Ngeygo Ragurrk inquest hears pressures on NT Triple-0 operators

An inquest had heard the desperate triple-0 call from a burnt domestic victim: ‘He might come back and punch me, or do something else.’

Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre Dispatch Sergeant Wolfgang Langeneck with NT Police superintendent Kirsten Engels after day two of the coronial inquest into the domestic violence death of Ngeygo Ragurrk.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names and image of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families.

Desperate domestic violence jobs are being left for hours as triple-0 response centres are unable get crews to respond to the overwhelming number of calls.

Harrowing details of the pressures on triple-0 operators in the Territory were revealed as Coroner Elisabeth Armitage continues to investigate the domestic violence killings of four women.

On the second day of her coronial inquest, the voice of Ngeygo Ragurrk echoed out — three years after she was ‘tortured’ and killed by her partner, Garsek Nawirridj.

“I need police please,” she told operators in July 2019, five months before she passed.

“I’ve been having an argument with my partner.

“He burned me with hot sand (from a fire).

A NT coronial inquest is investigating the killing of a 40-year-old Mirrangagu woman from the Manjungung clan, known for cultural reasons as Ngeygo Ragurrk.

“I have burns on my body. Come here right now.

“He might come back and punch me, or do something else.”

She gave a small, stifled cry before saying: “I want an ambulance”.

“I’ll wait for them to come.”

But paramedics were never sent to the woman, with attending police later scrubbing the incident of all references to domestic violence, the final report reading: “not as advised”.

Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre Dispatch Sergeant Wolfgang Langeneck with NT Police superintendent Kirsten Engels after day two of the coronial inquest into the domestic violence death of Ngeygo Ragurrk.

Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre Dispatch Sergeant Wolfgang Langeneck told the inquest that calls such as this were overwhelming the triple-0 call logs — with no police able to respond.

“They feel helpless. They feel the screen is unmanageable,” Sergeant Langeneck said.

Sergeant Langeneck said domestic violence assaults in progress were considered among the highest category of seriousness, grouped with stabbings, murders and other major incidents.

“(But) domestic violence incidents are on the screen for two or three days,” he said

“We don’t have the crews.”

He said on Monday night shift there was a Category 1 domestic violence call-out involving threats of a knife — but no crews were able to attend for up to four hours.

Sergeant Langeneck said while in this case the woman was later found safe, “you may find that domestic victim in the bathroom, dead”.

“It’s a matter of probability when it will happen,” he said.

He said that same night there were 40 reports for Casuarina, but neither of the two crews were available.

He said while some specialist jobs would have police “volunteering” to attend, when domestic violence calls came through there was another response from cops on the ground.

“Silence,” Sergeant Langeneck said.

Critically he said triple-0 operators were not allowed to search the names of those calling — meaning they were not able to confirm any criminal history, or domestic violence orders.

He said had he seen the “red flags” on Nawirridj’s case file he would have acted differently on the morning on Ngeygo’s killing.

The inquest heard a short call which came into the JASCC office in the early hours of December 23, 2019 — the day of Ngeygo’s killing.

“They’re fighting … with his wife,” a man told operators.

Sergeant Langeneck said the caller-taker was able to confirm the location and names of the abuser and his victim — but with no other available information downgraded the call from a “domestic violence assault” to a “welfare check”.

Sixteen hours later — and after Nawirridj was involved in three separate incidents, with no arrests — the violent abuser bumped into his wife and began dragging her down a Darwin street towards Mindil Beach where he abused and killed her.

Nawirridj pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his wife in 2021 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with his parole period making him eligible for release by 2028.

The inquest continues on Wednesday.

Originally published as Ngeygo Ragurrk inquest hears pressures on NT Triple-0 operators