It was a terrifying end to the weekend for shoppers at the Hartley Street Woolworths in Alice Springs after a teenager armed with a weapon, believed to be a machete, caused a scene in the supermarket.

The teen was arrested by police after the staff at Woolworths spotted him and quickly raised the alarm.

NT Police confirmed a 13-year-old boy was arrested at the store at around 5:15pm on Sunday.

‘Police arrested the youth, who was in possession of a small, edged weapon, conveying him to the watch house and issuing a summons,’ NT Police told 7NEWS.com.au.

Witnesses of the incident later took to social media to praise the quick action taken by the Woolworths staff.

‘Well done Woolworths supervisor and staff,’ one witness wrote on local Facebook groups, ‘you should not have to be subjected to today’s events while going about your duties. We applaud you.’

Woolworths did a remarkable job at protecting their customers during the alleged attack. Please note, the photo is not of the store in which the incident occurred. Image source: Shutterstock.

The witness continued that they were thankful that the supervisor had spotted the machete and warned her managers quickly.

‘I would like to also thank the supervisor, Kay, for spotting out the machete and warning her managers as fast as possible.’

Woolworths told 7NEWS.com.au that they are ‘thankful’ to their team for responding to the situation in line with their safety procedures, and praised the police.

‘We thank police for their swift response to the incident that occurred at our Alice Springs store on Sunday evening,’ the company said.

‘Our team reacted calmly to the incident in line with our established safety procedures, and we thank them for doing so in trying circumstances.’

The police are still investigating the incident at the time of writing, and anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact them on 131 444.

Members, this story serves as a reminder of just how quickly situations can escalate in public spaces. It is a hero’s tale for the staff at Woolworths in Alice Springs who reacted calmly and quickly to the incident. We genuinely admire their calmness in a truly scary circumstance.

It is heartbreaking to see someone as young as 13 committing this crime. Research has shown that there are various factors that can lead to juvenile delinquency and criminal behaviour in young people. Unfortunately, common underlying causes of juvenile crime can include an unstable home environment, poverty, mental health issues, and difficulty accessing education and employment opportunities. These factors can create a cycle of criminal behaviour, as those who experience them may seek comfort and financial gain through illegal activity.

Juvenile crime is on the rise, but we need to look at the bigger picture. What is driving them to do this? Image source: Shutterstock.

Not to mention, peer pressure to engage in criminal activity, drugs and alcohol misuse, and the availability of weapons can all play a role in motivating young people to participate in delinquency. Understanding the key factors that contribute to juvenile crime is essential to identifying solutions to this issue. We can’t ignore the fact that someone so young, committing this crime, might be trying to send a message.

Regardless, at the Seniors Discount Club, we want to remind our members to exercise caution and to be aware of their surroundings when out in public, especially when shopping in supermarkets. If you are ever in a situation that feels dangerous or threatening, then it’s important to try and remain as calm as possible and alert anyone around you or contact the police on 000.

Have you ever been in a dangerous or threatening situation in public? Do you think juvenile crime has underlying factors? Share your story and opinions with us in the comments below!

 

[rehandra]

It was a terrifying end to the weekend for shoppers at the Hartley Street Woolworths in Alice Springs after a teenager armed with a weapon, believed to be a machete, caused a scene in the supermarket.

The teen was arrested by police after the staff at Woolworths spotted him and quickly raised the alarm.

NT Police confirmed a 13-year-old boy was arrested at the store at around 5:15pm on Sunday.

‘Police arrested the youth, who was in possession of a small, edged weapon, conveying him to the watch house and issuing a summons,’ NT Police told 7NEWS.com.au.

Witnesses of the incident later took to social media to praise the quick action taken by the Woolworths staff.

‘Well done Woolworths supervisor and staff,’ one witness wrote on local Facebook groups, ‘you should not have to be subjected to today’s events while going about your duties. We applaud you.’

View attachment 11847

Woolworths did a remarkable job at protecting their customers during the alleged attack. Please note, the photo is not of the store in which the incident occurred. Image source: Shutterstock.

