Northern Territory police are appealing for witnesses and dash cam footage after five vehicles were stolen from an Alice Springs sobering-up shelter.
The Drug and Alcohol Services Australia compound on Schwartz Crescent was broken into just before midnight on Monday.
The property was significantly damaged after thieves rammed an automatic gate.
Two Toyota Hilux utes, two Mitsubishi Outlander station wagons and a Suzuki hatchback were stolen.
NT Police southern watch commander Allan Millner said the cars were driven dangerously through the town's CBD.
"We maintained surveillance of all those vehicles as there were [people] in the back in the [ute] trays," Commander Millner said.
He said police did not want to get near or exacerbate the situation.
"Their driving was bad," he said.
"They were driving dangerously on footpath."
He said the thieves did bunouts on council lawns.
"They've gone through the suburbs, through the gap and then back into town into the edge of the central business district," he said.
Services halted
Drug and Alcohol Services Australia chief executive Eloise Paige said key services wouldn't be available as a result of the break-in.
"There'll be no sobering-up shelter service available tonight," she said.
"And there will be no outreach services available until we resolve the issue with the vehicles."
Ms Paige said there was damage to the offices, cars and the compound.
"They flooded the kitchen," she said.
"They've emptied all of our drawers [and] gone through our personal belongings and just created havoc really."
Ms Paige said the cost to fix the damage would be astronomical.
"We also have two cars still here that they have rammed keys into that weren't the right key," she said.
"So we might be looking at seven damaged vehicles.
"It's going to impact our insurance premiums and excess significantly."
Ms Paige said she was shocked by the level of destruction.
"The ridiculous part is the electric gate actually opens if you drive toward it from the inside, they didn't need to smash it," she said.
She said the thieves came back after they smashed the gate.
"They weren't satisfied, so they came back and pushed it over physically with their hands," she said.
Ms Paige said they used a shovel and knives to break a locked safe off the wall.
"We're going to have to try and find the funds to invest in even more increased security alarms, and systems," she said.
She said a custom-built barbecue trailer which was attached to one of the stolen vehicles was still missing.
"We'd waited probably 10 years, we tried to get enough funds together to make it happen," she said.
"We only got it a year-and-a-half ago.
"And that's what we use to run our community barbecues and community events with."
She said everyone at the centre was disappointed.
"Everybody who works here does so much over and above what they're paid to do to help this community," she said.
"And a group of people thought it'd be a good idea to come in and not just steal our cars but trash our space as well."
Mean streets
Braitling MP Josh Burgoyne said the streets of Alice Springs were not a safe place for children.
"What we need to ensure is that these young people aren't on the street late at night, breaking into businesses and stealing vehicles in the first place," Mr Burgoyne said.
"This is the real issue that police face if they try to apprehend the vehicle and the people in that vehicle.
"And then if there's an incident that's obviously a death in custody."
He said there was frustration in the community because of a legal assumption that a child under the age of 14 could not distinguish between right and wrong.
"And it really does mean that in a lot of instances, young people are getting away scot-free," he said.
"There's very little in the way of consequences.
"We need to take these young children off the street when they're there late at night and take them to a safe place."
