Police have arrested 10 men in Peppimenarti as part of a crackdown following repeated community complaints about the lack of policing and the criminal damage inflicted by the Jovi Boys gang.

On Tuesday, new Police Commissioner Michael Murphy visited the community of about 200 people – which is about a six-hour drive southwest of Darwin – and brought in a unspecified number of police officers, including the tactical group and detectives.

It was unclear why the police had only moved to clean up the community now, after years of complaints.

His visit follows the March letter to Chief Minister Natasha Fyles by Levitt Robinson solicitor and lawyer Stewart Levitt – who said his firm represented much of the Peppimenarti community – stating the Australian Human Rights Commission had accepted an unlawful discrimination complaint by some residents, against the Northern Territory Government, Police Minister Kate Worden, the NT Police Commissioner, and others, alleging they were receiving a lesser policing service than non-Indigenous communities, based on their race.

In a statement on Thursday morning Commander Kylie Anderson said: “As always, our primary concern is for the safety of the community and our officers”.

She said the arrests came after “recent disturbances” throughout the Daly River region with instances of “community unrest”, unlawful entries, stolen motor vehicles and domestic violence.

NT Police have rarely made public the extent of the crime she was referring to, a level of crime which Deewin Kirim Aboriginal Corporation chief executive officer Ray Whear said in a letter to Labor MLA for Daly Dheran Young had been a national disgrace since early 2020.

On August 19, the NT Independent published an open letter by Mr Whear – that was also sent to other media – in which he wrote about media reports addressing the ongoing Peppimenarti violence, suggesting NT Police statements always echoed previous police rhetoric indicating that they are liaising with stakeholders and community leaders to improve the situation, but that was blatantly false.

Cmdr Anderson said the 10 men had been arrested since Tuesday, with a 20-year-old charged with three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of contravening a domestic violence order, and a count each of unlawful use of motor vehicle, driving in a dangerous manner, and driving unlicensed.

An 18-year-old man was also charged with two counts of un-lawful use of motor vehicles, two counts of criminal damage, and a count each of stealing and breach of bail.

A 25-year-old man was arrested for two outstanding warrants and charged with breach of bail.

Cmdr Anderson said another 18-year-old had been released pending further investigations into the unlawful use of a motor vehicle, while the six other alleged offenders were all arrested on Thursday morning and remained in police custody.

She said Drug and Organised Crime squad members charged a 29-year-old man, after they pulled over a LandCruiser on the Port Keats Rd, where a drug dog allegedly found 3.6kg of cannabis and a large amount of cash in the vehicle.

The man was charged with supplying a commercial quantity of a schedule 2 dangerous drug, processing a commercial quantity of a schedule 2 dangerous drug, and possessing property used in the commission of an offence.

“NT Police are at the coal face of these deep rooted issues and we will continue to work traditional owners, elders and government and community stakeholders to implement solutions,” Cmdr Anderson said.