Calls are growing for Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney to resign after the crime-ridden town of Alice Springs was reimposed with a curfew.
Northern Territory Police Chief Michael Murphy announced a three-night curfew on Monday after four off-duty police officers – three women and one man – were allegedly attacked and robbed by about 20 male youths on Sunday morning.
In a separate incident, a 26-year-old man was arrested after allegedly running over a police officer at a takeaway in Alice Springs. There have also been reports of threats against motorists and break-ins in recent days.
Darren Clark, a local business owner and manager of Action for Alice’s social media accounts, believes the new curfew, the city’s second this year, will last longer than three nights.
He could not say whether the measure would also lead to lasting peace and order in the troubled city.
“Who knows? You never know,” Clark told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday night.
He said it had been “great” since the previous three-week curfew around Easter until recently, but added that “it’s always quieter in the winter”.
But in recent days, reports have been posted on the Action for Alice page about numerous burglaries, a ram raid, vandalised vehicles and street fights.
In footage posted to the Action for Alice Facebook page, a motorist films a tyre iron being thrown at his vehicle from a hatchback blocking a street in Alice Springs
In a shocking incident, dashcam footage captured a tyre lever being thrown from a grey hatchback, blocking the road and crashing into the front of the car. The footage was captured.
A youth can be seen leaning out of the passenger window of the hatchback and threatening the driver recording the dashcam footage with a stick, while the tire iron is thrown out of the rear passenger window.
The driver reported the incident to the police.
As the city descends into chaos again, critics are targeting Ms Burney and the Northern Territory authorities for failing to address the problem.
Indigenous advocate Warren Mundine accused Ms Burney of remaining silent about the problems facing Alice Springs even as the curfew was imposed, saying she had no policy to offer.
“We need leadership from the (federal) government and we need better leadership from the states and territories because when it comes to law and order and a number of other areas, it is the states and territories that are responsible for those things,” Mr Mundine told Sky News on Monday.
Action for Alice has also documented numerous other cases of damage and theft in recent days, such as this car with smashed windows in the Alice Springs CBD
“I have to say they’ve been a huge failure over the last few years.”
According to Mr Mundine, the curfew was a ‘plaster on the wound’.
.On Tuesday morning, Ms Burney told ABC News Breakfast that while the curfew was “important” but not “the be-all and end-all”.
“The police chief has made that very clear by saying the curfew is meant to calm things down and intervene to make the situation safe, but it’s the underlying issues that matter most,” she said.
‘Especially, as the police commissioner said, you can’t get out of this by arresting. The justice system is not the answer.
“But the community working with the government is the answer. And that’s exactly how I approach the issues.”
Under laws introduced in May, the Northern Territory’s police chief has the authority to order 72-hour lockdowns to prevent “public disorder”.
Critics have demanded that Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney show more leadership on the issues plaguing Alice Springs or resign.
The current curfew is in effect from 10pm to 6am from Monday to Wednesday in most of Alice Springs.
Unlike the previous curfew, which targeted indigenous youth, the new curfew applies to all local children and adults.
The measure was introduced after four off-duty officers were allegedly attacked while walking along a footpath on their way to a hotel on Barrett Drive.
They were allegedly attacked from behind by 20 male youths.
One of the female officers was pulled to the ground and her bag was reportedly stolen.
Alice Springs is experiencing its second curfew of the year, with locals banned from the streets in the city centre from 10pm to 6pm for the next three nights
Another woman was punched several times in the face and kicked before her cell phone was taken away.
The male officer was also punched and kicked several times.
The four officers returned to their residence where they alerted the police.
Two of the female officers were later treated in hospital for their injuries.
No charges have yet been filed.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to come forward.