Alice Springs plunged into curfew after wave of violence

The city of Alice Springs has been plunged into a three-night curfew after a wave of violence that saw four police officers allegedly attacked. 

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy declared the curfew on Monday, which will prevent people of all ages going into the city centre between 10pm and 6am over the next three nights without good reason.

"Some of those reasons are if you're fleeing from domestic violence, if you're visiting family, if you have to care for someone, if you're here for employment purposes, if you go into a fast food restaurant or some lawful purpose," Murphy said.

He said the curfew area would cover "Anzac Hill, Schwarz Crescent, down to the hospital, from the Stuart Highway across to Leichhardt and Stott Terrace".

The curfew is a result of a crime-ridden weekend, where several incidents of violent crime allegedly took place. 

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a group of four off-duty police officers were allegedly assaulted by a group of 20 young men, while another officer was allegedly run over by a drunk driver outside a bottle shop.

"The offending in Alice Springs over the last few days has been unacceptable," NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler said.

"The curfew will provide police extra powers to get on top of the situation on the ground in Alice Springs."

Commissioner Murphy said he will consider requesting an extension of the curfew if required.

"If there is a continuation of harmful conduct, which I hope there is not, we apply some measures now and use the community to help us we should see a turnaround," he said.

Lawler said she believed the curfew would be an effective "circuit breaker", but Swinburne University criminology expert Dr Joel McGregor said longer-term measures were required for broader change in the region.

"To address any crime problem, interventions that lead to long-term behaviour change are required," he said.

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