Two assaulted in NYE celebrations, NT police largely happy with crowd behaviour

NEW Year’s Eve revellers have been thanked for their largely good behaviour, in what is typically one of the biggest nights of the year for police

Mitchell St in Darwin was abuzz to celebrate the end of 2020. There was a visible police presence along the party strip. Picture: Che Chorley

NEW Year’s Eve revellers have been thanked for their largely good behaviour, in what is typically one of the biggest nights of the year for police.

Despite the well behaved masses, police are investigating two CBD assaults in the early hours of January 1.

The first was at 12.25am on Nuttall Pl near Shadforth Ln when a 24-year-old man was hit in the head from behind and knocked unconscious.

Territory Duty Superintendent Greg Pusterla gives an update on NYE 2020 from the perspective of policing across the Territory. Picture: Che Chorley

He was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital in a stable condition.

Territory Duty Superintendent Greg Pusterla said police were investigating the circumstances around the assault and whether it was provoked or not.

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In another incident at 3.30am a man was assaulted by a group of three men on Mitchell St near McLachlan St.

Duty Supt Pusterla said police were investigating to see if the two assaults were linked.

“That’s just an avenue we’ll be going down to see whether or not there is any correlation between the two,” he said.

He said overall behaviour in the city was; largely acceptable.

Darwin NYE fireworks (above): Vision by Che Chorley

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“The city behaviour especially the big event with the mass numbers; that was a very well behaved event and well organised so credit to the people that went out, I understand it was more of a family type of event down at the Waterfront,” he said.

Two large scale Random Breath Testing stations were set up on Tiger Brennan Dr and the Stuart Hwy with 3265 breath tests and 46 drug tests conducted.

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Seven people blew medium range readings and two people blew High Range readings including a 31-year-old man who allegedly blew 0.02 per cent.

One person also returned a positive reading in their drug test.

He said cops would continue to focus on road safety as part of Operation Roland, which wraps up on January 7.

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