The witness continued that they were thankful that the supervisor had spotted the machete and warned her managers quickly.

‘I would like to also thank the supervisor, Kay, for spotting out the machete and warning her managers as fast as possible.’

Woolworths told 7NEWS.com.au that they are ‘thankful’ to their team for responding to the situation in line with their safety procedures, and praised the police.

‘We thank police for their swift response to the incident that occurred at our Alice Springs store on Sunday evening,’ the company said.

‘Our team reacted calmly to the incident in line with our established safety procedures, and we thank them for doing so in trying circumstances.’

The police are still investigating the incident at the time of writing, and anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact them on 131 444.

Members, this story serves as a reminder of just how quickly situations can escalate in public spaces. It is a hero’s tale for the staff at Woolworths in Alice Springs who reacted calmly and quickly to the incident. We genuinely admire their calmness in a truly scary circumstance.

It is heartbreaking to see someone as young as 13 committing this crime. Research has shown that there are various factors that can lead to juvenile delinquency and criminal behaviour in young people. Unfortunately, common underlying causes of juvenile crime can include an unstable home environment, poverty, mental health issues, and difficulty accessing education and employment opportunities. These factors can create a cycle of criminal behaviour, as those who experience them may seek comfort and financial gain through illegal activity.

View attachment 11848

Juvenile crime is on the rise, but we need to look at the bigger picture. What is driving them to do this? Image source: Shutterstock.

Not to mention, peer pressure to engage in criminal activity, drugs and alcohol misuse, and the availability of weapons can all play a role in motivating young people to participate in delinquency. Understanding the key factors that contribute to juvenile crime is essential to identifying solutions to this issue. We can’t ignore the fact that someone so young, committing this crime, might be trying to send a message.

Regardless, at the Seniors Discount Club, we want to remind our members to exercise caution and to be aware of their surroundings when out in public, especially when shopping in supermarkets. If you are ever in a situation that feels dangerous or threatening, then it’s important to try and remain as calm as possible and alert anyone around you or contact the police on 000.

Have you ever been in a dangerous or threatening situation in public? Do you think juvenile crime has underlying factors? Share your story and opinions with us in the comments below!

The onus should now be on the parents. They need to be made to go to court with their child/children and be fined/jailed or whatever. The lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board. Society has had enough of this out of control juvenille crime.

 

[Joydie]

It was a terrifying end to the weekend for shoppers at the Hartley Street Woolworths in Alice Springs after a teenager armed with a weapon, believed to be a machete, caused a scene in the supermarket.

The teen was arrested by police after the staff at Woolworths spotted him and quickly raised the alarm.

NT Police confirmed a 13-year-old boy was arrested at the store at around 5:15pm on Sunday.

‘Police arrested the youth, who was in possession of a small, edged weapon, conveying him to the watch house and issuing a summons,’ NT Police told 7NEWS.com.au.

Witnesses of the incident later took to social media to praise the quick action taken by the Woolworths staff.

‘Well done Woolworths supervisor and staff,’ one witness wrote on local Facebook groups, ‘you should not have to be subjected to today’s events while going about your duties. We applaud you.’

View attachment 11847

Woolworths did a remarkable job at protecting their customers during the alleged attack. Please note, the photo is not of the store in which the incident occurred. Image source: Shutterstock.

The witness continued that they were thankful that the supervisor had spotted the machete and warned her managers quickly.

‘I would like to also thank the supervisor, Kay, for spotting out the machete and warning her managers as fast as possible.’

Woolworths told 7NEWS.com.au that they are ‘thankful’ to their team for responding to the situation in line with their safety procedures, and praised the police.

‘We thank police for their swift response to the incident that occurred at our Alice Springs store on Sunday evening,’ the company said.

‘Our team reacted calmly to the incident in line with our established safety procedures, and we thank them for doing so in trying circumstances.’

The police are still investigating the incident at the time of writing, and anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact them on 131 444.

