After a number of break-ins, car thefts and ram-raids, Australian Regional and Remote Community Services (ARRCS) has put in a new fence topped with razor wire to try to keep residents safe at its aged care facility in Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
Photos of the desperate situation were shared by local bakery owner Darren Clark on his Action for Alice Facebook page.
“They’ve been broken into a few times, they get into the rooms and steal possessions from residents,” Darren said. “One guy, his mum … they were in her room. They’ve stolen staff cars. They were breaking in, getting cars and ramraiding out.”
A spokeswoman for ARRCS, which runs Old Timers Village, confirmed the new “security measures” but would not comment on any specific incidents.
“ARRCS provides care and support to people in regional and urban communities, throughout the Northern Territory, from Nhulunbuy, Darwin, Katherine and Kaltukatjara,” she said.
“We pride ourselves on delivering a high level of cultural appropriateness and infrastructure that responds to the environment we operate in. The security measures ARRCS takes are made to ensure that our ageing First Nations peoples can continue to access and reside in high-quality and culturally safe aged care within their local community.”
NT Police Acting Commander James Gray-Spence said there will be high-visibility police to try to reduce especially anti-social behaviour which peaks over summer.
The SOURCE: This is a shocking state of affairs and one can only feel pity for the residents.
