NT Police Association President Nathan Finn says officers need to have the powers to check people’s ID when it comes to public drinking in order to refer them on to health services.

He told Katie Woolf the NT’s alcohol issues should be treated with a health response rather than a policing one.

Mr Finn added that the police compound was recently broken into in Wadeye and members only became aware of it after seeing a post on social media as the CCTV system was down.

Follow the podcast on