Mark tells Hinds: Don't attack the police

OPPOSITION Senator Wade Mark has slammed National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds for what he described as a frontal attack on the police.

Mark did so on Tuesday in the Senate, when he called upon Hinds to retract a statement he reportedly made last September that about only 40 per cent of the members of the protective services were doing all the work.

"In the future, don't attack the police."

Mark asked Hinds to explain his rationale for making his statement and whether he would retract it or apologise to the police for making it. Senate President Christine Kangaloo disallowed Mark's calls to Hinds.

In his response, Hinds did not retract the statement. He said he left his busy schedule to "answer this, consider this – what I consider to be a very empty and banal question."

But he accepted that he was obligated as a government mijister to answer questions in Parliament.

"The Minister of National Security certainly does not propose to retract the statement, in view of the fact that it was not designed or intended to be a criticism."

Hinds said his statement was only a personal observation he had made.