Alice Springs councillor floats private dog patrol amid community backlash

An exasperated local council has floated another radical idea to tackle a “crime crisis” in Central Australia. Here’s why the proposal was put on the backburner.

A proposal to bring private dog patrols into Alice Springs, funded by public donations, has been aired by an elected representative.

Deputy Mayor Eli Melky was set to move a motion in Alice Springs Town Council’s general meeting on Tuesday to appoint a private security firm to combat the region’s “crime crisis”.

The private service, which could include dog patrols, was to be paid for out of the pockets of willing residents.

Mr Melky withdrew the motion before it could be debated, saying more work needed to be done to refine the proposal.

The backtrack came amid much heckling inside the chamber, including comments from one ratepayer describing the proposal as a “terrorist activity” designed to “harass children”.

Alice Springs Deputy Mayor Eli Melky said he withdrew the motion after seeking feedback from other elected members, the community and lawyers. Photo: Emma Murray

“There’s more thinking that needs to be done around (the proposal) and I think at this point in time it is somewhat premature for me to present this to council,” Mr Melky said.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of support from members of community to step forward and air their dissatisfaction with what’s happening around the town in terms of crime.

“People are in fact scared in this town to go about their own business, whether it’s daytime, night-time.

“Sadly, it’s creating a divide and I’d like to be part of the solution.

“I give notice that I have the ability to and will bring back another request from public in relation to crime.”

Mayor Matt Paterson also said that he has recently met with Neptune NT in Alice Springs to learn more about the security company, which runs nightly dog patrols in two northern Darwin suburbs.

A trial to conduct private dog patrols in Karama and Malak has recently been extended by the NT Government at a cost of almost $250,000 per quarter.

Last week, Mr Paterson called for the creation of temporary accommodation for unsupervised juveniles found on the streets.

While he was deputy mayor in 2020, the Town Council passed a motion asking the NT Government to implement a curfew – calls that still echo today.

“Over the past few months there have been plenty of words thrown around that try to describe our current situation – crisis, emergency, chaos,” Mr Paterson said.

“All of them are true.

“People say curfews don’t work around the world but the situation here is different to the rest of the world.

“We need to shift the debate from a curfew to asking why kids are on the street and why they’re not being taken somewhere safe?”

Alice Springs Town Council Mayor Matt Paterson said taking unsupervised and at-risk children into temporary accommodation, if it’s not suitable to return them home, would have an “immediate impact” on solving social issues. Picture: Supplied

On Wednesday, Police Minster Kate Worden revealed details on the new Social Order Response Team (SORT) in Alice Springs, which involves government, non-government and community groups.

The plan includes targeting public drinking, improving lighting, keeping young people in school and constructing safety zones.

Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford, on behalf of an unanimous view of the tourism body, recently requested immediate action from the NT government on what members describe as a “crime crisis”.

Over the weekend, two Alice Springs hotels were targeted in a series of break-ins that allegedly saw belongings snatched from rooms as guests were asleep.

Across the border, Halls Creek Shire has recently granted a Kimberley hotel owner permission to install an electric fence around their property in a bid to prevent burglaries.

The 1.8m high fence will deliver a “short and painful” shock to potential intruders after business hours.

Also in Tuesday’s general meeting, Alice Springs councillors voted to explore holding night markets more frequently in a bid to “create a safe space” in the CBD.

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