Alice Springs horror: Cars are set alight and an Indigenous TV station is vandalised

Alice Springs was hit with another night of chaos on Friday as cars were set alight, homes were burnt down and a TV station was broken into.

Shocking footage posted online shows a car burning brightly with flames soaring into the night sky, while other footage shows several police cars chasing after allegedly stolen vehicles. 

Meanwhile, one local said he had lost most of his possessions after a separate fire ripped through his family home, also burning down two other homes and several cars. 

The fire, which destroyed properties in a rural area by Alice Springs’ airport, is believed to have deliberately lit. 

Businessman Darren Clarke, who often calls for greater action on crime in the outback town and has seen his bakery robbed dozens of times, made a passionate plea to Anthony Albanese to crack down on crime in the NT town in a call to Ben Fordham on 2GB. 

Businessman Darren Clarke shared footage of the burning car on Facebook on Friday 

Shocking footage posted online shows a car burning brightly with flames soaring into the night sky

‘We’ve had another night of total anarchy. Our CBD is full of youths, it’s full of drunks. It’s out of control. We’ve had businesses broken into. An indigenous TV station smashed up, a vehicle full of technical gear stolen. 

‘We’ve got a car on fire in the K-Mart car park. Another car set on fire in another suburb. When does this stop?

‘Albanese, step up to the plate. Start looking after your people or this place is going to burn to the ground. Or you’ll have no one living here.

‘We’ve had enough. Prime Minister, govern for everyone. If not, then let someone else do it. This simply isn’t good enough anymore.’ 

One video shows Mr Clarke talking to police at the site of the burned out car in the K-Mart car park. 

There, he is warned that he is in a crime scene, to which he replies: ‘The whole place is a crime scene.’ 

Mr Clarke, who also runs the Action for Alice Facebook group, posted several photos of the Imparja Television station, which was raided on Friday night. 

Photos show heavy damage to the studio, with smashed walls and evidence of the offices being rifled through. 

Meanwhile, another shocking video shows a gang of young men breaking into a business in the town. 

Ben Crawford, owner of the business, shared CCTV of the raid. 

One video shows Mr Clarke talking to police at the site of the burned out car in the K-Mart car park

Another shocking video shows a gang of young men breaking into a business in the town

The business owner said it was the fifth time in two years that his business had been broken into

He said: ‘Here we go again. It’s 1.45am Saturday morning, alarms activated earlier tonight. Both me and cops attend and yep they have broken in again, obviously looking for car keys.

‘Glad they got the decoy box off the wall in my office and got nothing.

‘Building has been made secure. Now to clean up the mess tomorrow morning after the forensic guys do their thing

‘NT government, this is the fifth time in two years. Start getting serious on crime, which you won’t because yet again we don’t exist and these kids are classed as naughty little children.’

Earlier this month, NT police revealed a drop in domestic violence calls, property offences and alcohol-related violence after the introduction of stricter alcohol laws in the territory.

However, a 20-year-old worker was stabbed to death at a Darwin bottle shop earlier this week, prompting more calls for action to tackle crime in the NT. 

Another blaze, believed to have been deliberately started, saw three homes and several cars burn down

One local described losing almost everything he owned after his family home was destroyed

Mr Clarke, who also runs the Action for Alice Facebook group, posted several photos of the Imparja Television station, which was raided on Friday night

Photos show heavy damage to the studio, with smashed walls and evidence of the offices being rifled through

In January nationwide coverage of the crime wave led to Mr Albanese visiting the territory. 

He pledged funding to tackle crime, including $25 million for community services, $2 million for the Tangentyere Women’s Council, $2 million for high visibility police operations and $2 million for extra lighting and street lamps for the area.

However, locals say he hasn’t done enough to stop violence in the area, with Mr Clarke adding: ‘You didn’t want to come up here. The media forced you to come up here. Well why don’t you come up here now, mate? See what’s left behind. 

‘Don’t stay sitting on the lawns of western Sydney.’ 

Mr Clarke’s Action for Alice page recently returned to Facebook after serving a 28-day ban for bullying and harassment.