Police ascertained that a 27-year-old male Northern Territory Police officer was among a group of five people that passed through the Queensland border and failed to complete the required border entry forms.
As a result, the police officer has resigned from the Northern Territory Police this morning. The police officer, three men aged 26, 27, 29, and a 28-year-old woman were placed into mandatory quarantine along with two females, aged 19 and 24, who had close contact with the group.
Investigations discovered that three of the men had travelled to Queensland from Sydney. They remain in mandatory quarantine and have been issued with infringement notices for contravention of emergency declaration.
The police officer and three women travelled from Queensland and did not pass through a COVID-19 hotspot. They are now in self-isolation. The police officer and a 28-year-old woman have been issued infringement notices for contravention of emergency declaration.
Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage said, “These actions could have seriously compromised the health and safety of all Territorians.”
“What is most disappointing is the action of the former police officer. As police, we take our task of protecting the Northern Territory borders very seriously. We do not discriminate when it comes to disciplining those who fail to abide rules that are in place to keep Territorians safe”.
NT Police and the Department of Health will continue to maintain our current systems, plans and processes and work collaboratively to ensure our community is safe through a rapid responses to any information of concern. This includes the continued compliance activities across the Northern Territory.
The infringement penalty for failing to abide by the Chief Health Officer Directions issued under section 56 of the Public and Environmental Health Act 2011 is $5,056 for an individual and $25,280 for a business. 31,482 compliance checks have now been completed and 149 fines issued.
