Opposition Warns of Vigilantism If Alice Springs Crime Wave Not Dealt With

A view of the town of Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory on October 13, 2013 (Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images)

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called on the government to take concrete action to deal with a crime wave that has swept the central Australian city of Alice Springs following pleas from the local mayor for additional law enforcement resources.

“I’ve called for a Royal Commission in relation to the disaster, the tragedy, that’s unfolding in Alice Springs, and I noticed the news this morning in the Northern Territory newspapers around the mayor calling the attorney-general asking for additional resources. I asked this of the prime minister when we were in Parliament before Christmas,” Dutton said in a press conference on Jan. 18.

Dutton said the Coalition would look for bipartisan support to deal with the situation.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton delivers his Budget Reply Speech in the House of Representatives of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 27, 2022. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

“There will be vigilante action in Alice Springs because people are completely at the end of their tether,” Dutton said.

“Police have just thrown their hands up in the air; they don’t have the resources to deal with it. The social workers deliver kids back into communities who are crying and screaming, asking not to be returned back.

“I don’t know why the Prime Minister won’t act.”

Alice Springs Under Siege from Crime

The call from the opposition leader comes after Mayor Matt Paterson appealed for help to deal with the crisis.

“It is crazy bad … and it’s not even just nighttime anymore; it’s seriously 24-7,” Paterson told the Northern Territory News.

“Parents driving their kids to childcare in the morning are being confronted with anti-social behaviour; they can’t even go shopping in the afternoon because there’s someone wielding a weapon.

“Our library was broken into on Sunday afternoon with over $20,000 worth of damage caused, and the police took seven hours to respond. Our police are doing an amazing job, but clearly, we don’t have enough resources.”

Current crime statistics for Alice Springs have jumped, with assaults and domestic violence rates jumping by 38.01 percent and 47.22 percent, respectively.

Home and commercial property break-ins have risen 25.75 percent and 55.97 percent, respectively. Motor vehicle theft has also risen 39.88 percent.

Paterson also told the Northern Territory News that he is currently open to any plan that would make his constituents safe, including federal police or the military.

“People are genuinely fearful to go to sleep at night—we can’t continue to live like this,” he said. “People are leaving in droves.”

Attorney General Mark Dreyfuss’s office has confirmed to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he is organising a meeting with Paterson to discuss the issues.

NT Police Allege Operation Drina Having an Effect

The call for more policing resources comes after the Northern Territory police launched Operation Drina to target anti-social behaviour and associated crime in Alice Springs in November 2022.

In a media release on Jan. 11, Commander Matt Hollamby said during the past six weeks, Drina had made a positive impact through high-visibility police patrols and proactive engagement with the Alice Springs community.

“Operation Drina has enabled a targeted approach to crime and anti-social behaviour in the CBD, which includes working closely with other government stakeholders and police operational units such as Strike Force Viper and the Dog Operations Unit,” Hollamby said.

The NT police also noted that to date, they had seized and destroyed a total of 1,386 litres of liquor, apprehended for protective custody 168 individuals, made 237 arrests, and issued 97 notices to appear in court. A further 278 traffic infringement notices were given, and 101 summary infringement notices were issued.

Aboriginal women gather to meet Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough as he arrives for a meeting with the Mutitjulu community in Mutitjulu, near Alice Springs, Australia, on July 6, 2007. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

Additionally, the police issued 54 banning notices from the Alice Springs Liquor Act declared area.

Northern Territory Police Minister Kate Worden said alcohol retailers in Alice Springs could do more to help.

“Alcohol retailers have a part to play, as does government,” Worden told the ABC on Jan.18.

“We need to make sure that we can come up with some local solutions around alcohol; we’re looking at absolutely everything we can at the moment to make sure that we’ve got a solid plan about tackling that issue.”