Alice Springs is in the midst of a two-week curfew on its youth, after a spate of violence and unrest in the town saw an attack on the Todd Tavern.
Located roughly 2k kilometres north-west of Sydney, Alice entered the spotlight last year over increasing crime and anti-social behaviour, which it’s thought have been exacerbated by the cessation in 2022 of alcohol restrictions, known as Stronger Futures.
According to Territory police, the latest violence was associated with the recent motor vehicle death of an 18-year-old man, which has led to disputes between families.
Following the funeral last week, police responded to reports of an incident at the Todd Street hotel, where it’s said a group of people were criminally damaging the property, in a dispute with other people inside the building.
Images on social media showed chaos as dozens outside the Tavern armed with branches and metal bars threw bricks and rocks, and attempted to kick the door down. Staff are said to have barricaded the entrances, with manager Craig Jervis speaking of the “ferocity” of those trying to get in, and their willingness to cause damage.
When police arrived they were attacked and pelted with projectiles. Five males, aged 16, 18, 19, 31 and 50 years, were arrested, with over 50 weapons seized.
Around 7pm, police and the community engagement team attended an address in Sadadeen, a suburb of Alice Springs, where they encountered about 150 people, some “going armed in public and engaging in violent conduct”.
A car and a mattress were allegedly set alight. Fire crews responded and extinguished them.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler acknowledged community frustration and announced “emergency situation” measures for the CBD.
“The community have had enough, and so have I,” she said.
A curfew was imposed, from 6pm to 6am, accompanied by assignment of an additional 58 police officers, to combat the antisocial behaviour.
Each night dozens of police in high-vis have patrolled the four-kilometre ‘high risk’ area.
Persons under the age of 18 found in the town centre were to be taken home or “to a safe place” unless having a valid reason to be there.
Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney welcomed announcement of the curfew, suggesting she hopes it could be “a circuit breaker” to improve community safety.
The recent trouble has prompted calls for a federal response, on the basis that serious measures need to be taken. Early 2023 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Alice, promising $250 million in funding to address indigenous disadvantage.
Senator and Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who hails from the town, also called for a sustained federal response, arguing that the locals need to reach a point “where they feel safe”.
The Country Liberal Party (CLP) wants even stronger changes, calling for parliament to lower the age of criminal responsibility in the Territory, and alter bail laws.
And Mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Paterson, while supportive of the curfew, continues his prior calls for federal assistance in the jurisdiction, potentially involving the military. Citing more than a decade of demonstration that the region is “too immature … to run ourselves” Paterson believes the federal government should assume control in the Northern Territory.
He suggested what was seen in the CBD was not Australia, but indeed “a national embarrassment”.
Some have dubbed the curfew risky – the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency suggesting it was a knee-jerk response, questioning the proffered destination of a ‘safe place’ and how it is defined, and asking what happens if young people do not leave willingly with police.
“There’s so much risk involved in this and it has not been done with any evidence case or any level of community consultation,” says the Agency’s principal legal officer, Jared Sharp.
The lockdown has now been in place for over a week, and locals report the number of late-night incidents has subsided.
Police have been working closely with youth engagement staff from the Territory Families department, and when a person needs to be conveyed out of the CBD, the youth teams do the job.
So far hundreds of children have been spoken to by police, and all agreed to either leave the area or be escorted home.
There have been no arrests for breaches of curfew conditions.
But the curfew is scheduled to end 10 April, and many locals say they are anxious about trouble resuming. Some want the curfew extended, others think it should also be expanded.
The Northern Territory government has not announced any decision to extend the curfew or not.
