After nearly three weeks a youth curfew has ended in the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs. With the emergency measures over, we took to the streets at night to see how things went in the CBD, as residents push for a long-term solution to crime and social issues.

Alice Springs

Alice Springs, a town in the Northern Territory, has experienced its first night without a youth curfew after the policy had been in place for nearly three weeks. The curfew was implemented as an emergency measure to address issues of crime and social disturbances in the area. In the wake of the curfew's conclusion, observations were made in the town's Central Business District (CBD) to assess the situation and the immediate impact of lifting the curfew.

Local residents are seeking more permanent solutions to the town's crime and social issues, indicating that while the curfew may have provided a temporary respite, there are underlying problems that require attention. The need for a long-term strategy suggests that the community is looking for sustainable ways to improve safety and social cohesion.



Alice Springs spends first night without youth curfew

The sun has barely set in Alice Springs and there's already a police car out the front of this local business. Two ladies having their dinner tonight and a guy just came in and grabbed their purse. It's the first night without a youth curfew in the outback town and Mr Singh says he can already feel the difference. That's not the permanent solution, like it's over tonight and things start happening again. It's a quiet night in Alice Springs but with the curfew now over, many residents say it feels like the calm before the storm. I'm not going to go out anymore, I've been going out to the pubs the past couple of weeks and it's just been good just coming out and not have to worry about your car and stuff. Nah, I'm not safe anymore, they'll be unsafe now. But for many children under the age of 18, it feels good to be out again. It's not fair for the people that do good but it's fair for the kids that were doing the wrong things, that ruined it for the people. Police and social workers are maintaining a highly visible presence in the CBD, assuring the community not much will change on the ground as they enjoy boosted staffing until the end of June. We now need to make sure that we're looking at what Alice Springs is like over the post-curfew period which will inform our longer term planning. Alice Springs residents and business owners agree the curfew was only a short term measure but they're urging governments to ensure long term solutions, now it's come to an end. They need to do something about it otherwise the tourism industry is going to die slowly. A community calling for lasting change.

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