Stabbings, $3000 pot card games, 70-person brawls behind Mindil Beach booze ban

Stabbings, a $3000-pot card game and drunken brawls of up to 70 people fill a police report behind Darwin council’s Mindil Beach booze ban.

• Council bans grog at Mindil Beach with exception of special events

STABBINGS, a $3000-pot card game and drunken brawls of up to 70 people fill a police report behind Darwin council’s Mindil Beach booze ban at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The report from NT Police Superintendent Daniel Shean to Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the level of domestic harm and consequential violence at Mindil Beach was of significant concern, with NT Police being called out to the area 361 times since January 1, 29 of which were due to domestic violence.

“At about 12.42am on 21 January, 2021, a female victim was located by police bleeding profusely from the head,” Supt Shean said of one instance of violence.

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“She had been kicked in the head and stabbed by a sharp rock by her intoxicated partner.”

“At about 8am on 19 Marc, 2021, a male offender (intoxicated) kicked his partner before throwing her/slamming her into the ground, causing a laceration to her eyebrow, laceration to the back of the head and grazes over her elbows,” Supt Shean said of another instance.

Police had also dealt with 81 general disturbance of drunk people fighting, involving people yelling, arguing and physically fighting.

“At 6.58pm on 17 April, 2021, Police were called to a fight where at least one person was armed with a knife,” Supt Shean said about one incident.

Upon Police arrival, there were some 60 to 70 people present, mostly drunk.

“Fortunately, fighting had abated prior to police arrival.”

CCTV cameras in the area had captured numerous other incidents with a number of offenders arrested, while NT Police destroyed 70 litres of alcohol between 10.52pm on April 20 and 12.40am on April 21 – less than two hours.

On that night, Supt Shean said police established a highly visible policing presence during the exemption period.

“The presence included a Police Forward Command truck at one toilet block with red and blue lights illuminated, another PFC caravan at the other toilet block with red and blue lights illuminated, four police officers conducting continuous foot patrols and two mobile CCTV cameras,” he said.

“Whilst the policing presence contributed to good results, the presence is costly and is not the panacea to the issue.”

At Tuesday night’s council meeting, Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the decision had been due to people who were loaded with cash and acting aggressively, with Supt Shean noting Police had disrupted three card games, one of which had a pot of about $3000 in it.

47L of alcohol was destroyed on the same night with six people apprehended for protective custody.

It led to NT Police’s request for council to remove the drinking exemption period, from 5pm to 9.30pm daily to Mindil Beach Market evenings only from 5pm to 9.30pm, and on special events.

“The aim of all agencies ought to be to prevent or reduce rather than respond.”

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Originally published as Stabbings, $3000 pot card games, 70-person brawls behind Mindil Beach booze ban