Darwin and Palmerston being ripped apart

I am bemused by charities and groups that provide food, clothing, free accommodation, transport and other amenities for people who come into Darwin from communities with nowhere to go and stay.

While they are here, there are spikes in crime against people and property, along with terrible behavioural manifestations on our streets, in our shopping centres, at the hospital emergency department and around Darwin and Palmerston.

The need for incessant patrolling by the Larrakeyah Nation is never ending, and ambulance services are on the go 24 hours per day, often having to ramp at the RDH ED. Children are left as free agents to roam, with school and education being the last priority.

All the while, with the support of charity, more and more money is left available for the purchase of alcohol and drugs.

Make no mistake. Our twin cities of Darwin and Palmerston are in a terrible position because of what is happening. Permanent residents, businesses and homeowners are too often victims of nefarious behaviour and alarming crime levels.

Crime statistics

It matters not which party is in government, Labor or the CLP. When in power, both governments, over the years, have had their hands tied by a myriad of issues relating to the rights and entitlements of perpetrators. Victims always come off second best, with scant concern for physical injury and property loss.

Things will never get better. Not only is crime the number one Territory scourge, it is the same all over Australia.

Thank God, I am old enough to remember and appreciate what it was like to live without the constant security fears that now have me in a daily grip