The Northern Territory Government has rejected a recommendation to remove Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors (PALIs) from bottle shops in Alice Springs, Katherine, and Tennant Creek.
The recommendation to remove PALIs was one of three that were rejected from a total of 18 recommendations made as part of a major review into NT Policing.
Retail Drinks Australia has welcomed the NT Government’s continued support for PALIs, with CEO Michael Waters saying that PALIs play an important role in assisting bottle shop owners in these regions.
“Retail Drinks has long supported PALIs as an effective, targeted measure to assist bottle shop owners in deterring anti-social behaviour at their stores.
“The value of having PALIs in place was recently demonstrated in Alice Springs where their temporary removal for training purposes caused significant issues for these business owners. This was particularly apparent at the stores where there was no PALI presence, which resulted in a substantial increase in levels of anti-social behaviour.
“We are pleased that the NT Government has recognised PALIs’ value and has soundly rejected the recommendation for their removal.
“We look forward to working with the NT Government to ensure that bottle-shop owners in these communities have the support they need and that PALIs continue to play this key role in the community.”
