South Australia Police announce they’re en route to Alice Springs at the request of NT Top Cop
The Territory’s top cop says extra police officers from South Australia are coming to Alice Springs to help continue the ‘good work’ in the town. Find out how many, and when they’ll arrive.
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Extra police are en route to Alice Springs from South Australia at the request of the Territory’s top cop but the Mayor of Alice Springs says the deployment is “three weeks too late”.
South Australian Police announced they would send four deployments of 10 officers to Alice Springs, with the first to arrive January 6.
The officers, who will be sworn in as NT Police officers, will be on an eight-day rotation and be partnered with a Territory cop during their patrols.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the South Australian are coming as crime has escalated to “crisis levels” in the NT.
“Our hardworking police have gone to extraordinary lengths to support community safety despite all of the challenges they have faced, and our government has stepped in to urgently give them the powers and support they need,” she said.
“We have been explicitly clear that every measure is on the table to make the Territory a safe place and I endorse Commissioner Murphy’s decision to request police from SA to give our hardworking frontline some additional support as we continue to put Territorians right to be safe at the forefront of everything we do.”
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy made a request “for assistance” to SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, according to a statement from Northern Territory Police.
“I have made the decision to draw our members back to their various locations to ensure policing operations are continued throughout the Top End,” Mr Murphy said.
“The assistance of South Australian Police will ease this process and ensure the good work we have seen in Alice Springs over the past few months is continued.”
Mr Stevens said while the deployment came at a time where resources were “under pressure” he was “confident our normal policing activities will not be impacted”.
“We must also be mindful of the fact that we would rightly expect our jurisdictional neighbours to assist us if South Australia required additional support.
“The deployments are made under a longstanding agreement that exists between all states.”
In April last year, 20 SA police officers were sent to Alice Springs when the town was placed under its first curfew.
The latest deployment is anticipated to end in early February.
The deployment comes hours after Alice Springs experienced two “extremely traumatic” alleged home invasions in one night, Southern Watch Commander Senior Sergeant Andrew Dunne said.
In Larapinta, Mr Dunn said a 65-year-old was allegedly assaulted in a home invasion, while on the eastern side of town, hours later, a nine-year-old boy was threatened during a home invasion.
Three youths were apprehended in relation to the Larapinta incident, while police are still searching for the alleged Desert Springs offenders.
Alice Springs Town Council Mayor Matt Paterson, who also lives in Desert Springs, said he welcomed the decision “but it’s not something that I want to celebrate”.
“Unfortunately we just get in this reactive space,” he said.
“I congratulate the Chief and the Police Commissioner on the decision. However, I just wish that it was three weeks [earlier].”
He said he’d spoken to Mr Murphy in the wake of the announcement.
Independent Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley welcomed the announcement, but said the town was still in a “crime crisis despite the change of government”.
“It [Alice Springs] is still a crisis and we do need help and I thank the Commissioner (Michael Murphy) for making that request, making it happen,” she said.
“The fact that they’re coming and they’re going to be helping our community will be enormously appreciated and I say that from the bottom of my heart.”
Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour said the CLP were “just continuing” with what Territory Labor did by first getting officers from South Australia.
“Which is good, but it just shows that we’re far from dealing with a lot of the issues that have been impacting on Central Australia for some time,” she said.
In December, the Australian Federal Police also offered assistance to Police Commissioner Michael Murphy.
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