Key Points
- Northern Territory police imposed the curfew hoping it would lower criminal activity in the area.
- It applies to both Alice Springs residents and visitors.
- Those seeking medical treatment or anyone else with legitimate business in the area will still be granted access to the blocked-off zone.
Alice Springs residents are waking after the first night of a curfew that authorities hope will reduce crime and bolster community safety.
Northern Territory Police issued a three-night public social disorder declaration on Monday for parts of the city from 10pm to 6am.
It followed a brawl involving 80 people, a knife attack on a 42-year-old woman, the robbery of a service station and the assault of four off-duty police officers on the weekend.
The curfew will be imposed on the town centre between Anzac Hill, the Alice Springs Hospital, the Stuart Highway and Leichhardt Terrace, which runs along the Todd River.
It applies to all Alice Springs residents and visitors.
People with legitimate business in the area, such as work or attending an event, and those seeking safety or medical treatment will be permitted to enter the zone.
It comes as NAIDOC week celebrations kick off in the town of about 25,000, attracting about 5000 visitors from across the NT, Western Australia and South Australia.
The emergency declaration was made using new laws passed by the Territory parliament in May that let the police commissioner impose a three-day curfew that can be extended to seven days if the police minister approves.
The curfew for all people follows a three-week curfew banning anyone under 18 from the town's centre between 6pm and 6am following a series of wild brawls in March.
