Federal support needed as crime in outback town climbs

Leaders have called for additional police support as crime in Alice Springs spikes. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Alice Springs is again reeling from a vicious home invasion as police say violent crime is on the rise.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Police Commissioner Michael Murphy flew to Alice Springs on Thursday morning after an alleged home invasion left a two-month-old baby with severe head fractures.

Police say the home invasion occurred on Wednesday and the infant was airlifted to Royal Adelaide Hospital where she remains in a stable condition.

“Since the third of December, there's been a number of serious crimes in Alice Springs, ranging from abduction sexual assaults, home burglaries, home invasions, and stealing motor vehicles,” Mr Murphy told media.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy says people should feel safe in their homes.

He said it was “totally unacceptable” people didn’t feel safe in their own homes and he would dedicate more resources to the outback, with additional resources being sent from Darwin.

However, Mr Murphy stopped short of using his powers to implement another curfew, as seen earlier this year.

Ms Finocchiaro told reporters the people involved in the alleged assault were “well-known to police and currently on bail”.

NT Police said two teens, aged 16 and 17, had been arrested by police shortly after the assault.

She said the people of Alice Springs had been let down and neglected.

“I’d like to acknowledge also that there are a lot of very angry people in this town who feel frustrated, scared, hurt by what has taken place over recent weeks, and they deserve to be angry,” she said.

“When people say they feel let down by the system, the reality is, people in Alice Springs have been let down.”

She reiterated her government's plan to address crime as rates traditionally spike over the summer holidays.

Federal Labor member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour said she would develop an intergovernmental panel to deal with the crisis and would call on her federal colleagues, including Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy to assist.

She urged the NT Police to formally request additional commonwealth support.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson was “heartbroken” as the town again wrestled community safety.

“The situation is bigger than the resources we have. We need help from other jurisdictions, whether that’s AFP or SA Police,” he told Newscorp.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store