Northern Territory Police led an operation on Friday 11 September targeting antisocial behaviour, compliance and road safety in the Darwin Central Business District.

Operation Patronus was a collaborative effort with Licensing NT. Its mission was to ensure the safety of the general public while enforcing broad compliance in licensed premises and road safety operations.

Members targeted known hotspots for anti-social behaviour in the CBD by foot and vehicle patrols. Ten people were taken into protective custody and 70 litres of alcohol were tipped out by patrolling Officers.

Teams attended licensed premises and undertook compliance inspections. Drug detector dogs identified small amounts of illicit substances including cannabis and ketamine among patrons. Two arrests were made and 15 Notices to Appear were issued.

Random Breath Testing stations were set up on major routes out of the city and 761 drivers were tested. A small number of Traffic Infringement Notices were issued, however Police were concerned at the number of drink drivers. There were 25 drivers returning positive results: two high-range, 12 medium-range and 11 low-range.

“The number of people who still drink and get behind the wheel is not acceptable,” said Senior Sergeant Andrew Heath. “It puts the whole community at risk. We have seen too many deaths on our roads this year, and this was compounded by the fatality in Stuart Park early on Saturday morning.

“The message is simple: if you drink, don’t drive.”