Central Australian Aboriginal Congress has today called for the resignation of the NT Police Commissioner, following the tragic death of an Aboriginal woman in an Alice Springs town camp overnight.
“The fact that the police have abandoned full lockdown of bottle shops is a key cause of potentially preventable alcohol related violence – and the buck stops with the Police Commissioner,” said Congress CEO, Donna Ah Chee.
“At the recent public meeting in Alice Springs I reported that two of our people were fighting for their lives in the Intensive Care Unit following alcohol related stabbings. I advised that since the police had abandoned full lockdown, Alice was going back to being the stabbing capital of the world. I warned that soon there would be a stabbing related death and tragically it has now happened.”
“While we are clear that we cannot attribute any particular stabbing or other assault to the absence of police on outlets, based on the best data we have, about half of these assaults are preventable with full police lockdown of bottle shops. And by this I do not mean Temporary Beat Locations or intermittent Point of Sale Interventions – I mean police on all takeaway outlets, all day every day,” she clarified.
“Every life matters in our community.
“He has abdicated his responsibility to protect law and order and promote public safety, especially for our community,” she continued.
“The failure to implement full lockdown is even more unacceptable given the fact that 30 new police began a few weeks ago.
“Our people are suffering severe alcohol related harms including the ultimate price of a premature death.
“It isn’t time to argue about who funds what and whose job it is. Right now our people are dying from a potentially preventable cause and it has to stop.
“We cannot wait another day for action.”
Enquiries: Kate Buckland 0408 741 691
