Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) Police Commissioner Michael Murphy issued a Public Disorder Declaration for Alice Springs on Monday following a series of civil disturbances over the weekend. The declaration introduces a curfew for all residents and visitors from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM local time, effective for three days starting Monday night. This decision was taken after a weekend marked by several violent incidents.
Events escalated when a police officer was run over by a vehicle driven by an intoxicated individual on Friday, causing serious injuries. Subsequent events included a mass disturbance on the Alice Springs council lawns on Saturday night involving around 80 people from two licensed premises ending with off-duty police officers being assaulted and robbed by the same group (read more here and here). A stabbing incident on Sunday and a robbery carried out by youths in a stolen vehicle further underscored the weekend’s violence.
The ability for the police commissioner to issue such declarations became legally viable following amendments to the Police Administration Act 1978 and the Police Administration Regulations 1994, effective from June 1, 2024. Under sections 135B, 135C, and 135D of the act, police have enhanced powers to control movements within the declared area to deter further public disorder, with penalties for non-compliance under section 135E.
This is the second curfew for Alice Springs in 2024. Earlier in the year, a youth curfew was implemented from March 27 to April 16 due to increasing crime rates and violence, especially among young people (see the official statement). The legality of these measures has been widely questioned by Indigenous legal services and justice organizations, noting their potential disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (further info here and here).
Additional background highlights that in April 2023, Australian MPs accused Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of misrepresenting the issue of sexual abuse in Alice Springs after the federal government’s response to rising crime rates was announced (details here).
For further information on the recent declaration and the associated civil disturbances, the original report can be found on JURIST.