LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – New legislation has passed through the Territory Parliament giving police new powers to quickly remove trouble makers from our streets before problems escalate.
Paperless arrests allow police to immediately remove a person who is causing a public nuisance and put them into custody for four hours, before more serious offending can happen.
Paperless arrests are an important part of our successful DarwinSafe initiative that has already helped drive down assaults in Mitchell Street by 24 per cent.
Under previous legislation, a person who may be causing a public nuisance can be issued with an infringement notice but then left in the same area where they may continue their disorderly behaviour.
The new laws will instead allow police to hold a trouble maker in custody for four hours before they are issued with an infringement, are charged or released on bail.
If a person is drunk when taken into custody, they can be held until police believe they are no longer intoxicated.
We have already made significant inroads in reducing both crimes against the person and property crime in the Northern Territory.
Property crime has been slashed by 18 per cent Territory-wide in the two years since forming Government. Additionally, home break-ins across the Territory dropped by a staggering 30 per cent.
In the nine months since the introduction of the Government’ tough new alcohol measures, alcohol-related assaults reduced 18 per cent Territory-wide compared with the same period in 2013.
Adam Giles
Chief Minister
John Elferrink
Attorney General