NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Bradley Currie has said enforcement of new emergency takeaway alcohol purchasing rules in greater Darwin would fall on bottle shop staff, but he did not rule out bringing in police liquor inspectors.

On Monday the Director of Liquor Licencing activated emergency power which Commissioner Currie said was to cut an increasing issue of ‘grog-running’ into remote communities. The new rules mandate residents in the greater Darwin area must provide proof of address when purchasing alcohol.

It brings the city in line with much of the rest of the Northern Territory – but only for seven days.

Residents of Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs grappled with similar changes at the beginning of 2019, which saw a contingent of police liquor inspectors established at the front of bottle shops. Northern Territory Police issued a statement yesterday saying the “determination” by the Director of Liquor Licensing to increase restrictions on the sale of takeaway alcohol was welcomed.

Discussing the new rules on ABC radio on Monday Commissioner Currie said the director of licencing has listened to the concerns about the large volume of alcohol reaching remote communities where alcohol is banned.

NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Bradley Currie.

He said it was a “concern” for police as resources were redeployed to deal with alcohol fueled violence.

“We don’t want to be continually dealing with alcohol related offences in those communities when we could be concentrating more on our COVID-19 response,” he said.

At the NT Police Association annual general meeting in mid August, Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said the Territory needed to consider lifting alcohol bans in remote communities.

“We’ve been in a place where we’ve had restricted areas and a particularly paternalistic approach to how Aboriginal people, in particular, are allowed to consume alcohol,” he said.

“There’s no need to rush through the gate. But there’s certainly a case to be had that says, ‘How do we integrate alcohol from a social perspective, as opposed to the devastation we see?'”

Commissioner Currie said it would be up to the Director of Liquor Licencing to extend the Darwin restrictions and potentially establish the rules permanently but he “imagines” the period is likely to be extended, but could not confirm either way.

The director’s ultimate decision will depend on “information” provided by police related to the rate of incidents occurring in remote communities.

He said the spike in the secondary supply of alcohol to remote communities has likely stemmed from an increase of money flowing into the NT through the Federal Government’s coronavirus financial assistance.

According to the latest federal data, released in July, more than 26,400 Territorians are reliant on the unemployment benefit – that’s the highest percentage of working age people in all states and territories relying on the coronavirus supplement.

However, the government is planning to cut the supplement on September 25, reducing incomes of people on JobSeeker from $1,100 a fortnight to $800.

“There have also been other avenues where people have been able to access superannuation and the like,” Commissioner Currie said.

“What we have also unfortunately seen is people taking advantage of people with dependency upon alcohol. We’ve had seizures in excess of nearly 100 bottles of top shelf spirits being seized on their way out to some of those communities.

Policing the new rules and confusion over addresses

Commissioner Currie said enforcement of the new rules would fall on bottle shop staff, but did not rule out bringing in police liquor inspectors.

He stressed police would support licensees through the changes and would not “be throwing the book as they learn these possible changes”. He did not say how police would monitor compliance if the bottle shops were left to enforce the rulings.

“It is not there to necessarily get in the way of people who are going about their lawful business, this is about trying to restrict alcohol being drunk in public places where they shouldn’t be.”

Concerns have also been raised on social media over the requirement to prove an ID which bears a residential address in the greater Darwin area.

“Does this mean those i.e. me, won’t be able to purchase alcohol ‘cause I live 250kms from Darwin?” one person commented on a story published by the NT Independent yesterday.

“I was caught out in Katherine a couple of months ago because my Darwin address didn’t qualify me to buy alcohol at the Katherine bottle shop,” another said.

The Director of Liquor Licensing is yet to issue an official statement on the tightening of restrictions.