Members, this story serves as a reminder of just how quickly situations can escalate in public spaces. It is a hero’s tale for the staff at Woolworths in Alice Springs who reacted calmly and quickly to the incident. We genuinely admire their calmness in a truly scary circumstance.

It is heartbreaking to see someone as young as 13 committing this crime. Research has shown that there are various factors that can lead to juvenile delinquency and criminal behaviour in young people. Unfortunately, common underlying causes of juvenile crime can include an unstable home environment, poverty, mental health issues, and difficulty accessing education and employment opportunities. These factors can create a cycle of criminal behaviour, as those who experience them may seek comfort and financial gain through illegal activity.

View attachment 11848

Juvenile crime is on the rise, but we need to look at the bigger picture. What is driving them to do this? Image source: Shutterstock.

Not to mention, peer pressure to engage in criminal activity, drugs and alcohol misuse, and the availability of weapons can all play a role in motivating young people to participate in delinquency. Understanding the key factors that contribute to juvenile crime is essential to identifying solutions to this issue. We can’t ignore the fact that someone so young, committing this crime, might be trying to send a message.

Regardless, at the Seniors Discount Club, we want to remind our members to exercise caution and to be aware of their surroundings when out in public, especially when shopping in supermarkets. If you are ever in a situation that feels dangerous or threatening, then it’s important to try and remain as calm as possible and alert anyone around you or contact the police on 000.

Have you ever been in a dangerous or threatening situation in public? Do you think juvenile crime has underlying factors? Share your story and opinions with us in the comments below!

While it’s by no means certain that the boy was Aboriginal, it’s much more likely than not. And before you decide I’m racist, I have a deep knowledge of what goes on in Alice Springs and it’s not pretty.
This kid would have been left to his own devices, like most his age. Fatherless children with drink and drug affected mothers, are ten a penny here. This is not racist talk, it’s the truth.

The government throws $33b a year at the problem, and nothing changes. Changing the date of Australia Day or the Australian flag will do nothing to improve the lives of this boy and hundreds like him. The voice is simply a ploy by city dwelling activists, most of whom have less than 5% Aboriginal blood in them to set up yet another useless body who, in my view, will happily sit in their air conditioned offices collecting fat salaries, and doing nothing for those in desperate need of help.

 

[Zemo]

"A small, edged weapon" is NOT a machete. Get it right! When I worked in newspapers, we had a standard saying when a sensationalised statement like this came up: "Don't worry about it, they're only journalists." I don't know whether the author of this post is/was a journalist, but it certainly looks that way.

 

[JehazFNQ]

The problem, in my humble opinion is, in many cases driven not by need, but by entitlement and the sure knowledge that there will be no consequences. My late husbands car was taken by a group of five kids, all under 17, trashed through the cane fields and scrapped by the insurance. They had a nice night out and WE paid the consequences by being deprived of a vehicle we couldn’t afford to replace (it was old and the insurance payout was peanuts). It’s time the parents were made to pay - deduct it from their payments and maybe a lack of booze and ciggies will help them start keeping an eye on their little darlings whether their own or those they are supposed to be fostering and keeping safe.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

While it’s by no means certain that the boy was Aboriginal, it’s much more likely than not. And before you decide I’m racist, I have a deep knowledge of what goes on in Alice Springs and it’s not pretty.
This kid would have been left to his own devices, like most his age. Fatherless children with drink and drug affected mothers, are ten a penny here. This is not racist talk, it’s the truth.

The government throws $33b a year at the problem, and nothing changes. Changing the date of Australia Day or the Australian flag will do nothing to improve the lives of this boy and hundreds like him. The voice is simply a ploy by city dwelling activists, most of whom have less than 5% Aboriginal blood in them to set up yet another useless body who, in my view, will happily sit in their air conditioned offices collecting fat salaries, and doing nothing for those in desperate need of help.

