NT Police Association president Paul McCue welcomes fresh faces in union, executive

Paul McCue has led many lives, from a Territory cop, Hog’s Breath Cafe owner to a federal bureaucrat before returning to the force. See what he’ll miss most about the police union leadership.

The Territory faces a frightened community, an exhausted force and major shake-up in police leadership – yet the outgoing leader of the police union is hopeful for the future.

Looking back on his eight years as the Northern Territory Police Association president, Paul McCue said he found his true purpose in those dark moments of an officer’s life.

“It’s the things that people don’t see is what I do the job for,” Mr McCue said.

“Being there for someone at 10.30 at night when things are going bad for them, or they’ve had a really challenging time.

“And you spend an hour on the phone with them to make sure make sure they’re okay.”

“This support behind the scenes that no one will ever know about.”

But the eight years of taking late-night calls, stints to remote stations and long hours have taken their toll on him, his wife and two children.

“Doing a role like this is 24/7 non-stop, it does of course impact your family life,” Mr McCue said.

Outgoing Northern Territory Police Association President Paul McCue will remain in the NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr McCue announced in March he was stepping down, citing a particularly gruelling three years.

With days left in the role, Mr McCue would not reveal what his next steps would be, only committing to remain in the Territory.

“So I just felt with the election cycle the way it was, you know, the time was right,” he said.

Mr McCue said he had “mixed emotions” over leaving the police union leadership.

“It’s been my life so long,” he said.

Mr McCue first donned the khaki uniform in 1990, serving in Darwin, Alice Springs and Yulara, just north of the base of Uluru.

After leaving the force to set up his own Hog’s Breath Cafe, the barbecuer turned bureaucrat joined the federal Fair Work Ombudsman.

“I don’t like seeing when people are not treated well at work or their conditions are not what I think they should be,” Mr McCue said.

“I just want a fair and transparent workplace for everyone.”

Outgoing Northern Territory Police Association President Paul McCue will remain in the NT. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr McCue joined the union as a field officer 11 years ago, taking him into the inner workings of stations ranging from major centres to the most remote of outposts.

He said there had been a lot of changes and challenges over his eight years as NTPA president but the past three years brought all the weaknesses of the force to the surface.

“For quite a lot of years we were really just ticking the box in terms of the amount of police we’re recruiting,” Mr McCue said.

“The lack of forward planning from governments, successive governments, for a long time around not keeping ahead of the game with resources.

“We still live in a bit of a legacy of that at the moment in my view.”

This is despite the latest productivity data showing the Territory is the most heavily policed jurisdiction in Australia, with Territory cops on the highest average salary.

In 2021-22 there were about seven operational officers for every 1000 Territorians, more than 2.5 times the national average.

Mr McCue said despite being “way in front” in police rates, the scale of the Territory and the rates of crime meant police were still playing catch-up.

He said this left the Territory with an under resourced, less experienced, exhausted and demoralised frontline.

Mr McCue said to many members, the police executive and particularly former-police commissioner Jamie Chalker had not helped.

Mr McCue acknowledged Mr Chalker’s short three-year tenure had come at a “tumultuous time”, in the wake of the Yuendumu police shooting and then with Covid.

“Ultimately, as has been seen publicly, the rank and file weren’t happy with his leadership style,” he said.

Police Union president Paul McCue with Zach Rolfe at the Darwin Supreme Court during his murder trial, for which he was acquitted of all charges. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“It’s a really difficult thing to come back from when you’ve lost that confidence.”

Mr McCue said there was a “heavy handed” and “punitive” approach, while management styles had led to longer-serving officers leaving, taking with them decades of experience.

“It really exposed a flaw by having such a junior police force,” he said.

Mr McCue said delayed response times and perceptions of crime had led to officers copping abuse from a frustrated community.

Outgoing NTPA President Paul McCue in Alice Springs. Picture: Emma Murray

“But it’s certainly through no fault of those frontline officers, they’re actually busting their backsides to get to these jobs,” he said.

Following a vigilante mob’s demonstration around Queensland home and ongoing anti-crime rallies, Mr McCue expressed his concerns that anger could boil over on Territory streets.

“That’s the last thing we want to see,” he said.

“I know people probably feel sometimes that might be their only choice, but it’s certainly not.

“We would never advocate or support such a move.”

Mr McCue’s resignation, just 55 days before Mr Chalker stepped down, means fresh blood will take hold of both the police leadership and the union.

Mr McCue would not reveal his preferred pick for his replacement, saying it would be “business as usual” even with a new police commissioner and election around the corner.

“Collectively, we’re not frightened to challenge government or senior police executive when we don’t feel that the right decisions are being made,” he said.

While he joked the police commissioner decision was “far out of my hands”, Mr McCue said he had heard both acting Police Commissioner Michael Murphy and Territory Families deputy chief executive Jeanette Kerr had put their hats in the ring.

Originally published as NT Police Association president Paul McCue welcomes fresh faces in union, executive