Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson says he is willing to give the Fyles Government’s new alcohol restrictions for the town a try, but that he’s concerned depriving alcoholics of grog for two days a week could lead to more break-ins and increased crime in the community – a community that was at “crisis point” a year ago, before the federal ban on drinking in communities ended.

He also warned that the ongoing lack of results in Alice Springs was a harbinger of things to come in Darwin.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced a three-month ban on buying takeaway alcohol in Alice Springs on Mondays and Tuesdays following a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who visited the town Tuesday after increased political pressure to deal with the ongoing crime crisis.

The new restrictions will also see trading hours reduced for liquor retailers to between 3pm and 7pm on other days, as well as limiting sales of alcohol to one transaction per person per day.

Mr Paterson, who wrote a letter to federal and Territory politicians last January calling for help after council had declared the crime situation in the town at “crisis point”, said on Wednesday that he was sceptical the newly announced restrictions would do much to curb crime and that the end of the so-called Stronger Futures legislation that banned alcohol in Aboriginal communities around the town should be revisited.

“Clearly, it’s [Stronger Futures legislation] a massive issue and it’s a sensitive issue, but we know that it worked and it shouldn’t have lapsed, there [was begging] from organisations not to take it away, and they did, so they certainly need to address that,” he told Mix 104.9.

“In regards to the changes that have been put forward [by the Chief Minister]; look, the cynic in me says that it won’t work but I’m happy to come on this program if it does work and say that I was wrong.

“But we already see break-ins at two or 3am overnight for people wanting alcohol. So what’s going to happen when we take it away from them for two days? So, I’m very fearful that it puts further strain on business to not get broken into and alcohol will be harder to come by, therefore, there’ll be more break-ins.”

Last January, Mr Paterson’s letter calling for help for the town at crisis point was sent to dozens of people, including then-prime minister Scott Morrison, then-opposition leader Anthony Albanese, then-Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt and the Territory’s federal politicians, as well as then-chief minister Michael Gunner.

“Please accept this as an invitation; I am urging you to come to Alice Springs to witness this first-hand,” he wrote, adding that politicians needed to visit Alice to “feel and hear the palpable fear of our locals”.

Despite attempts by the NT Labor Government to address the problems since then, nothing has worked and crime rates have skyrocketed according to police figures.

After his visit on Tuesday, Mr Albanese did not rule out reinstating a similar Stronger Futures ban on alcohol in remote communities, instead putting a bureaucrat in charge of executing an “urgent review” that would give her one week to “allow consultation” and determine if it should be reinstated and communities required to opt-out if they choose.

The lack of consultation with communities before the legislation lapsed has been criticised by many, including Indigenous groups.

On ABC Radio Wednesday morning, Ms Fyles suggested the Electoral Commission may be used to gauge support in communities for reinstating the blanket grog ban.

“This is something where communities have had the opportunity to opt-in to being a dry community — we have seen a number of communities make that choice but others have said no,” she said.

“How we assess that in that alcohol management plan is something that the controller [Albanese appointed bureaucrat Dorrelle Anderson] will look at and I will seek advice on. Do we go out literally to a ballot, do we get the Electoral Commission to go out to these communities?”

Mr Paterson reiterated the issue is a Territory-wide one and also warned that Darwin is where Alice Springs was 12 months ago.

“We were already on a slow burn, we were already going downhill [and] relaxing Stronger Futures blows your mind, what’s happening in town,” he said.

“But I want to say if alcohol is the problem, what you’re going through in Darwin was Alice Springs 12 months ago. I don’t want to send a wave of fear through Darwin, but what was happening in Alice Springs 12 months ago is what you guys are going through now.

“So, if alcohol is the problem, then it should be territory-wide changes for Monday and Tuesday and then see if crime rates drop in Darwin because it’s not all roses up there either.”

Mr Paterson also said that addressing the ongoing alcohol problem was only part of the problem.

“There’s two fires burning here, there’s one that is the alcohol and yes, alcohol is a problem,” he said.

“But there’s two, which is [also] the antisocial behaviour, right? So just by removing alcohol doesn’t address having five and six-year-olds on the street late at night so you know, it addresses the alcohol issues, the announcement yesterday, but it certainly doesn’t help address the antisocial behaviour stuff. So, I’ve made the plea that we need more resources down here.”