Northern Territory promises more post-curfew resources for Alice Springs

The sun has barely set in Alice Springs and there’s already a police car out the front of this local business. 2 ladies having their dinner tonight and a guy just came in and just grabbed their bus. 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 like to the pubs past couple of weeks and it’s just been good just coming out and not have to worry about your car and stuff. 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 fair for the kids that was doing the wrong things, you know, like 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 this like tourism industry is going to. Going to die slowly. A community calling for lasting change.