Alice Springs welcomes extra police to combat crime spike

Alice Springs leaders have welcomed an extra 40 officers to Central Australia in an effort to address what has been described as a ‘national embarrassment’.

Alice Springs leaders have welcomed what they hope is a “circuit breaker” against alarming crime levels in Central Australia with 40 extra police deployed.

Mayor Matt Paterson said the community had been asking for help to combat what he described as a “national embarrassment” in recent months.

The extra officers, to be reassigned from Darwin and remote communities across the NT, arrived in Alice Springs Wednesday night.

“The government has got short, medium and long-term measures in place, but this is a complex issue,” Mr Paterson said.

“People are just fed up – really fed up – and it’s not just businesses but people are scared in their own bed.

“At the moment, for this immediate action, we will take anything to get some of this addressed.”

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson has welcomed an extra 40 officers to Central Australia.

Mr Paterson said crime statistics at the end of the deployment period could inform what path forward was needed, noting the summer months were the “peak period” for offending in Alice Springs and surrounds.

“What’s happening in Central Australia is a bit of a national embarrassment … if this was happening anywhere else in Australia, we would probably be having a different conversation,” he said.

“If the Melbourne CBD got shut down because of anti-social behaviour, it would be in national media.”

“But if the NT government doesn’t have the resources to fix it, ask the federal government – and this is not a criticism,” he said.

Alice Springs Chamber of Commerce chief operating officer Nicole Walsh says the extra officers had been asked for, and she welcomed the government’s action. Photo: Emma Murray

“We want to get the message out there that we do need help and the first step is getting more resources.

“We live here, and once you feel unsafe for whatever reason, it’s really hard to feel safe again.”

Alice Springs Chamber of Commerce chief operating officer Nicole Walsh said while the officers were not a “long term strategy”, it was a welcomed first step.

“ It will need to be combined with medium and long term strategies as outlined in the Social Order Response Team plan and via other community feedback,” she said.

“It’s about finding community-led solutions.

“It will enable police to get on top of what’s happening, which will help with the aim of community policing.

“We welcome that government has responded to community and business pleas to do something to help combat crime and anti-social behaviour and to make our community a safer place.”