NT police brace for violent response

An outbreak of assaults, property damage and burglaries are expected to sweep Alice Springs in the wake of the booze restrictions implemented on the town this week.

Police are preparing for a fresh crime wave in the wake of alcohol restrictions being imposed on the area. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Northern Territory police are expecting an outbreak of assaults, burglaries and property damage in the wake of snap alcohol restrictions being imposed on Alice Springs this week, with concerns people will drive to other towns so they can buy liquor in bulk.

Police are worried the town does not have enough “auxiliary liquor inspectors” to monitor Alice Springs’ bottle shops, with only 14 out of 41 remaining after three of the designated booze cops quit in the past week.

At the same time, business owners are considering a class action against the Territory government given the significant damage to their properties and decline in revenue due to the rising crime wave after alcohol bans were lifted in July.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles this week announced temporary restrictions would be put in place, with no takeaway alcohol to be sold on Mondays and Tuesdays and sales limited to one per person every other day.

But the NT Police Association expressed concerns at the measure, which it said had been taken with little consultation, and warned the crime rate was expected to rise as a result.

“I don’t think it’s the answer,” NTPA president Paul McCue told The Australian.

“Ultimately, we saw a lot of crime, a lot of break-ins to access alcohol even when the restrictions weren’t in place.

“Certainly a lot of the feedback we’ve received already is there’s a significant concern that crime will actually rise over those restricted hours because of course people are still wanting to access alcohol and they’ll probably break into more premises.”

The NTPA has also raised alarm at the exodus of Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, who are tasked with monitoring liquor stores in Alice Springs. Only 14 of the 41 roles are currently filled.

“Many of them (that are left) carry significant concerns about the role … there’s certainly a lot of talk among them about their own futures,” Mr McCue said.

A young Indigenous Australian is released from a police cage truck and enters a local youth organisation vehicle to be returned to a town camp in Alice Springs. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

An NT government spokeswoman it had delivered more resources than any other government in supporting police and frontline workers, and that 120 recruits were currently undergoing training to become officers in the Territory.

Business owners echoed the concern that crime would increase in coming weeks, with one confirming he had a venue recently rammed by people who did so only to steal six bottles of liquor.

Craig Jarvis – who runs five venues in town including the Top Tavern, Diplomat and the Aurora – said he “absolutely” believed people would try to break in and steal liquor in the wake of the bans.

Mr Jarvis said he had spent more than $300,000 since July in security enhancements across his venues, including cameras, alarms and gates to try to prevent ram raids such as the one he experienced last year.

“It was just insane, the amount of damage for what they took,” he said.

“There was six bottles of spirits in the end and about $25,000 to $30,000 worth of damage.

“But really, there’s not a day that goes by that one of my staff or one of our businesses aren’t impacted by crime.

“The frustration from the community … is getting extreme.”

That frustration will be canvassed on Monday at a snap meeting of the town, organised by locals who told The Australian a class action against the NT government was being considered.

Business owners in Alice Springs told The Australian they are consulting lawyers about options regarding damage.

Garth Thompson, who owns the Jetcor Yamaha and Honda motorcycle store in town, said he was consulting lawyers about business owners’ legal options.

He said his own store was broken into nine times last year and that a ram raid had destroyed the front of the shop in March.

Mr Thompson – an Alice Springs resident of 44 years – estimated he had spent more than $250,000 in damages since he started the business 10 years ago.

“What we’re wanting to do is bring a class action against the NT government for their neglect in ensuring everything is run correctly,” he told The Australian.

“We’re now in the position that we’ve got to stand up and rely on ourselves, we can’t rely on our government anymore.

“What we are living with and the way we are living is wrong, it’s just so so wrong. The scary part now is they are using different weapons like axes and machetes and knives (when they break in).”

In a radio ad that will play on Alice Springs’ three local stations, Mr Thompson urges the community to “come to a full town meeting” at the local convention centre at 5.30pm on Monday.

“Come along and help us with our plan,” he says.

“We will make information available for everyone on what we plan to do to start the process to save Alice Springs.”

Two Facebook posts by Mr Thompson about the meeting and class action have been re-shared more than 400 times.

Mr Jarvis said a class action was “extreme” but that the town was “in extreme circumstances”.

“A class action can make someone accountable and I want an outcome … we just want the government to acknowledge there’s a problem,” he said.

Another business owner, Damian Crowe, said he supported a class action.

Mr Crowe said his deli had experienced a drop in revenue as the town “progressed into a slum”.

The NT government spokeswoman said there was funding for victims of crime, with businesses facing damages able to access up to $15,000 with a co-contribution of 25 per cent.