Police Commissioner spends time with Alice Springs businesses

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has visited Alice Springs business owners assuring them that police will respond to their concerns of youth crime and anti-social behaviour

NT police commissioner Jamie Chalker talking with Wicked Kneads owner Darren Clark about crime in Alice Springs on Tuesday. Picture: EMMA MURRAY

The Police Commissioner has visited Alice Springs business owners assuring them that police will respond to their concerns of youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Centralian Advocate understands that there will be an increased police presence in the Todd Mall.

The NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker visited Alice Springs on Tuesday hearing from concerned residents and business owners impacted by crime despite recent statistics suggesting crime has gone down.

“The clear message I want to get to residents is we are here to help. We will continue to try and improve your sense of safety and amenity,” he said.

“We now have a generation that we need to adapt to and understand. We have broader issues as it relates to foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and a rise in mental health issues. There’s social complexities that we need to work with.”

Police are expected to also gain insightful information from Aboriginal liaison officers who are building up trust and rapport with youths.

Mr Chalker said a legacy of issues stemming from the Northern Territory intervention in 2007 could have contributed to some of the issues which are driving youth crime in Alice Springs today.

“Those kids’ age groups are now at the 13-year-old age bracket, that’s the generation we are now dealing with and we’re seeing a bit of a rise in brazen behaviour,” he said.

“My hope is that there is a bipartisan approach to the fact that the NT suffers some significant social challenges. The pathway forward is to work together and set an appropriate generational change plan so we can achieve outcomes.

“We can look at this at a broader whole of government approach to make sure these kids are being surrounded with proper guidance they need.”

Local business manager Darren Clark said his cafe has been repeatedly targeted by vandals and he welcomed the visit by the commissioner.

“On our doors we’ve had to put metal bellow them, we’ve had it kicked in probably nine times. The latest [incident] was a window, they threw a rock through it,” he said.

“They don’t even get in and steal anything, its just blatant damage that is happening.

“[The Commissioner] is concerned so that’s why he made the trip down and he will be following up and coming down again in a few weeks.”