Media Release from Shadow Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Marie-Clare Boothby
The Lawler Labor Government has completely failed in its plans to keep bottle shop workers safe.
When Declan Laverty was murdered over a year ago, Labor pledged to implement comprehensive training in de-escalation techniques to manage anti-social behavior. They also promised to grant security guards authorisation to use OC spray when needed to keep people safe.
Labor has now revealed that only 18 people had completed managing anti-social behaviour training and there has been no progress on the implementation of OC spray. The Lawler Labor Government has been dragging its feet for over a year, breaking their promise to provide essential security measure for bottle shops. Earlier this month there were more ram raids, robberies and attacks on Darwin bottle shops.
Labor has not prioritised implementing these measures and continue to leave staff at bottle shops exposed to danger.
Alex Bruce from Hospitality NT recently said on radio they had heard from the government that OC spray may start to be rolled out next month, but it had been more than 12 months since the government said it would be rolled out as a priority.
“It’s just been many, many incidences and near misses with edged weapons in our bottle shop network,” Mr Bruce said on Darwin radio station Mix104.9FM on April 9, 2024.
Labor’s knife crime strategy is too cumbersome and convoluted for police to effectively conduct wand searches on individuals. Just another example of a Labor strategy failing Territorians.
The CLP's plan focuses on empowering police and addressing the underlying issues driving criminal behaviour.
Our Plan includes lowering the age of criminal responsibility, strengthening bail laws, and implementing rehabilitation programs for offenders.
A CLP-led Government will deliver a Safe, Strong Territory by taking back control of our streets, rebuilding the Territory’s reputation and get our economy moving forwards.
