JOINT MEDIA RELEASE An additional 60 Northern Territory (NT) Police members and 18 regional community police stations will be part of the legacy of a four-year partnership between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NT Police. The AFP and NT Police have worked together since 2007 to stabilise and protect indigenous regional communities as part of the NT Emergency Response Taskforce (NTERT).
While the AFP has withdrawn members from the NTERT, it will maintain a presence in the Northern Territory's regional communities as part of the multi-agency Child Abuse Taskforce (CAT), a collaboration with NT Police and the NT Department of Families and Children. The AFP's ongoing contribution to the CAT is funded for six members until the end of the 2011/2012 financial year. The NTERT was established in June 2007 in response to an NT Government-commissioned report (Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle - Little Children are Sacred) into the alleged sexual abuse of indigenous children. At its peak in 2009, the operation comprised 64 AFP personnel seconded to NT Police to conduct community policing duties in remote communities, investigate alleged child sexual abuse and undertake mission support and management duties in Darwin. Since 2007, the NTERT has responded to 4,451 reported crimes, resulting in 2,310 arrests. NT Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Payne said the operation had established 18 temporary police stations in remote communities that will remain fully resourced. Five stations are now permanent facilities. "To establish 18 extra stations and add 60 police members on the ground in those communities, is an extraordinary effort and it provides much-needed support and services," Assistant Commissioner Mark Payne said. "I thank the AFP for their assistance. We've worked together to provide a positive presence in these communities and NT Police now has the resources in place to ensure this good work can continue." The AFP, which deployed 242 officers over the four-year partnership, has staged a gradual drawdown of members since 2009 to ensure a smooth transition AFP Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said the AFP's involvement in the NTER was unprecedented in Australian policing history. "This operation has provided a successful model for cooperative policing through the high level of operability between the AFP and NT Police," Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said. "Our members have been able to make a significant contribution to community engagement with local indigenous communities, especially the interaction with indigenous youth. "The AFP's commitment to this operation was always finite, but we're pleased to provide an extended presence in the Northern Territory as part of the Child Abuse Taskforce." Media enquiries: AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333 L-R NT Police Assistant Commissioner Reece Kershaw, Deputy Commissioner Shayne Maines, Commissioner John McRoberts, AFP Deputy Michael Phelan, Assistant Commissioner Grahame Kelly, AFP Assistant Commissioner Frank Prendergast, Assistant Commissioner Mark Payne. Northern Territory Police Media (08) 8901 0303