Traditional Owners to patrol Alice streets at night in effort to curb youth offending

ALICE SPRINGS will soon have Indigenous rangers patrolling the town’s streets at night in a new effort to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour

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ALICE SPRINGS will soon have Indigenous rangers patrolling the town’s streets at night in an effort to reduce youth anti-social behaviour and crime.

Mayor Damien Ryan said the plan was supported unanimously by the council in a closed session on January 28.

Mr Ryan said the program had the strong backing of elected members and had now entered a planning phase.

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“We want to work with Arrernte Traditional Owners and we want to use their skills to work with the young people who are on the streets in our town,” Mr Ryan said.

Council officers will now work on establishing a pilot program that will run for 12 weeks.

There is no firm start date for the trial as yet.

For the duration of the pilot phase, the program will likely run four nights a week and on Sundays.

“It’s gone through council and it’s now with our officers to be implemented,” Mr Ryan said.

“I’m very keen to work with Traditional Owners so their cultural responsibility can be expressed and their knowledge of the young people on the street can be used.”

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News of this scheme comes a week after Mr Ryan accused Chief Minister Michael Gunner of “disrespecting” Alice Springs and the council’s request for more assistance from the Territory government in dealing with the town’s ongoing youth crime problem.

The heated words came after the Chief Minister wrote to Mr Ryan encouraging the council to do more itself to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.