Police January statistics reveal rates of property crime across the Territory

An average of one Alice Springs home or businesses was broken-into, damaged, or burgled every hour, according to shocking new property crime statistics. See how your region compared here.

Every hour a new Alice Springs home or business became a victim of property crime, according to shocking new police statistics.

The latest NT Police statistics revealed that 1135 property crimes were committed in Alice Springs in January alone.

That is an average of 36 homes or businesses being broken into, damaged, or burgled a day — or 1.5 incidents an hour.

Businesses were among the hardest hit a total of 130 break-ins in January, up from 49 in December.

Over the 12-month to January the rate of commercial break-ins has increased by 55 per cent, while rates of property damage have jumped by 57 per cent.

Across the Territory property crimes have risen by 20 per cent over the past 12-months to January, while crimes against the person also increased by 14 per cent.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Daniel Bacon said the rate of property crime was a concern in the greater Darwin region, with root causes potentially connected to wider issues of addiction, poverty and family violence.

“Property crime is where some of those larger inroads have to be made,” Mr Bacon said.

Mr Bacon said typically the Darwin property crimes were begin committed by two groups — adults looking for alcohol, and children looking for food, clothes, entertainment or cash.

While he could not qualify how much of the young offending was driven by poverty, he said many of the kids were coming from “a troubled past”.

NT Police commander Danny Bacon. Picture: Annabel Bowles

“A lot of the kids we come across in our criminal justice space have all been a victim of, a witness of, or certainly involved in a family with domestic violence,” he said.

Mr Bacon said family violence continued to make up the majority of police call-outs.

On Friday he said over the past 24-hours police responded to one unlawful entry — but 34 domestic violence incidents in the greater Darwin region alone.

“And unfortunately that is a normal night,” he said.

Mr Bacon said the level of violence towards the victims — predominantly Indigenous women — ranged from threats to physical injuries requiring hospitalisation, “through to children being used as a pawn within a domestic violence relationship”.

Mr Bacon said police were working to not only address the immediate risk to victims, but also prevent “repeat victimisation”.

“(But) if you’re asking me is there enough in the space to support domestic violence at this time — There is not,” he said.

Mr Bacon said a national conversation was occurring around the proper resourcing of domestic violence responses, starting with early intervention all the way to crisis responses.

Across the Territory domestic violence and alcohol related assaults increased by 18 per cent over the past 12 months.

The latest January crime statistics provide context to the NT Government backflip over alcohol policies.

In early February Chief Minister Natasha Fyles spectacularly announcing the reinstatement of booze bans across 300 remote communities.

Even before the removal of 15-year-old liquor restrictions, alcohol-related assault had been on the rise across the Territory since January 2021.

The rate of alcohol related assaults fell in January, with 424 incidents, after reaching a peak of 584 assaults in December — an average of 19 booze-fuelled attacks a day.

Originally published as Police January statistics reveal rates of property crime across the Territory