Alice Springs’ ‘weekend of carnage’ in Northern Territory election aftermath

The change in Territory government did nothing to stop rogue youths in Alice Springs leaving locals fearing for their lives, with dozens of vehicles smashed, businesses ransacked and weapons brandished during a dispute at a community footy game.

Video footage showing Alice Springs youth breaking into NT Bakery at 6am on Sunday. Picture: Supplied

The change in Territory government did nothing to stop rogue youths in Alice Springs leaving locals fearing for their lives, with dozens of vehicles smashed, businesses ransacked and Aboriginal Police Liaison Officers outnumbered when weapons were brandished during a dispute at a community footy game over the weekend.

Chief minister elect Lia Finocchiaro has vowed to tackle the issues of youth crime and ‘reset the agenda’ for law and order after meeting with the NT police commissioner on Sunday.

The Australian has obtained dozens of photographs and video footage of the weekend carnage in the red centre, where roaming youth vandals damaged more than 60 cars, with many of the vehicles dedicated to helping improve the lives of young Indigenous Australians.

One young woman, named Clarin, on Sunday evening had her car approached by a group of children – some whom look as young as eight – fearing she would be hijacked.

Extraordinary footage of the encounter shows the children approaching the vehicle from the Todd River at 8pm before the 28-year-old chef and student from Indonesia slowly reversed her car to get away, when the children started pelting rocks at her vehicle.

“The kids tried to approach the car and then (I) try to reverse the car and then the kids started to throw the stones on my car and I drove away,” said Clarin, who was still shaken by the incident on Monday.

Clarin, who requested her surname be withheld, said that before her vehicle was attacked the children had tried following and throwing stones at the friend she had just dropped off.

“I was so panicked, she was panicked, my other friend panicked as well,” she said.

“I was worried if they threatened me and asked me to leave the car and then they can hijack my car,” she said.

At least eight businesses were attacked on Saturday night, with photos obtained by The Australian showing hundreds of vehicle and business windows smashed.

Alice Springs smashed car

Most windows in this bus were smashed.

Damage at the Child Health and Development Centre in Braitling, Alice Springs.

On Sunday afternoon Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers were outnumbered when violence spilled on to the streets after a football match where people wielded weapons, including a hatchet, a baseball bat and sticks.

One witness who called police said they were “terrified” and that police were “unprepared” and nowhere to be seen.

“I think what it was two groups fighting amongst themselves, it was community stuff, every time there is community football there are always issues,” the eye witness said.

“There were people with hatchets, a bright blue baseball bat, massive sticks, a female pulled a garden mattock out of her car and hid it under her long dress and walked towards the entry and it was on.

“It is just madness, absolute f..king chaos” they said.

Alice Springs on Sunday. Picture: Supplied

More damage at the Child Health and Development Centre in Braitling, Alice Springs.

A bakery owned by Darren Clark, a fierce advocate for his town, was broken into by children at 6am on Sunday morning, and estimates a damage bill to his business of $5000-$8000.

“They whacked the security screens off with a hammer, smashed the windows and then entered the building, they have taken a hell of a lot of drinks and chocolate slices,” he said.

Mr Clark, who monitors crime in Alice Springs through his Facebook page Action for Alice, said he had not seen this level of “carnage” for a long time.

“I drove around to these businesses and saw these vehicles, the number of windows smashed is just extraordinary,” he said.

On Monday morning Ms Finocchiaro said she would be tackling the issues of youth on the street and “making sure that Territory families is focused on the care and protection of children”.

“We know a lot of the reason why kids are out on the street committing crimes is because they’re not being supported at home and so this is really important work that needs to be done,” she said.

Alice Springs youth rampage

“(This) is why youth justice will sit with corrections, so that kids who are offending can be dealt with in the appropriate environment, but kids who aren’t can be supported to live happy, healthy lives, that’s what we want for all Territory kids,” she said.

“There is certainly much work to do, but that work has started, and it’s very, very important to bring people on this journey with us over the days and weeks, as our policy platform unfolds and results in the delivery.”