Youth Curfew Imposed In Australian Outback Town

CANBERRA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Mar, 2024) A youth curfew has been imposed in the largest town in central Australia following a series of violent and destructive incidents.

Eva Lawler, chief minister of the Northern Territory (NT), and NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy on Wednesday announced that, effective immediately, residents of Alice Springs under the age of 18 will not be allowed out between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time for the next 14 days.

It comes in response to unrest in the town that culminated in a violent riot involving up to 150 people on Tuesday evening, sparking calls for a Federal government response to crime in the region.

"The scenes yesterday in Alice Springs were horrific, unacceptable and we never want to see anything like that again in the Northern Territory," Lawler said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm fed up with this level of crime and anti-social behavior. The community has had enough and so have I."

The curfew will apply to the entire central business district (CDB) of Alice Springs and an additional 58 NT Police officers will be deployed to help enforce it.