‘Incredibly noticeable’: alcohol bans have cut family violence and crime in Alice Springs, advocates say

‘The town is a different place’ … alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs have had a positive impact on family violence and crime rates. Photograph: Blake Sharp Wiggins/The Guardian

Alcohol restrictions in the Northern Territory are having a positive impact, advocates say, as police statistics show a drop in family violence callouts, property offences and other antisocial behaviour.

Earlier this year, the NT government faced pressure over rising crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs after Intervention-era bans on alcohol in remote Aboriginal communities came to an end, making liquor legal in some communities for the first time in 15 years.