is concerned about the lack of police presence at road entry points into the Territory, as the Covid-19 cluster in Melbourne continues to grow.

In a press conference on Friday, Health Minister Natasha Fyles said there was currently no physical police presence at the NT’ main road entry points, with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology being used instead.

However, AMA NT president Rob Parker said while he understood it was logistically difficult to send police to border checkpoints, the association would like to see stronger measures in place to make sure no one brought Covid-19 into the NT.

A road train is stopped by NT Police at the NT/SA border on March 24, 2020, after the Territory shut its borders at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Picture: Emma Murray

MORE TOP NEWS

Repatriated Australian in intensive care in Royal Darwin Hospital with Covid-19

Bagot teen killer jailed for up to six years over friend’s slaying

Katherine man arrested after police allegedly uncover 10,000 child abuse files in raid

“It is a concern, because we had all those police controls in place before and they worked well,” he said.

“It would be better to have police back at the borders.”

In a statement, the NT Police Territory Emergency Operations Centre said ANPR was in place at all main road border entry points into the NT.

“The Territory Controller is satisfied … that with hard border control in place between Victoria and SA, and with our ANPR system in place, that we are able to track and trace the vehicles crossing the border,” the statement read.

“As such, there is no current requirement to physically place officers on the border crossing points.”