Northern Territory government has imposes curfew on youth in Alice Springs

Mattresses and cars were set alight as 150 people stormed the streets of Alice Springs in a shocking riot that has sparked calls for military intervention.

Terrifying scenes emerged from Alice Springs on Tuesday afternoon with videos posted to social media showing a group of 150 rioters storming the streets damaging cars and businesses.

Staff inside the Todd Tavern were forced to take cover as rioters kicked in doors and smashed windows with rocks and bricks.

Venue manager Craig Jervis told the ABC that staff at the tavern were shaken by the incident.

“I haven’t seen it this bad before,” he said.

“The ferocity in which they were trying to get in and the willingness to damage everything [and] anything was very scary.

“They [were using] branches and metal bars and throwing rocks and bricks through our windows … we just sort of barricaded ourselves in.”

The violence erupted after a funeral was held on Tuesday for an 18-year old man who had been killed in a car crash earlier this month.

He was one of nine youths joyriding in a stolen Toyota Hilux when it rolled.

The Australian reported the man was fatally crushed in the rollover and that the eight other youths who were in the vehicle fled the scene leaving the 18-year old man to die on the side of the road.

Locals in Alice Springs rioted on Tuesday afternoon after a funeral ceremony of teenager killed while traveling in stolen car. Picture: Supplied

Rioters throw bricks and rocks at a pub door. Picture: Supplied

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said 150 people were involved in the riots, sparked by the death of an 18-year old man who was killed in a car rollover.

“That’s led to family feuds and that’s what erupted in Alice Springs yesterday, in a couple of locations,” he said.

“Our police responded to that and they were attacked, and we’ve seized 50-plus weapons.”

Craig Jervis, manager of operations at Todd Tavern said the violence had escalated to an all-time high.

“The ferocity in which they were trying to get in and the willingness to damage everything [and] anything was very scary,” he told the ABC.

”They [were using] branches and metal bars and throwing rocks and bricks through our windows … we just sort of barricaded ourselves in.”

NT Police Acting Commissioner James-Grey Spence said five males have been arrested.

“We had rocks thrown at our vehicle at the same time while we were restoring order as a result of our attendance,” he said.

Police encountered people armed and engaging in violence requiring assistance from fire crews to extinguish blazes after a car was set alight and a mattress inside a nearby premises.

On Wednesday afternoon the Northern Territory authorities imposed a youth curfew for 14 days from 6pm to 6am which included the Easter long weekend.

NT Chief Minister Eve Gawler told reporters “enough is enough”.

“We want Alice Springs to be a safe place,” she said.

The Chief Minister described the scenes in Alice Springs as horrific, unacceptable and that she never wanted to see anything like that again in the Northern Territory.

“I’m fed up with this level of crime and anti-social behaviour. The community has had enough and so have I,” she said.

“My government is determined to get on top of the issues, the youth issues in particular in Alice Springs.

“This is why we are sending an additional 58 police officers to Alice Springs, and they will be leaving as soon as possible.”

Mr Murphy said police were working with Aboriginal Elders in the community and that young people who broke the curfew would not face criminal charges.

“I want to make it clear that we are not criminalising youth activity with a curfew,” he said.

“It gives me and our officers the ability to engage with them and identify why they are there and what methods we can put in place, not just for policing, but through education and Territory Families as well.”

Staff at the Todd Tavern in Alice Springs took cover as rioters hurled bricks and kicked in windows. Picture: Supplied

On Wednesday morning community leaders in the Northern Territory and Alice Springs called on the federal government to intervene and take control of the government.

Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson said he had no words following the “heartbreaking” scenes that took place.

“I literally have nothing left to give, I feel defeated, the whole town feels defeated,” he said.

“For 18 months no one listened to us.

“I don’t know what they want Alice Springs to become, but they are not helping.

“We need the federal government to take over the leadership of the NT, if they cannot provide safety in the Alice then the Federal Police or Defence need to step in.”

Mr Paterson said a policy to ban people living in camps from drinking alcohol was removed because some organisations said, “we could not do that”.

“Police auxiliary officers were in bottle shops, now that has been removed,” he said.

“You can’t buy alcohol on Mondays or Tuesdays, but this happened on a Tuesday.

“The sad thing is that this is not a one off, this is a copy and paste of 12 to 15 months ago.

“Aboriginal Elders are heartbroken and embarrassed, they have not seen anything like it.”

Mr Paterson said two lives had been lost in the last two weeks.

“What’s the tipping point for people to believe we need help here, this can’t be okay in Australia in 2024,” he said.

“Tourism was decimated last year, we were in the papers for all the wrong reasons.

“People aren’t going out to hospitality venues or the cinema at night, people are leaving Alice in droves it is absolutely heartbreaking.”

A person kicks in the door frame of a Alice Springs tavern during the riot. Picture: Supplied

Blain MLA Mark Turner repeated calls for the federal government to step in and takeover because the “territory was broken” and that the situation in Alice Springs was completely unmanageable.

“There has been a chronic mismanagement of government in the NT and look at what’s happened,” he said.

“These sorts of things happen when we screw everything else up, this is what is happening in the Alice, the longer they screw up strategies the worse it will get.”

Mr Turner said in order for a western democracy to function there was a contract between its citizens and government; that the government would provide a certain amount of safety.

“If no one acts soon the community will take justice into their own hands and we will have a really dangerous mix of angry and traumatised people that will end in death,” he said.

“There has already been deaths and there will be more.

“There are rivers of alcohol in the NT. Put the Genie back in the bottle and ban alcohol.

“You need the riot police to stop the rioting and a community policing strategy with culturally appropriate officers who are trained to take in cultural needs.

“When you put together different teams you need to do it in a way that works.”

The door was badly damaged after repeat attempts by rioters. Picture: Supplied

Cars parked in the street were also badly damaged during the riot. Picture: Supplied

Indigenous Minister Linda Burney said the current situation in Alice Springs was “completely unacceptable” after NT Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price repeated her calls to deploy the riot squad to curb violent and anti-social behaviour in the town.

Ms Burney said she had spoken to the territory’s chief minister and said the situation was being taken “very seriously.”

“This behaviour is completely unacceptable – it has no place in any community, in any part of Australia,” she said in a statement.

“Like all states and territories, the NT government has a responsibility to ensure that community safety is prioritised.”

In a speech to the Senate on Wednesday, Senator Price said violence in Alice Springs had reached a “crisis point”.

“We have hundreds of people rioting our streets and acting out violently, this is following a spate of violence, crime, deaths, bashings of 16-year-olds,” she said.

“This Labor government does not have what it takes to fix the situation in Alice Springs.”

Originally published as Northern Territory government has imposes curfew on youth in Alice Springs