Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has ramped up calls for the federal government to take urgent action in Alice Springs, where a prolonged and frequently violent crime crisis has taken hold.
The Northern Territory town has been battling against a spike in theft, assaults and anti-social behaviour, which has seen a surge in home robberies and property crime.
Earlier this week, Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson made a plea for immediate assistance from the federal government, calling for resources to be rolled out including the federal police or army.
He attended a video call meeting with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Thursday, but said his request for further federal police support was knocked back.
Mr Dutton on Friday said to 9 News the crisis in Alice Springs was a "national disgrace".
"The mayor up there has called the Attorney-General, asking for additional federal police resources, and the Albanese Government has refused that," Mr Dutton said.
"And I worry that we're going to see tragedy in Alice Springs.
"It's already been a very difficult situation there for families, for kids, for business owners, for elderly people that want to go to the shops and not get accosted."
Mr Dreyfus's office responded with a brief statement saying "the policing of Alice Springs is a matter for the Northern Territory government".
Supermarket giants limit some liquor sales
The nation's supermarket giants have made the unprecedented move of agreeing to stop selling one litre bottles of alcohol in the town, amid the ongoing crime wave.
It came as the NT Police Minister, Kate Worden, travelled to Alice Springs to speak with liquor retailers about the issue, to try to get them to help find solutions.
Ms Worden confirmed on ABC Radio Darwin this morning that Coles and Endeavour Drinks, which runs BWS stores, would remove all one litre bottles of spirits from their shelves.
She said that decision had come from the retailers and had not been at a request from government, but said she "applauded" the move.
She also rejected calls from the Alice Springs mayor for federal action to reduce crime, saying reducing excessive alcohol consumption and addiction should be the focus.
'We are not going to become a police state'
Ms Worden said she was due to meet with the Alice Springs town council and mayor later on Friday.
"I understand that from conversations yesterday, the federal government are not keen to play in that space. It's a tricky space around powers," she said.
"We certainly do not want to see the ADF here in Alice Springs. We are not going to become a police state.
"What we may need to do is look at where the factors are and what they are at play."
Coles and Endeavour Drinks have been contacted for comment, with Endeavour confirming one litre bottles had been removed from shelves.
Last year, long-standing federal alcohol bans were lifted in the town, which Aboriginal health organisations and local councils say has made an impact to the levels of violent crime in the town.
The NT government has not made any commitment to reinstate the bans.
