Residents in the remote Northern Territory community of Peppimenarti say they wait “hours” for police assistance even when they have reported serious crime such as family violence, sexual assaults and gunshots, and claim the lack of policing would not be tolerated anywhere else.
About 200 people live in Peppimenarti, six hours’ drive south of Darwin. Lawyers recently instigated a racial discrimination claim with the Australian Human Rights Commission alleging a lack of police resources for residents in the community.
Anastasia Naiya Wilson, a Ngan’gikurunggurr woman who lives in Peppimenarti, said the community was traumatised with unrest and tensions exacerbated by gangs and antisocial behaviour.
She said a recent shooting in the area frightened the family, including young children in the home. She “continuously” called police but said it took hours for officers to arrive.
“From 2.30am they were continuously terrorising us … hearing the gunshots … I was continuously ringing triple zero. We had kids in our house and it took police until 7.30 in the morning to get here,” Wilson said. “The last shot was about six o’clock in the morning.
“Police aren’t doing their job properly.”
Wilson said her home and car were also trashed when intruders broke into her home set fire to her car. Nurses and shop staff have left the community…
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