Now we know the Northern Territory Police are always busy and certainly the Dog Operations junits are as well. And joining me in the studio right now is the Dog Operations Units Senior Sergeant Meacham King. Good morning, Meetjah, Yeah, really good. Good to have you in the studio. And I know dog operations have been involved in quite a large number of incidents over recent recent days. I might kick off first, Northern Territory Police no longer hold concerned for the welfare of a bloke that was missing in I believe where was he missing in Nooka, Yeah, Nooka a little earlier in the week. Talk us through how he was found.
Yeah, the whole division has been pretty busy the last week, Katie. So Monday morning, about three o'clock in the morning, police received the call that a nineteen year old mail having returned for motorbike wide and family. So local police did their inquiries and search. A rescue section was notify and they rolled out the next morning. We had a pretty big operation. We're two helicopters. We bought the Challenger Search to Rescue aircraft over from cans to come and assist with that as well, and we're obviously search and rescue members, local police. We had a couple of members from TRG You Go Down has helped local rangers were involved with their tests, and then through the efforts of the coordination search and rescue, they located the motorbike by the helicopter and the landed nearby and found our missing person and managed to get him to the clinic for help which could slightly dehydrate it. Over the overall not too bad, but I think it was mainly through the efforts of the unit and what we do to get out there so quickly that we found him quickly and prevented any further harm to him.
Yeah. Right, was it a pretty sort of you know, like rough area and the certificate.
It's to be a savannah country. Lucky this time of year it's not as hot hot during the day, but as it gets to the dry season less water around. So there's always a concern for those sort of areas, and it's extremely fortunate that the family got onto us early to let us know a lot of these times, he might be back. He might be back before we know it. The longer it takes notified police, the longer it takes, and the tyranny of distance. The NTI is really a challenge for us. It's a long way to drive people, and we flew people through police ear wing as well.
Yeah, what do you know what his reaction was when the police located him. I reckon he would have been pretty much.
Yeah, I think of individually, it was probably a little bit grateful to see the helicopters flying over him.
Yeah.
I approached him, they grabbed him and got Hi back to the clinic, which is really really good.
Yeah, good stuff, And he's going to be okay by the Southism.
Now that he's getting the medical care that he needs. I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with him because we've found him so early. But yeah, I'm not done he details.
Yeah, well that is good to hear it now, I know. On Monday afternoon as well, the Northern Territory Police arrested a twenty seven year old man after responding to a domestic violence disturbance. Him were laging. Now I've been told there was quite a large police presence for this arrest.
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, so police communication has got a triple zero core from a distressed female saying there was a male there with a firearm threatening her and the young infant child. I've listened to that Triple O call. It's it is pretty distressing the way she's portraying what's happening, So obviously we took it very seriously. Local General Duties members turned up and put in the court and then TRG rolled out with the bear cat and with their teams and they put it a courding in. Negotiators negotiated with them once they've got on seen the female and the children came out and a bit more negotiation than the person in question came out as well.
Goodness me, that sounds like a terribly frightening situation. And that was sort of one o'clock.
Yeah, I was one o'clock in the afternoon during the day, Yeah, which you can't pick and choose, and these sort of instants occur, but we've had during the daytime, nighttime evenings. But they rolled in and did it. Ay good a job, quitting a job and negotiating with him. As far as I know, the firearm hasn't been located yet, but the matter has been followed up by detectives. Yeah, but I appreciate there was a little bit of a it's almost alarmed, but a lot of contact to you the studio of stuff for people saying what's going on, what's going on? But these are the jobs we do. We put cordons in, we push people away to make yourself, the community and obviously the people in the house well.
And I guess it's a bit of a juggle for the police as well, in the sense that you know, you guys know the danger in terms of somebody potentially having a firearm and the risks associated with that. You don't want to, you know, sort of you know, send the community into chaos by you know, when you're not one hundred percent sure yet the risk to everybody, and your ultimate goal is making sure that you know that woman and children are such exactly right, it's.
That this whole thing of being aware not alarmed, so to speak. So we've got a police operation in place. It shouldn't affect anybody in the immediate area. If that does, then we're obviously talking to neighbors and doing that sort of communication with them. But it's just difficult when you have a person who has the means to harm others and you have to try and communicate them because they have all the all the cards and it's just up to us to follow a protocol.
Yeah things, How like, how do the dogs help in some of those situations as well?
The canine Yeah, so the general duties or the patrol dogs will always go out with RG and helping the according in case someone escapes from the place and run on foot. Well, how effective they are and people running off and apprehending them and tracking them. So they're always doing that. They work quite a bit with TRG with the jobs they do with searchers and with high risk incidents because they're always very very capable in what they can provide. And yep, you are TRG member with all his equipment on his twenty seven kilos of weight trying to chase someone. It's not going to work that well. Whereas a dog is going to work really really well to chase them down.
