Twenty-one people have been arrested during the first two weeks of Operation Thresher in Alice Springs.
Superintendent Michael Murphy said Operation Thresher was developed to target anti-social behaviour and property crime, particular during the school holiday period.
“These arrests were in relation to ten unlawful entries, four breaches of bail, five outstanding warrants and three incidents of domestic violence and involved a total of 30 offences.
“This is an excellent result so far and highlights the successful targeting of offenders and hot spots and the use of a core team of Police whose entire focus is anti-social behaviour and property crime,” Supt Murphy said.
“Whilst the majority of offenders are teenagers, the oldest among those arrested so far is in his mid-30s.
“This has been the planning phase of what will be a major 60-day Operation over the summer holidays. During this phase so far Police have taken more than 200 people into protective custody and have tipped out 591 litres of alcohol and issued 18 banning notices. These actions are particularly targeting antisocial behaviour which, here in Alice Springs, is almost always associated with the abuse of alcohol.
“The tools available to us target the problem drinker. If people are apprehended three times in three months they hit the trigger for addition to the banned drinkers register. The removal of the availability of alcohol immediately removes the catalyst for their behaviour, reduces associated harm and allows the opportunity for treatment to occur through the health system”
Supt Murphy said there had also been a significant increase in the number of reports from the public concerning suspicious behaviour.
“This is very satisfying as the message seems to be getting through that the public are our eyes and ears and need to report suspicious behaviour.
“This reporting is commendable and we hope the trend continues. If we get detailed descriptions of people acting suspiciously we can identify them and often disrupt them before any offending takes place. Alice Springs Police will continue to work very hard to keep the people of Alice Springs safe."
Anyone wishing to make a report to police should phone 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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