Adelaide River Inn raided three times in four hours on Friday morning, police say

A well-known Territory publican cleaning up after a brazen triple-raid will add a range of security measures, but reckons that will only keep ‘the honest ones out’. Read what happened.

Publican Tim Carter will have to stump up extra cash to reinforce his Adelaide River pub he has owned for just two months.

The popular Adelaide River Inn was broken into three times in a matter of hours in one night, with a hefty damage bill left behind.

Mr Carter said he would like to think his pub would not become another victim to a senseless crime but was not overly filled with hope.

“They’ve just got no fear,” Mr Carter said.

He said he was not sure how much alcohol was stolen during the incident, but his focus was on reinforcing the pub.

Mr Carter said he believed “youngsters” were behind the break-in, having watched CCTV.

Daly Waters Historic Pub owner Tim Carter says the offenders have no fear of the law’s consequences. Picture: Floss Adams.

The experienced pub owner said extensive work would be done to the front doors on Friday to strengthen the pubs security.

“Now that it has happened we’ll obviously go to the next step of making sure,” Mr Carter said.

“We’ll beef it up and just look into how they got in and just fix it.”

The series of raids on Friday morning was the first incident to occur during Mr Carter’s official ownership, but another break-in happened in July while he was managing it.

He said had invested $30,000 to $35,000 of security equipment such as CCTV and alarms since buying the Adelaide River Inn.

But he said “that only keeps the honest ones out”.

In 2017, Mr Carter bought the iconic Daly Waters Historic Pub 590km south of Darwin and made it a must-do for travellers’ checklists.

Daly Waters Historic Pub is known for its eccentricities. Picture: Floss Adams

Security measures such as employing a liquor security screen made of mesh he had installed at the Daly Waters Pub has proven to work.

Mr Carter said that would soon be installed at his latest pub.

“They won’t be able to get in as easily as they did this time,” Mr Carter said.

Mr Carter signed the contract to officially own the Adelaide River Inn and Resort on July 16, 2022. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

“You wouldn’t have thought they’d get a star picket so we’ll reinforce those doors so they won’t be able to get through there again in the way that they did.”

On a positive note, Mr Carter said he was pleased with the recent dry season and the number of tourists and locals who stopped in for a drink, a feed or even a snooze.

“Look, it was very busy and we’ve got a few ideas. We’re spending a bit of money and we’re upgrading,” he said.

“We’ve had a lot of renovations, it’s looking good. Obviously we’re going to be doing a refit on the Puma this year so doubling in size and everything so it’s going to be good.

“All new beds through the place and all new linen just making it comfortable.”