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The two-week youth curfew in Alice Springs will be extended until the end of the school holidays following a series of emergency meetings.
The curfew, which was due to end on Wednesday, will be extended for another six days.
It prohibits young people under 18 years of age from entering the city center from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. without a valid reason.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the initial lockdown had produced encouraging results, but acknowledged long-term generational change was needed to combat anti-social behavior in the city.
“The talk on the ground among residents is that this has been the best thing that has happened to Alice Springs,” Ms Lawler said at a press conference on Tuesday.
‘It really was a circuit breaker. “People feel much safer and more comfortable.”
Photos and videos posted on social media showed scenes of dozens of residents throwing bricks at the building and trying to break down the front door.
More than 50 additional police officers and liquor inspectors were sent to Alice Springs after a series of violent clashes came to a head on March 27, in which more than 100 people cornered one of Alice Springs’ most popular pubs. the city.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed scenes of dozens of residents throwing bricks at the building and trying to break down the front door.
The violence followed a commemoration of the death of an 18-year-old local man, who died in a car accident last month.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said he had seen a notable drop in crime in the city center since the introduction of the curfew.
“We saw some robberies in the suburbs and at some businesses, but not on the same scale that we had seen before the curfew,” Murphy said Tuesday.
“The response from police officers and additional support providers has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Murphy said some of the violence was related to the death of an 18-year-old man in a car accident last month.
Around 60 additional police officers have been redeployed to Alice Springs from across the NT in response to a rise in violent and anti-social incidents.
Damage caused during one of the violent clashes in Alice Springs
An additional 20 police officers were deployed from South Australia this week following a request from the NT Police Commissioner.
Police have said there will be no criminal penalties for violating the curfew, which will end at 6 a.m. next Tuesday.
Northern Territory MP Robyn Lambley welcomed the extension but warned it did not give the local community confidence or stability going forward.
“It’s great that this curfew continues, but what will end from tomorrow is full police coverage outside bottle shops and that has been one of the most critical and successful strategies that this government has implemented,” said Mrs. Lambley.
‘Without full coverage of our nine bottle shops, it means people have access to alcohol and are not under any deep restrictions.
“It’s one step forward and two steps back.”
The NT Liberal opposition has released a statement calling for the curfew to be extended until the end of April.