NT Police monthly crime stats show alcohol, DV related assaults spike in Darwin and Palmerston

The Territory’s latest crime statistics have been revealed, with a top NT cop calling a spike in assaults “disturbing”.

ASSAULTS were up in Darwin and Palmerston in the year to the end of August, in a trend driven by a spike in alcohol and family related violence, the latest crime statistics reveal.

Total assaults in Darwin were up by 37 per cent on the same time last year, including a 57 per cent jump in domestic violence related assaults, with similar results in Palmerston where total assaults rose by 47 per cent.

Darwin Commander Matthew Hollamby said while the results “aren’t ideal”, they had been skewed by disproportionately low figures from last year due to Covid-19 lockdowns.

“Year on year assaults are up but what is disturbing is they are disproportionably up in terms of alcohol and domestic violence related assaults,” he said.

“Assaults are up in both Darwin and Palmerston but they are settling from the record highs that we had a few months ago.”

But Cmdr Hollamby said police were taking a “zero tolerance approach in terms of protecting victims and families from offenders” and the numbers were now “plateauing”.

“If you look at three or four months ago they are up 20 or so per cent more than what they are this month so technically they are up but they are coming down,” he said.

Cmdr Hollamby said while the past week “hasn’t been a great week for us in terms of property crime”, those numbers were also “settling from the record lows that we had last year”.

“The people that were apprehended for the unlawful entries at the licenced premises overnight are still being processed at the moment, what we allege is they are probably itinerants and are alleged to have committed these crimes to source alcohol,” he said.

“We have worked hard to identify the offenders and take early action to prevent a crime spiral.”

Cmdr Hollamby said police were still working though its enforcement plan for the government’s mandatory Covid-19 policy.

“It’s not far away from being finished but we continue to encourage all of our employees and the wider community to get vaccinated,” he said.