Page 2196 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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helping with casework. The City of London Police are also looking at how to best engage those members that they have had to retire to maximise their pension, helping bring back invaluable experience that can be used to fill skills gaps as younger members learn. Our discussions with the City of London Police also included confidential security briefings on counterterrorism, security preparedness and crowded places.
I am grateful to the City of London Police for trusting us by sharing deep insights into their work in these areas. As our government continues developing and implementing our own crowded places strategy and other strategies to enhance the safety of Canberra, these insights are invaluable, as are the relationships that have been built and the shared knowledge and experiences. As you might appreciate, much of this information is classified or sensitive and it would be irresponsible of me to share anything further.
Another emerging area within the security response framework is fixated threats. Fixated threats are not just a concern in relation to countering violence and terrorism but also important in helping protect democratic institutions and those that work in them. Distrust in democracy and broader political systems can increase the dangers faced. While a response from government is needed, we all have a role to play in improving discourse and trust. All of us in this place need to work harder to ensure that trust in democracy can be maintained, demonstrating that the democratic system listens and is the right way to make change and demonstrating that solutions to grievances are being properly considered without the need for violence or other forms of unlawful protest.
In responding to the threat of fixated persons we simply cannot deploy a tactical law and other responses or a traditional law as well. These situations require creative and collaborative responses from law enforcement and health authorities to best manage and deter individuals from committing crimes and acts of violence. We need an integrated approach that recognises that there is a role for mental health professionals, working closely alongside law enforcement and informed by the best intelligence. That is the best approach.
In London our delegation was able to sit down with the United Kingdom Fixated Threat Assessment Centre, FTAC, and receive confidential insights into their work. FTAC is one agency amongst a broad suite tasked with keeping safe individuals, including members of the royal family and members of the UK parliament. The UK FTAC model is a well-tested and proven model that comprises teams that are made up of both law enforcement and mental health clinicians. Our visit helped further relationships with key experts who have been at the forefront of this work in the United Kingdom. It also provided an opportunity to discuss models that could be adopted by the territory. The territory government has committed to developing a fixated threat assessment model for the ACT as part of a national security COAG agreement, and I am pleased that in Tuesday’s budget funding was provided for this aim.
I am also pleased that this year’s budget continues vital support for mental health in the community. We must recognise that a holistic approach is needed when it comes
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