A travelling police roadshow is no substitute for a full-time policing commitment in Alice Springs, says Shadow Minister for Central Australia, Matt Conlan (pictured).
Operation Shiloh, which will see up to 25 officers transiting through Central Australia over the next few weeks, is a stop gap measure which will bring little long term benefit to the town.
“What Alice Springs needs is a full time additional police presence – not a fly-in fly-out squad,” Mr Conlan said.
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Last January, when the violence, break-ins and anti-social behavior was at a peak, I called for the creation of a task-force to deal with the crisis – but what is required in Alice Springs is a beefed-up permanent police presence.
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Additional police on the beat is the best way to deter criminals, not high-profile publicity stunts that are back lolling around Darwin when criminals strike.”
Mr Conlan said delays in appointing a new full-time Southern Commander reflected poorly on police policy priorities:
“The Southern Region has been without a permanent commander for almost a year.
“The delay in providing the community and police officers with the certainty that comes from a permanent commander is inexcusable.
“The Commissioner should in future avoid cherry picking crime statistics collected during the dead of winter which show a drop in incidents.
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Instead of drip-feeding Territorians selective figures that suit the Government’s narrative, the Government should end the cover-up and resume releasing quarterly crime statistics immediately.” [Media release.]
Saturday, April 20, 2024
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