Alice Springs crime: Police forced to call back-up at casino following drunken disturbance

Police back-up had to be called after officers were rounded on during a disturbance at a Territory casino.

Generic NT Police road safety highway patrol vehicle Northern Territory.

Two Alice Springs police officers were forced to use pepper spray and call reinforcements during an incident at Lasseters Casino early on Thursday morning.

Watch Commander Andrew Dunne said that at 3.54am, police received reports of a “large disturbance” and people fighting at the casino.

Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs.

He estimated a group of about 40 people were assembled in front of the casino “in varying levels of intoxication”.

“There were numerous drunk and disorderly people observed at the front of the casino,” he said.

Watch Commander Dunne said when the two members took a male at the scene into protective custody, about 10 members of the assembled group came towards the officers.

He said OC spray was deployed and an urgent backup call went out, with an additional six officers arriving at the scene soon after.

“As a result of those disturbances, three male offenders were arrested and taken into custody for disorderly type offences and another male was placed into protective custody,” Watch Commander Dunne said.

“An urgent back-up call went out and OC spray had to be deployed because in the initial stage it was only those two officers there.”