The mayors of two major Northern Territory towns say they want alcohol restrictions similar to Alice Springs rolled out across the jurisdiction, warning people who need alcohol will shift to other areas to access it.
Bottle-shops in Alice Springs remained closed on Tuesday under emergency restrictions announced last week, with an announcement expected Wednesday on the potential temporary return of blanket alcohol bans.
The measures only apply in Alice Springs and took effect following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit last week in response to political and media pressure over crime and alcohol-fuelled violence.
But local government leaders in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin have flagged concerns about the response.
"Every time a territory government puts restrictions in one place, we have an influx of people trying to access alcohol in other places," Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said.
Mr Vatskalis suggested a range of other measures, saying both that alcohol dependence should be treated as a medical issue but also that consideration should be given to recriminalising public drunkenness.
"But putting restrictions here and there and everywhere is not going to solve the problem. It might stop it in one area, [but] it will pop up in another."
"People will travel — they have got cars."
Katherine's mayor Lis Clark echoed the call for a coordinated response.
"I think if we're going to have these restrictions, they need to be territory-wide," she said.
The latest crime statistics report a 133 per cent increase in commercial break-ins in Katherine, with property damage up 42 per cent in the 12 months to November.
"I've never seen it at this level, and for shop owners to be having to put up bars and all sorts of security up, people are at the end of their tolerance," Ms Clark said.
"The government needs to step in and work with all the community leaders and our elders to determine what we are going to do next.
"Just closing a few bottle shops is not going to solve the problem."
Chief Minister apologises for 'step up' comment about police
The NT government has remained under intense pressure since the situation in Alice Springs hit national headlines, with residents last night meeting to discuss a possible class action.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles was also forced to apologise after the police union complained about the wording of a response she gave during an interview on Darwin radio station, Mix 104.9, on Monday.
In response to questions, Ms Fyles said the government was focusing on "generational" issues in the longer term.
But she added that, due to the high levels of crime in the Red Centre, "we have to have an immediate response, which is why I have asked police to step up".
"I have contacted the Police Commissioner [Jamie Chalker] to say I expect every resource to be placed into Alice Springs to support that community right now."
Ms Fyles said police were "very responsive" to the issues confronting Alice Springs during her visit to the town last week.
In a subsequent post to social media, the Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) condemned Ms Fyles' comments.
"Natasha Fyles insulted every member of the NT Police force, from the top down," the NTPA posted to social media.
It pushed Ms Fyles to provide more funding for police recruitment, describing the force as "overstretched, overworked and critically under resourced".
On Tuesday, the Chief Minister posted an apology on Facebook.
"Once I became aware of the unintended harm my comments caused I contacted the Northern Territory Police Association," Ms Fyles said.
With national attention focused on crime in Alice Springs, the Country Liberal opposition's deputy leader, Gerard Maley, called for an election to be held.
But he backed away from throwing his weight behind wider restrictions on alcohol, in communities such as Darwin and Katherine.
"Right across the territory, alcohol is an issue and the Labor government have not listened," he said.
"The police do a great job … and we really need to make sure the police are resourced adequately to do their jobs, because they are the frontline workers."