Not just juveniles, not just Alice Springs and not just recently, either.
Ten years ago, when I still lived in the centre of Townsville, as I was leaving the Woolworths in the early evening I observed an adult indigenous female trying to exit via the entry barriers, being followed by a store employee. She was agitated and clinging onto the hem of her footie jumper ("Dress For Success!, I say"), which was bulging with stuff other than herself. I stood on the far side of the barrier. She went to barge by me but I didn't move. The store employee plus a Security guy apprehended her and told her to return the items under the footie jumper: she dropped a dozen eggs, a half-leg of lamb, two packets of biscuits, a jar of instant coffee, a bottle of tomato sauce and a single turnip(?). What a bloody mess on the floor! She then made another surge forward trying to break free of Security, but again I didn't move so she spat at me and called me "White Dog". She was taken into Police custody after they searched her; in her pocket was a Greyhound bus ticket for her, booked by the State to take her back to Cloncurry that night having been released on Parole only a few hours earlier. By the look of the items on the floor it seems unlikely that she had any intention of taking that bus.

I agree. This 'Voice' thingy is a furphy, whose only real benefit will be to those collecting salaries plus superannuation for making pious noises while doing zero.

 

[Zemo]

"A small, edged weapon" is NOT a machete. Get it right! When I worked in newspapers, we had a standard saying when a sensationalised statement like this came up: "Don't worry about it, they're only journalists." I don't know whether the author of this post is/was a journalist, but it certainly looks that way.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Sloopy]

"A small, edged weapon" is NOT a machete. Get it right! When I worked in newspapers, we had a standard saying when a sensationalised statement like this came up: "Don't worry about it, they're only journalists." I don't know whether the author of this post is/was a journalist, but it certainly looks that way.

Exactly. Other questionable items in there include "caused a scene" and "alleged attack" - did he actually do anything, or was it just that he had the weapon and so attracted attention?

People are way too eager to swallow sensationalised garbage trotted out by alleged journos to make a buck!

 

[Ricci]

The one word that was glaringly missing from the article and I expect from the lives of these kids is DISCIPLINE. There are all sorts of reasons given for this behaviour but not one of them say lack of discipline. A good clip round the ears or legs and a reddened bum when these youths were little would have gone a long way to reduce this sort of behaviour. I don't advocate violence but these kids need a short, sharp reminder of the difference between right and wrong, a healthy respect (or fear) of authority and a reminder to do the right thing.

 

[Macarj]

While it’s by no means certain that the boy was Aboriginal, it’s much more likely than not. And before you decide I’m racist, I have a deep knowledge of what goes on in Alice Springs and it’s not pretty.
This kid would have been left to his own devices, like most his age. Fatherless children with drink and drug affected mothers, are ten a penny here. This is not racist talk, it’s the truth.

The government throws $33b a year at the problem, and nothing changes. Changing the date of Australia Day or the Australian flag will do nothing to improve the lives of this boy and hundreds like him. The voice is simply a ploy by city dwelling activists, most of whom have less than 5% Aboriginal blood in them to set up yet another useless body who, in my view, will happily sit in their air conditioned offices collecting fat salaries, and doing nothing for those in desperate need of help.

The boy doesn't look Aboriginal

 

[Shirley Sargent]

I THOROUGHLY AGREE WITH LEANDRA.

 

[Zemo]

Not just juveniles, not just Alice Springs and not just recently, either.
Ten years ago, when I still lived in the centre of Townsville, as I was leaving the Woolworths in the early evening I observed an adult indigenous female trying to exit via the entry barriers, being followed by a store employee. She was agitated and clinging onto the hem of her footie jumper ("Dress For Success!, I say"), which was bulging with stuff other than herself. I stood on the far side of the barrier. She went to barge by me but I didn't move. The store employee plus a Security guy apprehended her and told her to return the items under the footie jumper: she dropped a dozen eggs, a half-leg of lamb, two packets of biscuits, a jar of instant coffee, a bottle of tomato sauce and a single turnip(?). What a bloody mess on the floor! She then made another surge forward trying to break free of Security, but again I didn't move so she spat at me and called me "White Dog". She was taken into Police custody after they searched her; in her pocket was a Greyhound bus ticket for her, booked by the State to take her back to Cloncurry that night having been released on Parole only a few hours earlier. By the look of the items on the floor it seems unlikely that she had any intention of taking that bus.

