The NT police apology to Aboriginal people comes during a year of heightened tensions across the jurisdiction. Some hope it could be a first step towards healing.
When delivered by governments or institutions, an apology can offer a simple but long-awaited acknowledgement of an individual's story, their struggle and their survival in the face of wrongdoing.There was the apology to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in 2018, and to the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants in 2009.
"I formally apologise for the hurt inflicted upon Aboriginal people, and together with my fellow officers, I commit the NT police service to do the hard work to transform our relationship with Aboriginal Territorians for a safer community for all," he said. John Paterson, convenor of Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the NT , said he was cautiously optimistic about Commissioner Murphy's commitment to change,The NT police apology didn't come out of nowhere.
The apology also came during a year of significant community tensions due to rising crime rates, which saw the enactment of government policies includingThe mood for cultural change within NT police was made clear last month with the hiring of Leanne Liddle, former director of the NT government's Aboriginal Justice Unit.
"With the situation on the ground getting worse for territory Aboriginal people, it is hard to take any of this very seriously," she wrote on social media.
Apology Police Commissioner Michael Murphy Aboriginal First Nations Indigenous Nt Police Northern Territory Police Nt Northern Territory Racism
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