Aboriginal legal services and advocates have hit back at the Northern Territory government's emergency youth curfew aimed at curbing escalating violence in Alice Springs.
Chaos descended on the red centre town on Tuesday afternoon when a large group attacked the Todd Tavern, leaving a $30,000 damage bill, as tensions escalated between families following the death of a teenager.
Brawls continued later in the evening as family members mourned the death, with up to 150 people clashing in town camps.
Arrests were made and more than 50 weapons were seized including spears, axes and clubs.
On Wednesday Chief Minister Eva Lawler made an emergency declaration in Alice Springs, enforcing a 6pm curfew for those under 18 and deploying an extra 58 police officers to the town.
But the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services says the measures are punitive and could make the situation worse.
"Policies that result in children being locked up and make problems worse are not solutions – they are dangerous and will result in further tragedy for communities and children," National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services chair Karly Warner said.
The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), the peak legal service for Indigenous people in the NT, has also hit back at the emergency measures.
“It’s nothing more than a short-sighted quick fix that demonises young people and risks inflaming tensions and escalating problems," NAAJA principal legal officer Jared Sharp said.
“Further, there appears to have been no consultation, including with support services that most certainly will need to be called upon.”
A group of government and police officials travelled to Alice Springs on Thursday to oversee the new emergency powers.
Ms Lawler told reporters the first night of the curfew had been positive and tensions had simmered down.
"It was a quiet night for young people in Alice Springs, and that's what (we) want to see," she said on Thursday.
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said officers were using common sense and discretion to send children home who were out late.
"The fact that that curfew exists doesn't mean that we're going to start locking up kids," he said.
"The objective is to keep kids out of the criminal justice system."
A temporary curfew was backed by the federal government, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it "a sensible move".
“All Australians will be concerned by the scenes that we have seen,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Thursday.
The rising tensions in the desert town were inflamed by the death of an 18-year-old in a fatal car accident in early March.
He died after hanging out of the window of a stolen car that rolled over in the Alice Springs CBD.
He was crushed and killed by the vehicle and left there by the driver and passengers.
"We saw really violent behaviour yesterday associated with (that) death," Mr Murphy said on Wednesday.
"That's led to family feuds and that erupted in Alice Springs yesterday in a couple of locations."
Footage of the riots in the CBD was shared widely on social media and showed young people throwing themselves at the glass doors of a local pub.
The viral videos also made their way to Canberra, where ministers jabbed at the federal government for its handling of the crisis.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who is from Alice Springs, called on the government to send in the Australian Defence Force.
Mr Murphy said there was no need for extra federal assistance.
"Northern Territory police are more than capable of delivering public safety services to the community, and we will prove that," he said on Thursday.
