ACA Alice Springs report triggers strong response from mayor

ALICE Springs Mayor Damien Ryan has called on the NT government to employ a “pre-eminent Territorian” to write a full report on community safety in the town

• Spotlight put on Crime in Alice Springs in special A Current Affair report

ALICE Springs Mayor Damien Ryan has called on the NT government to employ a “pre-eminent Territorian” to write a report on community safety in the town, where increasing crime rates made national news on A Current Affair on Monday night.

“These (crimes) are not rare occurrences,” Mr Ryan said of the shocking scenes of street violence aired on ACA.

“The government needs to look after our community safety. They are abandoning their responsibility to our community.

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“And this is not just the Chief Minister I’m talking about. This is the cabinet. When are they going to understand that the people of Alice Springs are calling out for help?

“I am imploring Michael Gunner and the Northern Territory Government to commission a Community Safety Audit for Alice Springs, not unlike the 2017 Alcohol Policies and Legislation Review. And it needs to happen immediately.”

Mr Ryan believes such an audit would help all stakeholders, including the NT government, better understand the causes of youth crime, and paint a clear and detailed picture of what strategies would help solve the problem.

Councillor and mayoral hopeful Jimmy Cocking said any discussion must involve close consultation with Aboriginal groups and leaders because they have a better idea than anyone how to solve these problems.

“If we talk to any of the Aboriginal organisations, it’s pretty clear what’s going on,” Mr Cocking said.

“Now we need to focus on bringing the community together. Leaders from town camps, organisational leaders, local and territory governments, we all need to come together and work out a way forward.

“We need to be doing things differently. We can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. All of us have got to step out of our comfort zone so all of us can have a safe community.”

Councillor and mayoral candidate Jamie de Brenni said he hopes all the negative media attention leads to change.

“I hope governments will wake up, stand up and take charge, especially the Territory government,” Mr de Brenni said.

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“They’ve got to acknowledge we have a serious problem here, which is generational and needs urgent attention. All these problems start at home.”

Councillor Eli Melky, who is still considering a run for mayor, said the ACA program vindicated his push for a curfew, which he has been calling for since 2011.

“I didn’t need a TV show to launch into an awareness campaign. I’ve asked for a curfew six times in council.

“It’s time to acknowledge that those people who have said no over all these years and stood in the way have allowed this town to be run into the ground.

“I sit here in my office and see it every day. We’ve all been touched by it in some way, some worse than others. We’re very concerned that people’s lives are at risk now.”