Police have arrested a 16-year-old youth in relation to an unlawful entry of a business in Alice Springs overnight.

It is alleged the youth had unlawfully entered a premises on Palm Circuit when he was interrupted by a resident around 3:30am.

A struggle between the two has occurred and the noises have alerted a park manager nearby who has come to the assistance of the resident. During this time the youth allegedly physically assaulted the two men who have managed to restrain him until police arrived.

The youth has been charged with one count each of:

Aggravated Robbery

Damage to Property

Furnish False name to police

He is scheduled to appear before the Alice Springs Local Youth Court tomorrow.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Leith Phillips said it is a timely reminder for residents to take the relevant precautions to avoid becoming a victim to opportunistic offenders.

“This is the time of year when we see an influx of visitors to town and kids on school holidays.

“It’s not the time to be blasé about personal security, more so it’s actually the best time to remember to be vigilant about ensuring all windows and doors are locked. Remember, it only takes a moment for opportunistic thieves to take advantage of an unlocked door/open window.”

If you see any suspicious behaviour or would like to make a report to Police, please contact 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.