24 June 2022
The NT Police Association is calling on Attorney General Chansey Paech to reveal more details about plans to strengthen sentences for police assaults following another disgusting attack on a member in Alice Springs.
In the early hours of Friday morning a person in police custody spat in the eye of an officer while being treated in Alice Springs Hospital.
The member must now undergo a stressful wait for test results to see if they have contracted a communicable disease.
NTPA President Paul McCue said the incident was the latest in a spate of attacks on police and after voting down the CLP’s proposed changes to legislation it was time for the Fyles Government to inform the members of the NT Police of their intentions.
Mr McCue said the NTPA had been left out of the loop and were aware of very few details of what the law changes Mr Paech referred to in Estimates this week consisted of.
“A working group established by former Police Minister Nicole Mansion in September to address sentencing for assaults on frontline workers has only met once,” he said.
“However it would appear there has been work going on behind the scenes regarding legislation changes that the NTPA has not been made aware of.
“The NTPA would welcome any insight provided by Mr Paech onto what the new legislation would look like and an update on when it might go before parliament.
“Our members are suffering terrible violent and brutal assaults at work. It’s time sentencing matched the seriousness of the crime.”
