Rock Bar and Bojangles Saloon served liquor license suspension by police hours before curfew starts

Two bars in the heart of Alice Springs will be shut for the next two days during the curfew. Read why police decided to temporarily shut the venues.

A Northern Territory police vehicle out the front of Rock Bar and Bojangles Saloon in Alice Springs, July 8, 2024. Northern Territory police suspended the liquor license of two licensed premises on Todd Street on July 8, 2024. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Northern Territory police say “riotous conduct” is the reason behind their decision to shut down two bars in the heart of Alice Springs just hours before the town’s latest curfew was due to begin.

Police served a temporary suspension notice to The Rock Bar and Bojangles Saloon on Todd Street in Alice Springs just after 5pm on Monday, July 8 – hours before the town’s second curfew was due to begin at 10pm.

In a statement, Northern Territory police said the decision was made due to “a serious incident involving riotous conduct by patrons of the premises early on Sunday morning in Todd Street”.

Acting Southern Commander Drew Slape said the two bars will be shut for 48 hours.

“The Northern Territory Police is dedicated to safeguarding public welfare by enforcing regulations aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm in our local community,” Mr Slape said.

Northern Territory Police officers chatting to Rock Bar owner Jo George (dark grey shirt) and security in Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“We appeal to all licensed venues to prioritise the welfare and safety of patrons and our broader Territory community.”

Talking to media when the curfew announcement was made, Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said police were looking at “options available” to reduce the sale of alcohol in the town.

“We’ve got pretty stringent controls here at the moment, but we can still see really massive impacts upon harm that are directly attributed to alcohol,” he said.

In the Territory government's gazette, Mr Murphy said the fighting on the Alice Springs Town Council lawns – also on Todd Street – required “a large police response” with police using capsicum spray to “dissipate the crowd and restore public order”.

The gazette notice has linked the disturbance on the council lawns to the subsequent assault of four off-duty cops – three women and a male – in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Details of more disturbances in town were also revealed in the gazette notice, such as reports of fireworks being fired into a dining premises, reports of a stolen vehicle, and an additional three reports of fighting in the Alice Springs CBD.

It’s not the first time the Bojangles liquor license has been temporarily suspended for 48 hours.

In 2020, the venue copped the suspension by the NT Liquor Commission for serving a drunk man four times in 30 minutes.

The Rock Bar was also fined $1,600 in 2020 by the liquor commission after a complaint against the premises.

The commission heard a man got so drunk at The Rock Bar he “soiled himself” before leaving the premises and stumbling into a taxi.

Meanwhile, vehicle thieves remain at large after multiple cars were taken for a joy ride through Alice Springs overnight.

About midnight on Monday, two hours after the curfew was put in place, police were notified of three suspicious vehicles driving through the Alice Springs CBD.

At 12.26am, a nearby commercial business reported that the trio of vehicles had been stolen from its compound.

Police were able to locate the vehicles due to GPS devices attached to them.

Police then established a cordon to contain the stolen vehicles, which the alleged offenders dumped and fled from.

While the vehicles were recovered, the alleged offenders remain at large.

Originally published as Rock Bar and Bojangles Saloon served liquor license suspension by police hours before curfew starts