Commissioner says Kumanjayi Little Baby case will 'stay with you forever'

Increasing mental health support for Northern Territory police officers has been flagged as a key part of improving attrition rates during this year’s NT Police Association conference in Darwin. During his speech, Commissioner Martin Dole acknowledged the challenges faced by police this year, including the tragic death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs. What’s next? The police union has called on the NT government to bolster support for remote police including by offering better housing and incentives. The Northern Territory's most senior police officer has described the investigation into the alleged murder of five-year-old girl Kumanjayi Little Baby as "one of the most difficult investigations" officers had ever faced. Speaking at this year's NT Police Association (NTPA) conference in Darwin, Commissioner Martin Dole acknowledged the "challenging" year officers had faced across the territory. Commissioner Dole also highlighted the "incredibly difficult circumstances" police faced following the tragic death of Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs in April, which saw violent riots erupt after the arrest of her alleged killer. "I want to acknowledge one of the most difficult investigations some of our officers have ever experienced with the search for Kumanjayi Little Baby, the apprehension of the [alleged] offender … and then the fallout after that apprehension," he said. "There are moments in policing that stay with you forever and that was one of them for many of our people. "The officers, investigators, specialist units and partner agencies involved showed extraordinary professionalism, compassion and resilience." Morale, attrition priorities Wellbeing was a theme of this year's conference with NTPA president Nathan Finn noting remote policing remained one of the "most significant workplaces challenges" for the force. '"If government expects experienced police officers to move their families, commit to remote communities and remain there … it must provide safe housing, adequate staffing, reliable infrastructure and incentives that recognise the genuine demands of remote service in the NT," he said. Less than a week ago, police in the remote community of Wadeye were allegedly attacked by a large group of men armed with arrows, rocks, metal bars and window louvres following weeks of unrest in the area. Mr Finn thanked the NT government for coming to the table on the latest industrial agreement but said pay rises alone would not effectively reduce attrition rates. The conference heard vacancy rates were as high as 60 per cent in some remote areas. "The real question is whether an experienced officer can look at a career in the Northern Territory and see something worth staying for," he said. In her address, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro noted the overall attrition rate had dropped from 10.7 per cent in 2022 to 7.1 per cent in 2026 but said more work needed to be done. "More people are joining and fewer are leaving," she said. "But that number needs to be much lower." Police feel weight of CLP policies Mr Finn also noted police had carried a "significant share of the responsibility" for delivering the NT Country Liberal Party (CLP) government's crime reduction strategy, which has seen an increase in the number of arrests during the past year. He said the use of police watch houses as longer-term detention facilities had placed added pressure on an already stretched workforce. "The NTPA will continue to insist that police watch houses are properly staffed, properly resourced and used for policing purpose for which they are designed," he said. "Pressure in one part of the justice system can't simply be transferred to police and re-labelled as someone else's workload." Mrs Finocchiaro said the government had "cleared" police watch houses and spruiked a recent announcement to build a privately-operated, 1,200-bed prison which she said would ensure police "never ever have overflowing watch houses ever again".