Alice Springs residents leave as city heads for fly-in fly-out as juvenile delinquency runs rampant

While juvenile delinquency reigns supreme, sales data from Alice Springs shows locals packing up and leaving town.

A map of recently up for sale properties shows that locals are fed up and fear for their safety as alcohol-fueled violence rises and even the mayor says he ‘can’t blame them’.

About 200 properties are for sale in the outback town, which has a population of 26,000, as some residents fear the region will become a fly-in fly-out town for workers.

Alcohol was banned in Aboriginal communities for more than a decade during the intervention period, which came to an end in July, with liquor becoming legal in some areas for the first time in 15 years.

Since that change in July, Alice Springs has seen a surge in crime and violence and the locals have had enough.

The outback town’s population is 26,000, but numbers continue to fall and even the mayor says he ‘can’t blame the locals’ for wanting out as juvenile delinquency runs rampant

In the past year, property crimes have increased by nearly 60 percent, assaults have increased by 38 percent, and domestic violence crimes have doubled.

During a short visit to the city this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced new alcohol restrictions and pledged $48.8 million over two years for programs to tackle the crime problem.

Measures included a ban on the sale of alcohol for takeaway food on Mondays and Tuesdays and restrictions on bottle shop hours.

Mr Albanese also did not rule out a move to ban alcohol completely if the situation does not improve.

Alice Springs Realty’s Toni Rowan told news.com that locals are choosing to leave the city for safer areas as the crime rate explodes.

“The main reason is that young families are leaving because their children are now reaching an age where they want them in a safe environment. They moved last year,’ Mrs Rowan said

‘I paid for one in April last year, which was under contract again in December. As soon as they got it under contract, there was a break-in.”

Alice Springs Realty’s Toni Rowan said locals are choosing to leave the city to move to safer areas as the crime rate explodes. The population in Alice Springs is 26,000

Ms Rowan said she has lived in the town off and on since the 1990s and the crime in Alice Springs is currently the worst she has ever seen, saying almost everyone is under emotional stress

Ms Rowan said she has lived in the town off and on since the 1990s and the crime in Alice Springs is currently the worst she has ever seen, noting that almost everyone is under emotional stress.

She says the kids run free, break into houses, smash windows and just stir things up.

‘I live in fear. People … have threatened to burn my house down, kill my dogs, rape me. They’ve gotten out of hand. People come out of the community and scream and scream,” she said.

“You go out and say ‘can you please be quiet’ and it escalates to ‘You’re a racist until next Tuesday’

“People close businesses and leave.”

Ms Rowan estimates she sees at least five people a week requesting appraisals on their homes as they want to leave due to the current crisis in the region.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson urged the government to reintroduce the Stronger Futures Act’s alcohol prohibition to try to get a handle on the problem.

“A lot of people just say that the perception of fear is the reason they’re leaving — they’re tired of being broken into, can’t afford to continue replacing windows, can’t continue breaking into their businesses.” , Mayor Patterson said.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson urged the government to reintroduce the alcohol bans of the Stronger Futures Act to try to get a handle on the problem

Mayor Patterson understands why there is a mass exodus, saying locals can’t stay “if they’re afraid to sleep at night.”

Darren Clark, who runs the Action for Alice Facebook page, believes it’s only a matter of time before Alice Springs fully becomes a fly-in, fly-out town.

“Some companies here are already fly-in, fly-out because their staff don’t want to live here, and they don’t want their staff to live here,” he said.

“But that’s how the whole city will eventually become. You won’t have cafes or anything like that.’