Yes, and draxill wedge out and form Yeah, and I go out to get them very quickly. Hey, now I know. The Northern Territory Police also arrested five years after they allegedly forced their way into a Palmerston home and stole two cars on Sunday morning. This was a frightening situation about one sixteen in the morning police received that call. There's a number of offenders armed with edged weapons had entered this home in Rosebery now earlier, the victims had locked themselves in a bedroom before the offenders smashed the bedroom door with a machete and demanded money and keys to those two cars.
Yeah, it's pretty frightening. His home invasion. I think it's up with the highest level of violence against the units or the community that you can get. You're at home, you're asleep, you're hearing noise, you realize people in your house. You do the right thing, lock yourself in your bedroom to avoid in confrontation. Then they start using ed weapons to come and get it you because they want money or or this instance, vehicle keys and the rest of it. It's just, it's just it's the word. I can't explain the words that these people will be going through, especially you're trying to wake up and imagine if you've got kids in the house and they're in sleep of bedrooms. It's just yeah, I don't words and radio, but it's just it frustrates me that this sort of behavior continues. So, yeah, so they called police and obviously police got there pretty quick. Their vehicles were located, they had to pursuit with strikeforce tried and general duty is they lost the car due to the manner of driving. And then again speaking of Wedge, but Matt he was doing he was called out. Him and Harry were called out with FITZI. Matts come across the cards crashed and obviously deployed. Wedge tracked the offenders to a house in Molden. He sighted them and Matt's on the right thing called in other units. We put a They went knocked on door and got all our offenders with some of the popular believe the car was used in a ram rod. So very good result in apprehending them. But still the issue of the incident to start with is.
Pretty tragic one hundred percent. I mean, like the thought of somebody getting inside your home you're locking yourself in your room and then having them get inside your room or hacking at your room with an edge weapon. It is nothing short of a horror situation.
It is. And then how do you talk about the people in that house? Do you stay in that house? Do you want to leave? What sort of security you put on? You know, every time you hear the dog bark in the street, you hear the gate rattling, something else, cats outside, and all of a sudden're gonna start panting the someone's in your house. So I don't think a lot of people realize the ongoing trauma that people experienced psychologically after that, you know what I mean.
So it's yeah, your spot on, And then you said that that in the end, obviously Matt and Wedge were able to apprehend some.
Of those So did you the fact that Wedge tracked them from that car to that house. We've got them otherwise, who being like, ye, there's a car. We'd been running on forensics or other testing to identify the individuals, but we've got them that night, which which is really good because they're off the street. Start with obviously the courts and with any diversion being in place, I'm not aware of that that'll that'll take that process, but at least those individuals will be spoken to and the victims of the matter and have some reassurance that they have been called by police, not still out there potentially going to.
Come back and do stuff well, and again sort of demonstrating the way in which the Northern Territory Police members are able to work them with the Canine Unit, and I do apologize because I think I might have said earlier in the week that it was that it was Drax and Steve, but no, it was Matt.
And Harry and fits were called out and awesome. And then Matt was involved in the escape custody incident on Friday last weeks well with a couple of offenders. Offenders got out of corrections vehicle in the CBD. All the handles rolled out to it happened just to cite them in the lame way. He's pulled over, got weds out, moved through cars. Got the main offender he's well known to the dog and unit, and tried and so they have a personation by name. Challenged him. He jumped up on top of a car because he was obviously saw the dog, which is good, and Matt just talked him down the ground and it was actually fortune. The second offender was with him. I was running pass as an off duny remember having a cold beverage, and saw him run and grabbed him and marched him back to Matt and the Matt and Wedge held him on the ground until get's turned up. And I think it was tried and turned up in customs, So yeah, got him back relatively quickly. But yeah, again, the presence of the dog unit as well also helps. If you're a member by yourself with two persons who have a significant history of violence, it can a confotational incident and then puts their members at risk in the community at risk.
Yeah, yeah, exactly, And you know then being able to have those dogs there to assist would be an incredible help an incredibly helpful thing. Now, I also understand that in Alice Springs. So how many dogs have you got in the canine unit in allte.
So there's well, there's only one operational control dog with two pups or two training dogs should be operation with the end of the year. And there's two drug dog handlers down there as well.
Yeah, five in total. Now, they were involved or one of the one of the police officers and a canine were involved in the location of a three D firearm.
