Police Commissioner Michael Murphy enacts snap curfew in Alice Springs

An unprecedented 72 hour curfew has been enacted in Alice Springs after a string of horror attacks - including on police.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler, NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy and Police Minister Brent Potter. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Northern Territory Police Commissioner has activated a snap 72 hour curfew between the hours of 10pm-6am, after what was described as a “horror” weekend in Alice Springs for both police and residents.

In a major development, the curfew applies to all persons - adults and children - and the declared area includes the confines between Anzac Hill, Schwarz Crescent, down to the hospital, from the Stuart Highway across to Leichhardt and Stott Terrace.

Anyone in that zone can be engaged by police and asked to leave, or they can be asked to stay if there’s another disturbance and they do need to be contained for their own safety.

Failure to abide could lead to an arrest of infringement notice.

Police on the beat in Alice Springs hours after Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy enacted a 72-hour snap 10pm-6am curfew. Pictures: Gera Kazakov

The curfew will be enforced in the confines between Anzac Hill, Schwarz Crescent, down to the hospital, from the Stuart Highway across to Leichhardt and Stott Terrace.

Police Commissioner Michael Murphy made the announcement of a curfew from 10pm Monday at a press conference in the wake of four off duty police officers allegedly being assaulted and another officer being rushed to hospital after he was run over while attempting to make an arrest.

The officer suffered fractures to his leg and arm, and had to undergo surgery.

There was also large scale disturbance involving up to 80 people on the council lawns on Saturday evening, which became violent.

Mr Murphy said the group had been at two licensed premises earlier in the evening before crossing the road to the council lawns and engaging in disturbances and violent conduct, causing police to respond.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the snap three-day lockdown for Alice Springs was a decision that had no equivalent in Australia.

“They assaulted our police,” he said.

“Police had to use some force to disperse the crowd, they eventually did and wandered into the Todd River. That subsequently led to the assault of four off-duty police who were walking home.

“We cannot identify that they were known to the group as police, however it could have been any Alice Springs resident of Territorian that could have been violently assaulted and rocked.”

The attack on the off-duty police — by a group of about 20 male youths in the early hours of Sunday included a woman allegedly pulled to the ground and had her bag stolen.

Another was allegedly punched in the face and kicked before her phone was taken.

The man was also punched and kicked.

In separate incidents, a police officer was run over outside a bottle shop on Friday, and a 42-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Murphy also addressed a horrific alleged stabbing that occured in the Alice Springs CBD on Sunday.

“At lunctime, we saw an attack at an event on the town council lawns, where a 42-year-old woman was stabbed with a knife,” he said.

“She was subsequently hospitalised and we’ve arrested her cousin, who’s now facing a charge of recklessly endangering life.”

On Sunday evening, three youths allegedly robbed an Alice Springs service station, making off with $4500.

“Last night we saw three youths in a stolen motor vehicle conduct a robbery at a service station and then terrorise motorists in the Alice Springs CBD.”

Mr Murphy said after carfeful consideration, all of those incidents combined had led to the snap curfew.

“I’ve had to carefully consider a lot of things about policing activity, Northern Territory government activity, the impact on the community, but this afternoon I’ve signed off on public social disorder declaration will which be effective now, but will only come into operation between 10pm and 6am over the next three nights,” he said.

It is the first curfew enacted by Commissioner Murphy under new stand-alone curfew laws pushed through NT Parliament in May, after Alice Springs’ snap youth curfew in the wake of wild brawls in the town in March.

The curfew coincides with NAIDOC Week celebrations in Alice Springs and across the country.

“I’m very mindful about the decision to support NAIDOC Week and not disrupt events associated with NAIDOC Week, it’s vitally important during this time.

“It’s more important than ever that we need community support to solve the longer term issues of Alice Springs and the answer isn’t in the criminal justice system, it’s in the community and the leadership.”

More to come.

Originally published as Police Commissioner Michael Murphy enacts snap curfew in Alice Springs