Snap curfew for Alice Springs after ‘horror 72 hours’
Police have declared a curfew for all Alice Springs residents after a wave of weekend violence rocked the outback town.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy announced the snap curfew on Monday afternoon.
“This afternoon I signed off on a public social disorder declaration. It will be effective now but only come into operation between 10pm and 6pm over the next three nights,” he said.
It will apply to everyone in Alice Springs.
The action follows what Police Minister Brent Potter said had been a “horror 72 hours” in the NT town, which began when an officer was run over outside a bottle shop on Friday night.
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The injured officer remains in hospital with a broken leg and a broken arm.
A 42-year-old woman was also allegedly stabbed in Alice Springs’ CBD on Friday night. Murphy said her cousin had been charged with endangering life.
“On Saturday evening we saw a large scale disturbance involving up to 80 people on the council lawns. They had been at two licensed premises earlier in the night and exited the licensed premises and went across the road into the council and engaged in disturbances and violent conduct causing police to respond,” Murphy said.
“They assaulted our police – police had to use some force to disperse the crowd, they eventually did, and wandered into the Todd River of Alice Springs. That led to the assault of our off-duty police walking home along the terrace.”
Four off-duty police officers were allegedly assaulted about 2.15am on Sunday. NT Police have said the three women and a man were approached from behind by the group and then allegedly assaulted and robbed while crossing the Todd River at 2.15am.”
The latest action follows a three-week curfew imposed on people under 18 in Alice Springs on March 27 when the Northern Territory government declared an emergency following escalating violence in the Red Centre town.
Under the curfew, children aged under 18 were prohibited from entering central Alice Springs between 6pm and 6am.
It was imposed after a surge of violence in the town inflamed by the death of an 18-year-old in a car crash. His death triggered clashes between rival families that culminated in an attack at the Todd Tavern.
Officers made several arrests and seized more than 50 weapons, including spears, axes and clubs.
Controversial laws introduced in May allow the NT Police Commissioner to delcare 72-hour lockdowns to respond to “public disorder”. They were introduced in response to concerns the March curfew was unlawful under existing emergency management laws.
