‘I’ll donate that’: Alice Springs baker Darren Clark’s emotional reaction to $10,000 prize from 2GB
An Alice Springs business owner who drew attention to the outback town’s shocking crime wave has been left stunned speechless in a live radio interview.
Alice Springs baker Darren Clark has been left speechless after being awarded a $10,000 cash prize by 2GB radio host Ben Fordham.
Fordham phoned Mr Clark on Friday morning to inform him he was being given the prize for “news tip of 2023”.
The outspoken community activist, who runs the Action for Alice 2020 Facebook and X pages, was instrumental in drawing national attention to the Northern Territory town’s crime epidemic last summer.
“Without Darren’s information there’s a chance many people in Australia would be unaware of how bad the situation has been,” Fordham told listeners.
“It was an interview with Darren in January that shamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese into travelling to the Top End.”
Mr Clark told Fordham he spoke up after three years of going through “a hell of a lot” with his business and watching the “slow degeneration of our town, the anti-social behaviour become worse and worse”.
“Someone had to stand up and highlight it,” he said.
“I’ve copped a few enemies, a lot of people don’t want this stuff getting out. I get a lot of threats, but you’ve got to carry on. It’s tough, things still get covered up here, but luckily now the government do reach out and ask what’s going on.”
Fordham then informed Mr Clark that for “news tip of the year, we’re sending you $10,000 cash”.
“Wow,” an emotional Mr Clark said. “I’ll donate that, mate. Far out. I’ll donate that, help these kids.”
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Clark said he planned to put some of the money into a trust for Scottie, a local boy he has taken under his wing at the bakery.
“I don’t want to give it to any of the organisations around town, it’ll just get squandered,” he said.
“I might buy some presents for the kids at the hospital, things like that. It’s pretty fresh at the moment.”
Despite the flurry of media attention and a multimillion-dollar funding announcement by the federal government following Mr Albanese’s visit, locals say the violence and anti-social behaviour in the town never died down.
They fear a repeat of last summer’s chaos as the weather heats up again.
On Monday morning, a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by an unknown male during a home invasion on Van Senden Avenue in Alice Springs, NT Police said.
Last month, an 80-year-old woman was struck in the face with a rock after three youths, aged 11 to 13, broke into her house on Telegraph Terrace in the early hours of the morning in what police called a “confronting, violent attack on a vulnerable member of our community”.
In August, NT Police said plans were underway to tackle a predicted surge in summer crime following last summer’s record-breaking levels of violence.
Acting Commander James Gray-Spence told ABC Radio there had been “lessons learnt” from the ordeal. “For police, Operation Drina will continue, so that will be the high-visibility police … dedicated to being out there to reduce especially anti-social behaviour which we saw really peak in incidents over summer,” he said.
“That’s that in-your-face stuff that really affects your perception of safety when you’re moving in and around those high public-use spaces.”
Alice Springs saw a 15 per cent increase in assaults, 18 per cent increase in domestic violence-related assaults and 38 per cent increase in sexual assaults in the 12 months to October, according to the latest figures from NT Police.
The Alice Springs local government area has a population of just 28,000.
The summer plan for Alice Springs and surrounding communities kicked off last month, with the government promising rapid-response policing and a zero-tolerance approach to crime and anti-social behaviour.
More than 50 officers will be rostered on Operation Drina throughout the summer period, with a focus on alcohol-related offending including assaults, break-ins and domestic and family violence.
“Central Australia residents deserve to be and feel safe,” NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said in a press release last month.
“This is why we are focused on reducing crime, ensuring public safety, and providing rapid responses when needed. We’re facing crime and anti-social behaviour from every angle. We’ve got a dedicated police operation with 50 officers completely focused on protecting residents, and providing rapid responses to crime. We’re doing more than ever to reduce alcohol abuse, and cops will be tipping out grog whenever and wherever they need to.”
Ms Fyles added there would be “youth workers ready to respond to situations at any time, day or night”.
“And we’re putting on heaps of activities to keep young people engaged over the summer, so they aren’t being led down the wrong path,” she said.
“While we’re tackling this at every angle, let’s be clear, there is never any excuse for crime and no one gets to escape the consequences of their actions. This is a zero tolerance summer for anti-social behaviour in Alice Springs. The police are ready to deal with anyone who thinks otherwise.”
NT Police Minister Brent Potter said families in Alice Springs “deserve to be safe, and most importantly feel safe” and that Operation Drina “will be in full force during the summer break”.
“Working alongside Territory Families staff, they will be ready to respond when needed, and hold those who are doing the wrong thing to account,” he said.
“Our police officers and Territory Families staff will be there responding and acting — they will make sure the right supports are there. Through changes the Territory Labor government made to the Trespass Act 2023, it is now easier for business owners, landlords and security guards to issue trespass notices on individuals. And it clarifies the penalties that will apply for trespass offences, which include fines and potential term of imprisonment.”
But Mr Clark said locals were sceptical that police could control the violence.
“It’s taken off in the last three or four weeks, it’s really bad,” he said.
“A lot of vehicle thefts. It’ll keep going. They keep telling us they’ve got enough cops, we know they haven’t got enough. They’re pulling detectives off shifts and putting them in uniforms now.”
Mr Clark said residents were “nervous” and also “frustrated”.
“This is 10 months since Albo was here and nothing’s really changed,” he said. “A lot of the things from the emergency funding haven’t been done. There was $2 million for lighting and CCTV upgrades in the CBD — that’s only just started now.”
But he warned “you can’t police your way out of it”.
“The only way to fix this is long term,” he said.
“In the interim you just have to keep us safe and try to suppress this bad behaviour as much as you can. People can’t live their lives under threat.”
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