Crime Stats: DV assaults rise across the NT, Palmo sees 87pc increase in alcohol related assaults

ALCOHOL related assaults and domestic violence related assaults remain high across the NT while crime against property has dropped, new data shows.

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ALCOHOL related assaults and domestic violence related assaults remain high across the NT while crime against property has dropped.

Palmerston saw a staggering 87.3 per cent increase in alcohol related assaults from 244 reports to 457 reports year on year to March 31 2021.

Domestic violence related assaults for the satellite city also rose considerably from 294 to 503 reports – an increase of 71.09 per cent.

NT Police Commander Matt Hollamby said the statistics reflected the effects of COVID-19 restrictions – which began in March of last year.

NT Police Commander Matt Hollamby addresses media on Friday morning at the Berrimah Police Station regarding the 2 fatalities on Thursday afternoon across the Top End. Picture: Justin Kennedy

“Since the start of the pandemic assaults have risen by 24 per cent in Darwin and 51 per cent in Palmerston,” Cdr Hollamby said.

“In Palmerston, disturbingly, there’s been a significant increase in the number of domestic violence assaults reported as well.”

He said despite the stagging increase in assaults Palmerston had the lowest assault rate per population in the NT.

He said there was a link between property crime and domestic violence that police were working to address.

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“There is a link between property crime and domestic violence. We find that all of our high end recidivist youth offenders have been exposed to domestic violence from a very early age,” he said.

Looking at Darwin, assaults jumped 23.78 per cent while DV related assaults and alcohol related assaults each rose 30 per cent.

Alcohol related assaults have jumped 30.9 per cent across the NT, a jump from 3239 incidents in the year to March 31 2020 to 4240 incidents in the year to March 31 2021.

Overall crime against the person jumped 18.32 per cent while crime against property dropped 18.36 per cent.

Territory-wide house break-ins, commercial break-ins and vehicle thefts all dropped between 25 and 29 per cent year on year to March 31. Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the government was not doing enough to address crime.

“Territorians are being victimised at alarming rates and the government’s set and forget policy is not going to cut it,” she said.

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