Detective Senior Sergeant Marcus Becker says 11 people have been arrested following multiple large brawls involving metal poles, tomahawks and cars set on fire in Alice Springs

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As I said, we know that police were called to
a number of large disturbances involving weapons in Alice Springs
across the weekend, multiple people injured and a car set alight.
Now joining us on the line for a bit of
an update on the situation is Detective Senior Sergeant Marcus Becker.
Good morning to you, Marcus.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning Katie. How are you?

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (00:20):
Really good? Thank you so much for your time this morning.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Now, I understand there was that large brawl in Lara
Pinta on Saturday night.

Speaker 4 (00:27):
What unfolded exactly?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
There was an earlier five between a few people, and.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Then later on there's a bit of a retribution sort
So there's up to I think there's twenty people armed
with some weapons and those just sort of having feet
fly on the street.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Goodness mate, I mean twenty people armed. It must be
quite confronting for the Northern Territory Police when you rock
up to something like that.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, well you never know what's going to happen. But
the members were very professional upon their attendants and fortunately
there were no police injury and serious injuries to other people.

Speaker 4 (01:02):
Really, yeah, what kind of weapons were involved?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
We've got the sort of wooden null knowers that we
call them down here.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
There were a number of metal poles, bars and similar
items like that, as well as some large and shaddies
and axes and tomahawks.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Goodness, may now I know, Marcus it said. You know,
fortunately there wasn't sort of more serious injuries. But there
were still two people injured, weren't there?

Speaker 3 (01:30):
Yeah, there were One person suffered a laceration to his head,
which was dealt with the housepinsscile. And there's another male
with a facial injury and there's been sent to Adelaide surgery.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
And I understand that.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
There was then another incident in Gillan with a vehicle torched.
What can you tell us about that one?

Speaker 3 (01:50):
Uh, well, there were a few vehicles lists on their
two vehicles a little light over the weekend. So the
Gillen one up with is just a group of people
fighting at the location and just a vehicle being set
a lot.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Of the time. Investigations are continuing.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
There, okay.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
And so then there was also was that at the
same location when there was a further thirty people fighting.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Was yes, Oh goodness, that was on the Sunday.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Whether the.

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Fights the place, so yes, a group of people fighting
at the location at the time, and then another one
on Sunday.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
Like, were the fights sort of related to each other
or you know, like.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Yeah, yeah, definitely, they're all interrelated based on sort of
a few festering incidents, some stuff from the past, but
hopefully we've got one ton of it now. We've got
some arrests in place and communey engagement it's occurring with
those groups.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Talk us through the arrests that have been made and
talking through that community engagement then that the police are
sort of undertaking to try and keep things nice and calm.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 3 (02:59):
So the instance from Friday and through the Saturday, we
had five arrests from those and they were Mountain Pussy
to apparent court today or yesterday. And then from the
sorry the Gillen instant on Sunday afternoon, we've got a
feather six rest from that. One person was released on
bail and the rest of the remanded CD here before

(03:22):
the court go to.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
The community engagement. We've got our correct team.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
So Committee Resilience Engagement commands with the group of average
on the ason officers and police officers speaking with the
families and the persons involved and we're just trying to
really get on top of top of where they're at
and resolve the issues to try and just keep the
community safe.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Really.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Yeah, absolutely, And how did things sort of go overnight?

Speaker 4 (03:51):
Was there any further on rest overnight?

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Not as far as I'm where.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
Okay, at this stage, things appear to be okay.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
Well, that is good. That's good to hear.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
And now do the police, I mean, do you have
much insight into what's behind the disputes.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
We've been given some snippets of information, but to get
to the absolute real reason why they the groups of
fighting at the moment, we haven't really been able to
get on top of that. So we're still engaging with
these groups and trying to get on top of as
best we can.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Now, to those if you have just joined us, we
are just speaking to Detective Senior Sergeant Marcus Becker in
Alice Springs. Marcus, just tell us it must be you know,
like I guess, you know, the main priority is keeping
the broader community safe at this point as well with
these disturbances. I mean, have people largely been sort of
targeting each other involved in these disturbances or are they

(04:47):
you know, are they lashing out at other people in
the community that have nothing to do with it.

Speaker 3 (04:53):
So the general public have not been affected in regards
to suffering hardh or any injuries as a result. It's
just the nature of where there be in the residential areas.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
It is a risk sue their safety.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Fortunately nothing has happened, and even given the nature of
these fights with up to thirty people involved with the
weapons that they have had, we've been quite fortunate that
there haven't been more serious injury or even there.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah, well, and you know, it's actually like it's frightening
for the police rocking up to those incidents as well.
I would imagine when people are armed and they're fighting
with one another, it's a pretty scary situation for everybody.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Absolutely, it's just part of the job the police do.
They were very professional in their attendants, allowed verbal commands,
the body warm cameras are activated, so allows them to
be safe through their actions and then for the later
components for the investigation they place in or en five
venues related to the incidents.

Speaker 4 (05:56):
Have you had to bring any extra officers in.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
There were appropriate members on duty, so I think there
were four units attended as well as some supervisor as well,
and that allowed, just with the professional professionalism that they
did display, to control the situation, make the appropriate rest
and deal with the incident and resolver.

Speaker 1 (06:22):
Well yeah, well, Marcus, look, I know we've got a
lot of people in Alice Springs that do listen to
the show. What is your message really for the broader
community this morning? It does sound as though you guys
are doing everything you can to keep everybody in Alice
Springs safe.

Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, we are, We're working really hard down here.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
But I do I think she report these the services as.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
A police will respond with numbers to quill whatever's happening.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
We don't. We strongly condemn this behavior. Sorry, Yeah, it's
just a while of Springs needs.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
We want everyone to be safe and if we can
resolve this issue, who's sooner rather than later, then we
can just enjoy the rest of the year in relative calmness.

Speaker 4 (07:06):
Yes, spot on.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
Well, Detective Senior Sergeant Marcus Becker. I really appreciate you
having a chat with us this morning. All the best
over the coming days, and I really hope that things
do calm down again.

Speaker 4 (07:17):
No problem takes you, Tom, Thank you, thanks so much.