Crime is a significant social issue in Alice Springs. The main source of crime is Alice Spring's large unemployed population of Aboriginal residents, who live in camps throughout the town, and in camps nearby.

Statistics

In 2009 there were 1432 recorded assaults in Alice Springs, with 65% of assaults involving alcohol. Reported assaults had almost doubled since 2004. The Territory's Southern Region Police Commander, Anne-Marie Murphy said that itinerancy, domestic violence and alcohol were the main factors driving up crime rates.

In the 2009-10 financial year, the Northern Territory Justice Department's Quarterly Crime & Justice Statistics report recorded that there were 1632 reported cases of theft, and 906 reports of property damage in Alice Springs. 774 homes and businesses were broken into during the 2009-10 financial year.

Crime increase

The NT Justice Department's Quarterly Crime & Justice Statistics report documented increases across multiple categories of crime in Alice Springs in the 6 years between the 2004-05 and the 2009-10 reporting periods. Recorded cases of assault rose by 87%, sexual assault offences rose by 97%, and house break-ins increased by 64%.

Break-ins to commercial premises rose by 185%, and 'motor vehicle theft and related offences' increased by 97% on 2004-05 figures.

Response to crime

In 2008, the Alice Springs town council began to hire private security guards to patrol the town, at a cost of $5000 per week. The Northern Territory government has been accused of underfunding social services for Aboriginal people in Alice Springs, as part of a wider problem of underfunding across central Australia. Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan has indicated that crime has increased as more people migrated into the city from remote communities.

Some long-time residents of Alice Springs have moved away as a direct result of crime concerns. Local businesses have spent increased amounts to upgrade the physical security

Physical security

Physical security describes measures that are designed to deny access to unauthorized personnel from physically accessing a building, facility, resource, or stored information; and guidance on how to design structures to resist potentially hostile acts...

 of their premises from property crime

Property crime

Property crime is a category of crime that includes, among other crimes, burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, and vandalism. Property crime only involves the taking of money or property, and does not involve force or threat of force against a victim...

, including the use of high security fences, razor wire

Razor wire

Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products...

 and security cameras.

See also

• Crime in the Northern Territory
  Crime in the Northern Territory
  Darwin has per capita the highest crime rate of any Australian city, while Alice Springs has the second highest crime rate of any Australian city...
  
  
• Alice Springs Correctional Centre
  Alice Springs Correctional Centre
  Alice Springs Correctional Centre is a medium and maximum security Australian prison located 25 km outside Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.- Capability :Classification Maximum/Medium/Minimum...
  
  
• Alice Springs Juvenile Holding Centre
  Alice Springs Juvenile Holding Centre
  Alice Springs Juvenile Holding Centre is a medium to high maximum security prison in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia.- Capability :...