So there was a traffic stop on a vehicle I think was initiated by traffic and some drug squad member. I'm not too sure that, but two drug dog handers were there and helped and search the car. They found a quality methamphetamine and cannabis. In the vehicle and then when they searched on their fenas a three D printed handgun on his person. So yeah, it's something that we're seeing worldwide, especially in Australia, where people are producing these firearms through three D printers. Inherently dangerous. They can go off when you use them for this on them. But then also you've got people running around with firearms that no way of tracing them. They don't have to go to anybody to buy them or steal them, that they have been doing with criminal organization, they're actually making them. Yeah, it was a very good pinch that want to get that fire them off the street and I sell those people be put for the court.
But concerning yeah, it is it is a worry. Look, I had no real idea about those three D firearms, So I mean, I'm a bit of a I don't even know what the right word is, but have no idea about a lot of these crimes Metium until I hear about them when you guys tell us. But like a three D firearm and then the fact that people can get their hands on those and they're not you know, they don't have to be registered, they don't you know, like they don't have a serial number or anything right.
Every sense words, So they're getting obviously the file being downloaded obviously from overseas, and they put into their three D printer and it builds it from there and they obviously you see stuff in the US and kids have been doing and use the wrong top of plastic, use the wrong top of printer, and it goes off and they're losing eyes, they're losing fingers. There are all sorts of pieces. Then if they get it right, you got yourself a firearm on the street. That's and let's let's be fact about this. Most of them are doing it for legal purposes. Some people who obviously buildings are like playing with guns. It's is a US thing. But a lot of people are doing this so they can use them for the commitment of crime.
Do you know if it's happening very often in the northern territory, it's hard.
To not aware of a lot of it. But it's like there is a fair bit happening interstate, and this car was to have interstate registration. So whether they've come up from interstate or whether they're I don't know, but in the state, we're definitely seeing trends from jurisdictions, and it's only amount of time before things come up here.
Michum. I don't know whether you've got any info on this, but Paul called through wanted to ask police about a burnt out car in Malac and what happens, like who removes them? And I guess if a car is stolen and then ends up crashing, do you know what happens.
It's actually funny you mentioned that because I drove past that vehicle this morning right away for a couple days. You know, that's interesting one of what happened there. So I'm not aware of the circumstance, but from my understanding, it's being a tried members. Yeah. So the vehicle is your responsibility. So if it's stolen and it's located out in a rural regional area or located in town, you'll get notification. It's up to you to come and collect it and do it. I think that's just the way that either it's a legislative change or it's a polity. Police are not totally for me. I can. I've definitely find out for back to you, but it is a responsibility the owner.
Okay, well we'll see I mean, I guess maybe who knows, maybe the owner of that car or get in contact with us and let us know what happened. If they didn't crash it themselves, you never know.
Well that's exactly right. They could have crashed. It could have broken down and people have vandalized it. It could be a stolen vehicle, it could be a whole range range of range of visues.
Yeah, hey, before I let you go, just you know, a great story to finish things off. You guys have been partaking in the push up challenge. Is that just the canine unit that's been partaking or who else?
I think some other units and police are doing it. But Ben Stove on the Handers took it upon himself to nominate the Police Dog Operations Unit for to Push Up challenge. So yeah, we've been cracking on with that. We've done a bit of stuff at the colleague last week with the executive and the recruits, which is really good and it's all just about raising awareness of mental health and suicide. So I think the challenges around about two thousand and three hundred and one push ups in twenty six days, and it comes down to the amount of people committed suicide in twenty twenty three. It works on an average about one hundred and seventy a day. But yeah, it's good and everyone's raising money. So if anyone wants to throw some money and you can go to the Facebook or type in push up Challenge www dot com dot au and basically go to donate, type in dog Operations under the team teams are icon and then basically just put some money towards and all the money goes locally to Headspace, So it's not like we're raising money to go into state. It's going nashally. I think there's over twelve hundred teams. We're sitting on about I think two hundred and ninety three for fundraising. We're about third in the country for major services. We're doing pretty well.
That's awesome.
It Ben's done a fantastic job and taking this on and everyone's a little bit getting a bit over getting up in the morning, feeling sore and doing it. But it's a good thing and as we know, exercise is a huge thing for mental health.
It truly is. May tell me, can the dogs have you taught the dogs to like do it?
I do have a video of bending push ups with him, I think, all.
Right, we'll make sure that if we're allowed to put it up online, we will definitely do that. I reckon the listeners will love it. Good on you guys. That's a great thing to do, and Headspace do a phenomenal job in the NT. So wonderful that that money is going to a local cause as well. Well. Meet, I'm good to catch up with you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us in the studio and of course, you know, talking us through all of those those different incidents that the Dog Operations Unit were involved in. Senior Sergeant Meechim King, thank you.
Thanks Ging