Ben Crawford’s security business in Alice Springs had already been broken into more than a dozen times in 18 months.
So when his work vehicle was stolen in December, he was defeated.
“It was taken out, set on fire and burnt to the ground,” he said.
“I was actually on holidays the weekend it happened, so I’d actually gone on leave, and I ended up having to come back to Alice Springs due to what had happened.”
The 52-year-old, who was born in Alice Springs and has called the Red Centre home for most of his life, said the repeated break-ins had cost his business up to $200,000.
He calls this “the cost of living in Alice Springs”.
He is worried the extent of crime in the Northern Territory is causing people to leave.
“It’s pushed them to the end and they’ve gone, ‘Enough. I just can’t deal with it,'” he said.
Mr Crawford’s story is not unique.
Law and order has emerged as the number one issue in the lead-up to the NT election, with both Territory Labor and the Country Liberal Party (CLP) staking their claim to govern with promises to reduce crime.
Territory Labor kicked off its campaign by promising lower crime and saying more community safety was its top concern.
The Country Liberal Party has echoed those sentiments, accusing the Labor government of failing to deal with the issue.
What does the data show?
Crime rates in the Northern Territory have risen steadily over the past decade, during which Labor has governed for eight years.
While a change in how the NT Police Force records offences has made it difficult to accurately compare rates of offending, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in 2023 in the Northern Territory, for certain crimes, there were more incidents than in any other year on record.
That includes motor vehicle thefts and unlawful entries, as Mr Crawford has experienced.
It also includes violent crimes such as sexual assaults and assaults.
Incidents of domestic violence also remained stubbornly high in 2023.
Crime in the election heartland
Palmerston has become one of the battlegrounds for the election, with the satellite city covering both Chief Minister Eva Lawler’s and Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro’s electorates.
It is in these suburbs that politicians have held many of their press conferences to highlight issues of crime.
Amid the maelstrom is the Palmerston Raiders Rugby League Club, where players gather several nights a week for training.
The entirely volunteer-run club has found itself at the nexus of crime and its impacts — a place where former victims and offenders are able to come together.
“We’ve got police officers [and] we’ve got people who have made mistakes and had to serve their punishment or go to jail,” club president Rod Greenwood said.
“They’ve had to do their time, but they’ve come here and got to be here and be equal with everyone.”
ABC News
