31 January 2020
The Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) is calling for tougher sentencing options to deter would-be offenders from attacking our members. It follows an incident where a 25-year-old man allegedly spat blood at police and an ambulance worker, during an arrest in Nightcliff.
Acting NTPA President, Lisa Bayliss, said enough is enough.
“The sentencing options we have in place are clearly not working. There’s still a small section of the community who just doesn’t get it. An assault on anyone is horrific, but to attack a police officer or an emergency service worker who is just trying to do their job is cowardly.
“In 2019, there were 175 assaults on NT Police, and while this is down on the previous year, it’s a disgraceful statistic. It also doesn’t paint a true picture of assaults on police. Our 2018 survey revealed our members are being assaulted at a rate of one per day and 25% of attacks are going unreported.
“The frequency and severity of attacks on our members is deeply concerning and the community expects people who are found guilty of assaulting police to face appropriate punishment.
“The threat of a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment is clearly not an adequate deterrent. We’re calling on the Attorney-General to urgently review the current sentencing options for the charge of Assault on police or emergency service workers,” said Mrs Bayliss.
ENDS
Please direct all media enquiries to media@ntpa.com.au or by phone +61 (0) 8 8995 9520
The Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) is the industrial voice of all members of the Northern Territory Police Force. Read more via www.ntpa.com.au or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NTPoliceAssociation
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