Published on Tuesday, 6 December 2022 at 8:42:06 AM

In my opinion...

Council CEO Ingrid Stonhill

Crime affects us all and I have had my own experience with crime in this town. I am not alone. There are so many of us in Katherine, as wave upon wave of crime descends upon us.

My house was broken into two weeks ago and it has left me feeling affronted and violated. The fact that someone (or someones), quietly and patiently took off a window security screen at my house, forced open the window and entered my private place has left me reeling. Clearly, they had time on their side, as this happened in the middle of a weekday afternoon.

They slowly moved from room to room, opening every drawer to discover many hiding places. It was a bit like selecting items from the shopping aisles in Woolworths. Collecting a stash and placing my personal treasures on my kitchen bench, like it was the check-out point. But they did not take their own bags, because some of it was left behind. Their greed was more than they could carry.

What leaves me cold is the thought that someone went shopping in my lingerie drawer, to find my carefully hidden jewellery satchel. The items they took were nothing to them but a means to covert to cash, but to me they meant the world and carried a sentimental, irreplaceable value.

If you, like me, are a victim of crime or are affected by a fear of crime happening to you, it is understandable if you’re thinking, what on earth is happening to our town?

Long-term residents have told us this situation isn’t new to Katherine. It’s a complex issue and Katherine, as the Big Rivers Region hub, has received the brunt of it in the past. What is new though, is our ability to communicate with our community more effectively. But it’s a volatile subject and tensions are high.

What’s being done

Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the Katherine Community Support and Engagement Reference Group who have been working nonstop to address the cause and effect of this current crime wave. It is headed by Katherine Police and, while it could be said they are just doing their job, our officers have been working above and beyond to keep us safe and to maintain control.

To the executive team, led by the Chief Minister & Cabinet, who have been in constant contact with our politicians and senior government officials in Darwin, thank you for your strategic guidance and support, for reacting and caring as we are all in this together. At Council, our job is to keep the town functioning and we have been quietly focusing on this, trying to keep our town orderly, whilst supporting those agencies with the skillset best tasked to deal with this.

Crime prevention is everyone’s responsibility. What can we all do as individuals? Report, report, report! It is so important to report any incident of crime, or attempted crime, no matter how small or how large. While it may be tedious, it is important because your details could help solve a bigger issue as well as contribute to statistics, which provide a better picture of how often this is happening. The information you hold can help track offender movements and or stop a bigger offence.

Who to call

• In case of emergencies always call triple 000.
• If a crime that has occurred and is no longer an emergency call 131 444.
• If you see something suspicious and you want to report it, you can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
• If you have been a Victim of Crime, call 1800 672 242 for some support and follow up.
• If you would like some help and assistance in keeping you, your family and belongings safe, call Neighbourhood Watch NT on (08) 8999 0847.

We are all in this together, let’s make sure we all keep each other safe throughout the festive season.

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