‘Under siege’: As Alice Springs becomes a national flashpoint, locals fear what comes next

Donna Ah Chee in her home which has been broken into twice in the last week in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

In her 36 years living in Alice Springs, Donna Ah Chee’s home had never been burgled. Then, in the space of just one week this month, her home was broken into twice.

The first time, she thinks it was just kids, rummaging through drawers and cupboards. The second time, two drunk men, one of them brandishing a large industrial spanner, smashed through her kitchen window while she was home alone.