A 16-year-old boy who crashed a stolen car in the northern suburbs early Tuesday morning, left two people behind in the car when he fled police, including an 11-year-old boy and 32-year-old woman who needed medical treatment, NT Police said, with all three arrested along with three others after a wild night of stolen vehicles across Darwin.
Disgraced police commissioner Michael Murphy mysteriously cancelled a recruitment process for the deputy commissioner role in late 2023, multiple sources have told the NT Independent, and later struck a new panel that appointed current Acting Commissioner Martin Dole in the deputy role, which comes amid calls by the police union to investigate all of Mr Murphy’s appointments, that have so far been rejected by the Chief Minister.
A 23-year-old man has been charged with the abduction of a 12-year-old boy in Alice Springs last month, after being extradited from South Australia.
UPDATED: Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has added more uncertainty and instability in the NT Police, claiming on Monday morning that she only today became aware Acting Police Commissioner Martin Dole was on the same mismanaged hiring panel as Michael Murphy to appoint a senior role, despite being asked about it on Sunday and being given a briefing by the ICAC late last month, adding that she holds “no concerns” about a culture of cronyism in the NT Police.
NT pensioners and those in financial difficulty will receive increased social security payments due to indexation adjustments by the Federal Government, effective March 20, but Council on the Ageing NT says the increase is not enough to meet skyrocketing living costs.
A police officer was injured early Sunday morning in Alice Springs when a stolen Toyota Hilux accelerated and rammed into his parked vehicle, causing a suspected concussion, NT Police said.
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy will not be referred for a criminal investigation into his proven improper conduct, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said at her first press conference since moving to terminate his contract, but again refused to explain why she did not take action as soon as she became aware of Mr Murphy’s improper conduct.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has finally told Police Commissioner Michael Murphy to resign, stating he has “lost the confidence of the Government”, but it appears he has been placed on leave while his contract is terminated, according to an unusual Saturday night statement from her office.
ANALYSIS: The Chief Minister’s handling of the ongoing Murphy scandal undermines the confidence every Territorian needs to have in its highest elected official and in its police commissioner, raising serious questions about her lack of action. The cover-up is always worse than the crime, as this debacle proves again.
Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Kennon, whose promotion was at the centre of the recent ICAC investigation, went from a Superintendent to Acting Deputy Commissioner in roughly 18-months after his close friend Michael Murphy, who had been his best man, became Police Commissioner, sources have told the NT Independent.
The NT Police Association has called for Police Commissioner Michael Murphy to resign, following revelations he engaged in misconduct and failed to manage a serious conflict of interest by hiring a mate for a senior role, which has “ignited widespread frustration and anger” within the police rank-and-file, who are once again questioning the integrity of their leadership.
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy is the “senior public officer” the ICAC found engaged in improper conduct by hiring a mate for a senior role in the NT Police, but he has refused to resign, despite the findings that his actions amounted to “negligence and incompetence”.
