Acting, Deputy Commissioner Grahame Kelly oversaw the Territory wide blitz on alcohol fuelled incidents from the Police Operation Centre in Darwin including attending local RBT's and foot patrols around Darwin City.
Throughout day one of the Operation, Mr Kelly also posted seven tweets on ntpolice twitter including 'cops flood Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs & Darwin - 2 drink drivers now enjoying our hospitality' and 'Alice Springs - shared accommodation with a difference 42 drunks in protective custody'.
Mr Kelly said given the extensive publicity leading up to this weekend and the weather conditions in Darwin, you wouldn't expect there to be too much trouble.
"Most people certainly appeared to be enjoying themselves and doing the right thing.
"There is always a few who spoil it. There were a few clowns who could barely walk, falling over, generally abusive and obnoxious.
"On one occasion, the Mounted Police galloped over to an incident involving a heavily intoxicated male outside a licensed premise and resolved the matter quickly and without further escalation.
"There was no comparison between the foot patrol I accompanied soon after midnight and the one later at 3am. That additional three to four hours of alcohol consumption changed what had appeared to be a fun evening to one which appeared really quite untidy and wholly unnecessary.
"That said, generally speaking, I'm pleased to say that the Operation is going well so far. Let us hope tomorrow evening goes even better." A/Deputy Commissioner Kelly concluded.
A breakdown of statistics so far from the Operation across the Northern Territory are as follows:
Alice Springs
1 x arrest for alcohol related offence
42 persons in protective custody
80 patrols of licensed premises conducted by Police
27 litres of alcohol tipped out.
Tennant Creek
6 x arrests for alcohol and drug related offences
10 persons in protective custody
5 patrols of licensed premises
6 litres of alcohol tipped out
Katherine
4 x arrests for alcohol and drug related offences
2 persons in protective custody
(patrols of licensed premises statistic unavailable for Katherine at this time)
14 litres of alcohol tipped out
Darwin
Darwin City overnight lockdown resulted in 2,327 drivers tested, 3 arrests and 8 summonses for drink driving. RBT statistics for the other regions are currently unavailable
To follow ntpolice on twitter including night two of the operation, log onto www.twitter.com/ntpolice, look for the bush hat so you know you are at the right site. You don't have to have an account or be an existing ntpolice follower to receive tweets, anyone can log on and have a look at what it's all about.
Twitter is purely an information delivery system. If people receive tweets and have information to assist police in any particular matter, or if people witness incidents requiring police attention, it is essential that they call 131 444 or triple zero in an emergency so that information can be correctly processed and responded to.
The Northern Territory Government and TIO have arranged the Christmas Express Shuttle buses to convey people from the Darwin Mitchell Street safely home across the Northern Suburbs and out to Palmerston from 1am to 5am, Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout the Christmas and New Year Period.
The buses pick up opposite Kitty O'Sheas and Discovery nightclub regularly. Don't drink and drive.
Media contact:
Katie Fowden
0401 116 540
