Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has announced her government will introduce urgent bail reforms that would see a presumption against bail for offenders charged with violent offences using a weapon, which comes in response to community outrage over the death of 20-year-old bottle shop worker Declan Laverty.
Territorians want smarter justice solutions put in place to break the criminal cycle and improve community safety, according to a new report by the Northern Territory Aboriginal Justice Agreement group, that shows that the NT Government’s ‘tough-on-crime’ policies have failed.
A crime spree in Alice Springs over the weekend that saw multiple cars set on fire and businesses ram-raided have citizens terrified and calling on the Federal Government to take real action to restore order to the town less than two months after a visit from the Prime Minister.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has dispelled fresh rumours that he has resigned, or plans to resign, claiming the latest rumour was started by “anti-vaxxers and people with agendas”.
A 40-year-old man is facing deprivation of liberty charges after he allegedly abducted a 65-year-old man in his car and assaulted him multiple times while the vehicle drove around the Alice Springs CBD, NT Police said.
The NT Government has paid $3.66 million for the controversial forced acquisition of Anzac Oval – the future home of the National Aboriginal Art Gallery – the Alice Springs Town Council has said, but the government has not given an up-to-date construction cost from the $180 million estimate nearly four years ago.
Property crimes in Alice Springs reached all-time highs with 1,135 properties – or roughly one in 10 houses – having been broken into, stolen from or damaged per day in January alone, according to police figures, that come as the man behind Action for Alice calls for the government to “wake up” and address the ongoing crime problem.
UPDATED: A man who allegedly stole a vehicle with a young child in the back seat in Alice Springs on Wednesday night has been arrested and will face a string of charges including drink driving and child abduction, NT Police said.
UPDATED: The AFLNT’s Gwynne Medal, awarded to the best and fairest female player of the year, will be renamed following revelations at Colleen Gwynne’s now discontinued criminal trial that she used racist and derogatory language to describe a female Aboriginal co-worker.
Four prisoners escaped from their cell block in Alice Springs jail overnight, a source with knowledge of the facility has said, including one who reportedly made it to the roof of the building.
NT Police are investigating two separate robberies in Alice Springs, including a home invasion in Sadadeen where an unidentified female knocked a 76-year-old man out of his wheelchair before robbing his home.
Australia’s newest low-cost carrier Bonza is considering opening Northern Territory destinations, including Alice Springs and Yulara to its network of flights, depending on airport use agreements with the Territory’s airports, despite the Tourism Minister saying she hasn’t had the time to meet with them.
