Casuarina Square bans students from six Darwin schools after three days of violence

Customers have had their say on the extraordinary step Casuarina shopping centre management took to ban students from six Darwin schools after three days of unrest and violence. POLL

CCTV stills from fights at the Casuarina Square shopping centre. Picture: Supplied

Students from six Darwin senior and middle schools have been slapped with a 48-hour ban from entering Casuarina Square shopping centre after 100 or more teenagers were involved in fights at the complex between Wednesday and Friday last week.

The ban starts from the commencement of trade on Monday, February 20 to close of business Tuesday, February 21 for all school students from Casuarina Senior College, Sanderson Middle School, Dripstone Middle School, Darwin Middle School, Darwin High School and Nightcliff Middle School.

CCTV stills from fights at the Casuarina Square shopping centre. Picture: Supplied

Police were called to fights at the centre on all three days last week, with officers attending on Wednesday.

Centre management introduced the ban after a third day of violence and disorderly behaviour by the teens disrupted trade and left some shoppers shaken and afraid.

And the NT government said it is right behind the ban.

Security guards with dogs have already had to be employed at Casuarina Square.

Casuarina Square centre manager Polly Lamond on Friday advised the NT Department of Education, NT Police and the schools of the move and urged them to alert students and parents of the decision.

Ms Lamond said about 100 students had been “running amok” around the centre last week and the behaviour was totally unacceptable.

“We will have guards on entries and students from these schools will be refused entry to Casuarina Square,” she said.

“School students entering the shopping centre with a parent or guardian will not be refused entry, however, the student must remain with their parent or guardian for the entirety of their visit.

“Students coming to Casuarina Square after school to wait for their parent or guardian will be refused entry and will need to make alternative arrangements to meet their parent or guardian elsewhere.

“To clarify, any school student not in the immediate company of a parent or guardian will be refused entry or moved on.

“We are committed to ensuring a safe environment for all visitors to Casuarina Square and unfortunately the actions of a few will impact everyone.”

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the ban was a matter of public safety.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe,” she said.

“The behaviour that Casuarina Shopping centre have seen over the last week is unacceptable. I commend them for taking steps and setting behaviour expectations.

“We are currently service mapping and seeing what services are doing what to make sure our young people are engaged.

“The Territory Government is a building a new youth drop in centre in the northern suburbs.

“The social order response team is doing what is was set out to do in the northern suburbs and Casuarina.

“We are seeing anti social behaviour among our youth down 68 per cent in the area.”

Originally published as Casuarina Square bans students from six Darwin schools after three days of violence