Police arrest 19-year-old Wadeye man after allegedly striking 18yo with arrow

A teenager has been arrested following a spate of community unrest in a remote Indigenous community impacted by illicit alcohol and drugs.

A teenager has been arrested and charged after an 18-year-old was allegedly struck with an arrow fired from a compound bow last month.

Police say they are deploying more resources to a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory being lashed by alcohol and drug-fuelled violence.

Police were called to Wadeye about 9am on January 31 following reports an 18-year-old man had been hit by an arrow allegedly shot into his calf.

On Thursday, a 19-year-old man was charged with making threats to kill, being armed in public, aggravated assault and reckless endangering life. He has been remanded to appear at Darwin Local Court on Thursday.

Commander Brendan Muldoon said police were expecting to “lay further charges against this individual” for events that occurred in 2023.

“There is no place within our communities for this sort of violence and the use of weapons such as these is incredibly reckless. It’s lucky the victim wasn’t more seriously injured,” he said.

“Police will be attending further community meetings today in regards to the ongoing unrest we have seen in the region.”

The 19-year-old was arrested following reports of a man being struck in the calf by an arrow allegedly fired from a compound bow. Picture: iStock

It follows a spate of unrest in the remote Aboriginal community, located about 420km southwest of Darwin, which erupted in early December.

On December 19, police received reports of up to 40 people fighting in the community with weapons; however, no arrests were made after the group dispersed following the arrival of police.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, NT Police said it had received “multiple reports of disturbances throughout the community” since December 2, with many of the disturbances linked to the illegal supply of drugs and alcohol, fighting and domestic violence.

This is despite Wadeye being a dry community, where it is an offence to consume or bring alcohol into the area.

Nine arrests have been made, including three youths and three adults arrested in connection to ramming police vehicles and the police station. Another adult woman was arrested over allegations of assaulting police.

Wadeye is a remote Indigenous community located about 420km southwest of Darwin.

Increased surveillance through police road blocks have also been implemented to prevent drugs and alcohol from entering the community.

Seven vehicles were stopped in Daly River, with police arresting a man for drink-driving and later seizing a large quantity of liquor from his car.

Southwest in Adelaide River, 1g of methamphetamine was seized after four vehicles were stopped.

Commander Muldoon said extensive collaboration with the community, in addition to an increase in police resourcing had “already had some very positive results”.

“Our roadblocks have been effective in disrupting the supply and distribution of illicit substances into the community, which we know fuels violence and anti-social behaviour,” he said.

“Northern Territory Police remain committed to working with the community, elders, traditional owners and other government agencies to work towards a solution to these long-running conflicts.”