The Fyles Government has lost control of Alice Springs and should realise the problems are beyond them and call for federal government help, the head of Central Australia Tourism has said in the wake of police telling residents to stay out of the CBD for the second time in two weeks, and as police claim reinforcements are on the way.

Two cars were allegedly stolen and driven dangerously through the CBD on Wednesday, resulting in the CBD being effectively shut down, including both times the drivers attempting to ram police cars, police have said.

There was a third incident early Saturday morning where a 19-year-old was taken into custody after allegedly driving dangerously around Alice Springs in a stolen ute smashing it into an unmarked police car twice, and another vehicle, while youths were in the tray.

“..The fact that this is happening on such a regular basis now, you know, it has just got to that stage where people have had enough and, look, I think the reality is, you and I talked probably two months ago, [that] the government did not have control of this town.

“It’s just got worse, it’s getting worse, not better. And you know, the government is doing all they can to help. And I think we just need to take a step back here, Katie, and reflect on that, and I think, you know, the government does need to recognise that this is now beyond them, and that they need to call upon federal resources.”

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles and Police and Territory Families Minister Kate Worden did not respond to questions about the effective shut-down of the Alice Springs town centre.

Mr Rochford said Ms Worden was doing a good job and dismissed CLP Senator Jacinta Price’s called for the Australian Defence Force to be brought in to help deal with crime and social dysfunction, but agreed with her that the Australian Federal Police could be used, and further said legislative reform needed to be considered so parents of neglected kids are punished.

“It’s a double edged sword for us to be calling this out like we are, you know, it is a big thing for a tourism authority to be saying what we’re saying,” he said.

“But the thing is that we just need to, as a community work together with our government, in support and collaboration with our federal government to just throw as much as we possibly can at this.

“I think we should reflect…for a second, and many of your listeners in Darwin just think about that from our perspective.

“That’s the equivalent of the police saying you are not allowed to come into Mitchell St, or Knuckey St is closed down, and you cannot come in.

“If that happened in Bourke St in Melbourne, or George St in Sydney, this would be national media.”

More police to Alice Springs, NTPA calls it ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker announced on Wednesday afternoon he would send 40 additional officers into Alice Springs by the evening, while police had yet to catch the alleged offenders who led the Alice Springs CBD to be closed.

In a media release, he gave the first alleged details of the crimes that led to police warning people to not go into the CBD, or to leave if they were there.

Mr Chalker said two motor vehicles were allegedly stolen and then driven dangerously, with one driver attempting to to ram a police vehicle, which was forced to avoid a collision

He said a cordon was established with the dog unit, drones, Strike Force Viper members and general duties officers, and with tyre spikes deployed.

“This is the third incident of this type involving stolen vehicles in Alice Springs in the past fortnight,” he said.

Mr Chalker said police, including Aboriginal liaison officers, had been working to build relationships to prevent some of the behaviour that has been afflicting Alice Springs.

“Our partner agencies are working on addressing the causes of why this conduct continues. We look forward to their input and resources being assigned appropriately,” he said.

Mr Chalker said Strike Force Viper officers were trying to identify those involved and no one had been arrested.

NT Police Association president Paul McCue said he supported the commissioner’s decision to deploy the officers to Alice Springs to deal with spiraling crime, including offenders deliberately targeting police, but said it was a direct result of poor policy from the Fyles Government.

“Where are these additional 40 police coming from? Siphoning 40 officers from the frontline across the NT, to boost resources in Central Australia, is just robbing Peter to pay Paul,” he said.

“In Parliament today, the Chief Minister trumpeted the fact Labor has increased the budget for police by 36 percent. We would argue a majority of that is being spent on overtime because we simply don’t have enough police to do the jobs expected of them from this government.

“Until there is appropriate focus, funding and programs to intervene and stop crime before it happens, the burden of dealing with escalating crime, violence and harm will continue to fall on the shoulders of our exhausted members.”

Opposition Territory Families spokesman Josh Burgoyne said Labor had completely lost control of the streets in Alice Springs.

“They have done nothing to regain control other than telling us they have a plan for a plan and that they’re working on it,” he said.

“This comes at a time when, in the next two weeks, Labor is raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years of age.

“How can that be seen as a forward step in tackling the rising crime in our community? So far, the only message Labor is sending to young offenders is: ‘Go your hardest’.”

On November 9, police also told residents not to go into the Alice Springs CBD. In that case five children under the age of 14 were arrested for allegedly stealing three cars, and then driving dangerously through the CBD, including driving head-on at police cars.

Assistant Commissioner Dole told the media three of them were taken home because police cells were not places for children.

That morning, Ms Worden told the media the government was considering a system where at-risk children were removed from their families if they’re found unsupervised late at night on the streets of Alice Springs.