A Northern Territory man whose wife and daughter were among the four off-duty police officers attacked in Alice Springs overnight has described the city as a “horrid war zone” that is “too dangerous” for fresh recruits.
A gang of about 20 male youths attacked three female officers and their male colleague while they were walking along the Todd River walkway near the Stott Terrace bridge at about 2:15 am on Sunday morning.
Two of the female officers – a mother and daughter – were transported to Alice Springs Hospital, where they received treatment for wounds sustained in the attack.
SkyNews.com.au spoke to the husband and father of the officers – a Northern Territory man named Chris – who revealed the pair were “still quite shocked by the whole thing”.
“My wife has some facial injuries. My daughter, whose 20, she’s only just turned 20, has some very significant sourness in her jaw and a bloody nose,” he said.
“The hospital fixed them up really well… and they were released a few hours later. But yeah, they’re a bit battered and bruised, and still quite shocked by the whole thing”.
The father and husband revealed his daughter, Charlie, had only just graduated from Police College last Friday and was “full of pride and enthusiasm to take up her new role as a Constable at Alice Police Station”.
His wife Jenny – a constable with about three years of service – had travelled to Alice Springs to help their daughter settle into her new posting.
“That night, my wife and daughter had dinner with friends including some local police. Upon walking to a location only a short distance from the restaurant they were set-up by these filthy cowards who reportedly were part of an all-in brawl on the front lawn of the Council office,” Chris told SkyNews.com.au
The four officers were approached from behind by a group of about 20 male youths who proceeded to assault the off-duty police, punching and kicking them multiple times before leaving.
The father and husband – who served as a Police officer in Queensland between 1999 and 2011 – said they are a police family and had recently lived in Alice Springs for two and a half years when his wife was a constable there, so they “knew what to expect”.
But he said the central Australian city was currently “too dangerous” for junior constables and he would be pulling his daughter out of the community.
“Alice Springs is out of control, this situation now is too dangerous and dire for us to consider having our daughter – a brand new Constable, serve in this horrid war zone,” he said.
The father and husband said that his daughter was committed to remaining in the NT Police, but that he knew from experience that Alice Springs was not the place for officers to start their careers.
“Charlie is very, very intelligent. She’s bright-eyed, bushy-tailed. She was so proud – as we were – last Friday at her graduation. Charlie is the epitome of a fresh recruit coming straight out of the academy ready to put boots on the ground… She’s ready to go,” he said
“But… as a former police sergeant and field training officer – with very extensive experience training new recruits and also living and working in remote Indigenous communities – Alice Springs at the moment is not an ideal situation for a brand new constable to go and experience policing.
“Alice Springs is the deep, deep, deep end for junior constables. And if you want to burn police out and if you want to scare them away from a job, send them somewhere like Alice Springs.”
He said that the new recruits ought to be posted to a major centre like Darwin for at least a year or two so they can “master the fundamentals” and get to know the “art of being a successful police officer.”
“You know, get some skin the game, get some experience… and then they should be taken down to an area like that.”
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy is reportedly considering imposing a snap curfew following the attacks in the outback city in order to restore order.
Asked whether he would support the move, Chris said that it was a “good start” but was unlikely to make much difference.
I’m all in favour of the police being able to maintain law and order. If the powers that be believe a curfew is a good way to go then at least that’s a good start,” he said
“(But) those who choose to disobey the law are going to whether there is a curfew or not.”