NT Police Association President Nathan Finn rejects police boss’ support claims for new PPSOs
Northern Territory Police Association President said it was “simply incorrect” to suggest the union was “happy” or “supportive” of the CLP government’s new public safety officer stream. Read the details.
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Northern Territory Police Association President Nathan Finn said it was “simply incorrect” to suggest the union was “happy” or “supportive” of the CLP government’s new police public safety officers.
It comes after NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner James O’Brien told media on Thursday that he had spoken to the NTPA for “quite some weeks” about the new PPSOs, and that the NTPA was “very happy” with the expanded operation.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro told media earlier in the exchange that the government had also spoken to the NTPA.
But Mr Finn said the NTPA had only received “notification of the concept, with limited detail”.
“We are yet to receive any formal written proposal,” he said.
“We need to see more details, which we have been assured will be provided in writing to the NTPA by the 11th of July for consideration.”
The NTPA have been sought for further comment.
The government announced the new safety officers on Wednesday, with up to 56 officers – including 34 public housing safety officers and 22 transit safety officers – set to be deployed on the frontline by early-2026.
Transit Safety and Public Housing Safety will cease, and those officers and functions will transition to PPSOs, with police training and powers focused on addressing anti-social behaviour in public housing, on buses, at shopping centres, bottle shops, events and other public places.
“The PPSOs will be in police uniforms with unique badging to make them “distinguishable in public areas”, Mr O’Brien said, as well as being given full police powers under the Police Administration Act and access to firearms.
“The public can feel safer and actually go up and engage with these people because they should see more of them in public,” he said.
Mr O’Brien said NT Police would make sure the officers were “fully equipped” with the appropriate training through the police college.
While the government says the PPSOs are designed to deal with anti-social behaviour and reduce crime, community groups, such as Justice Not Jails, claim the latest announcement is “emblematic of the CLP’s destructive approach to community safety”.
Ally Sara, a Justice Not Jails member who catches the bus to work every day, said she was “extremely concerned about the prospect of riding with a firearm-carrying transit officer”.
“Putting under-trained and over-armed transit officers onto crowded buses with lethal weapons is a shockingly shortsighted recipe for disaster,” she said.
“The CLP is making it increasingly clear their only tool is a gun, and that they’ll throw a cop – or a gun-carrying ‘public safety officer’ – at anything to see if it sticks.”
Adding to the list of critics, independent Member for Johnston Justine Davis said in a statement that the CLP’s move was “deeply out of step” and centred on “control and fear”.
“Weapons don’t create safety, they escalate fear and risk,” she said.
“If these so-called ‘tough on crime’ measures worked, the Territory would be the safest place in Australia.
“We know how this ends, we’ve seen it elsewhere in the world, and it’s never with a safer community.”
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