NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker deploys 40 additional officers to Alice Springs

The NT’s top cop will deploy 40 extra police to the crime-plagued Central Australia town to combat repeat offenders and clamp down on criminal offending.

NT Police will deploy an extra 40 officers to crime-plagued Alice Springs to help combat the ongoing surge in criminal offending across the township.

Commissioner Jamie Chalker said it was his intention to “flood” the Alice Springs CBD to curb offending and track down known repeat offenders.

The move comes off the back of an urgent message to Red Centre residents early on Tuesday morning, warning them to leave the CBD if possible after two allegedly stolen vehicles were reported to be driving dangerously.

Commissioner Chalker defended the social media post, suggesting the situation had been under control and was an attempt to ensure public safety.

“We put out a public notice around the fact there was activity there, it may have come across that the situation was not necessarily in control,” he said.

“That was not the intent, the message was just to try and ensure safety.”

Police reported that the occupants of the allegedly stolen vehicles took out a power pole on Railway Tce and then attempted to ram a pursuing police vehicle, forcing the driver to evade the collision.

It was the third erratic driving incident involving allegedly stolen vehicles in Alice Springs in the past two weeks.

Of the three alleged offenders two are now in custody, while police are yet to find the third.

The first 40 officers were due to arrive in Alice Springs on Wednesday night, while another 15 graduates will be assigned to the Central Australia town in December.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker addresses the ongoing crime issues in Alice Springs. Picture: Nathaniel Chambers

“The reality of it is police across most parts of Northern Australia are dealing with this spate of unlawful vehicle use,” Commissioner Chalker said.

“It’s become a bit of a game, it has become a dangerous game, and one we can’t tolerate as a community.

“As a result, I’ve directed the team to send additional resources to Alice Springs, there will be 40 additional police in Alice.

“With the event that occurred last night, we know we’re going to flood that CBD but equally we’re going to flood all those residences that house people who are recidivist offenders.”

Braitling MLA Joshua Burgoyne said the ongoing Alice Springs crime wave was “alarming” and suggested an under-resourced police force was the issue.

“Labor has completely lost control of the streets of Alice Springs, evidenced by police giving another alert for people to avoid the CBD,” Mr Burgoyne said.

“This is alarming while people are locking themselves in their homes at night and businesses in the day, criminals run the streets of Alice Springs, and it’s not good enough.

“We need more resources now to face the ever-increasing issues we face in our town of Alice Springs.

“The police are hurting, we want to make sure police have the necessary resources to do their job.”

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles described the behaviour in Alice Springs as “unacceptable” and confirmed she had met with Commissioner Chalker on how best to allocate police resources in the region.

“It is unacceptable the behaviour we saw in Alice Springs, Territorians and the residents of Central Australia need to know I take that very seriously,” Ms Fyles said.

“We have invested in police, we have invested in youth justice.

“The police commissioner is ensuring there are the resources, particularly in Alice Springs, to keep the community safe.”

Originally published as NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker deploys 40 additional officers to Alice Springs