I agree. This 'Voice' thingy is a furphy, whose only real benefit will be to those collecting salaries plus superannuation for making pious noises while doing zero.

Funniest thing I've heard for a while was that a radio poll was conducted somewhere and a lot of those interviewed were, shall we say, younger than most of us. A lot of them, without any prompting or coercion, confused the referendum thing with the well-known television show The Voice. Doesn't hold out much hope for the IQ standards of Strayans.

 

[Zemo]

The problem, in my humble opinion is, in many cases driven not by need, but by entitlement and the sure knowledge that there will be no consequences. My late husbands car was taken by a group of five kids, all under 17, trashed through the cane fields and scrapped by the insurance. They had a nice night out and WE paid the consequences by being deprived of a vehicle we couldn’t afford to replace (it was old and the insurance payout was peanuts). It’s time the parents were made to pay - deduct it from their payments and maybe a lack of booze and ciggies will help them start keeping an eye on their little darlings whether their own or those they are supposed to be fostering and keeping safe.

Can you remember the aborted attempt to introduce the Australia Card and the outcry it generated? "What? Give the government all my personal details?" Wonder what would happen today with all the scamming going on? If they could put the Apollo astronauts down on the moon with the technology available at the time (which today is outranked by that available on your usual run-of-the-mill laptop), why can't a system be worked out to cross-check banking operations?

 

[Gsr]

I agree, the media sensationalise everything to attract headlines and grab people’s attention. I also believe that parents should be held accountable for the actions of their children until the child reaches 18 and can be held accountable. Or lower the age to 16 wouldn’t hurt. I guarantee there would be a large drop in the number of crimes being perpetrated by these young people if parents had to pay for the damages or serve prison terms for the crimes their children are committing. There would be a lot more discipline and teaching of values to young children if this happened, instead of all the self centred parents who can’t be bothered with what the kids do as long as they are out of their hair, and not interrupting the parents lifestyles. So many people never have been and never will be responsible parents and only have children because of the easy money the government dishes out when they have a baby.

 

[relljube]

Sue the parents for any damage/loss. Had a gutful of these "little darlings" not being held to account nor their parents. Enough already

 

[Joydie]

Funniest thing I've heard for a while was that a radio poll was conducted somewhere and a lot of those interviewed were, shall we say, younger than most of us. A lot of them, without any prompting or coercion, confused the referendum thing with the well-known television show The Voice. Doesn't hold out much hope for the IQ standards of Strayans.

And THAT is exactly what the current federal government is banking on. The fewer facts people are given, the more likely Aussies are to go with the warm and fuzzy city dwelling proponents of the voice. And children and women will continue to be sexually abused, bashed and killed. There is so much more I could say, but this isn’t the forum.

Funniest thing I've heard for a while was that a radio poll was conducted somewhere and a lot of those interviewed were, shall we say, younger than most of us. A lot of them, without any prompting or coercion, confused the referendum thing with the well-known television show The Voice. Doesn't hold out much hope for the IQ standards of Strayans.

 

[Jennie]

The one word that was glaringly missing from the article and I expect from the lives of these kids is DISCIPLINE. There are all sorts of reasons given for this behaviour but not one of them say lack of discipline. A good clip round the ears or legs and a reddened bum when these youths were little would have gone a long way to reduce this sort of behaviour. I don't advocate violence but these kids need a short, sharp reminder of the difference between right and wrong, a healthy respect (or fear) of authority and a reminder to do the right thing.

Yes I've been waiting for someone to give the real reason for this behaviour. We have a family building a home next to us, with 3 little monsters. One of them broke the side fence between us, so hubby started to fix it, the father said I wouldn't bother, he will only break it again. Peter said,a smack on the botom would sort him out. The father said that they don't know how to make the children behave , but they have never smacked them. A disaster in the making. We are breeding juvenile delinquents.

 

[Joydie]

I agree, the media sensationalise everything to attract headlines and grab people’s attention. I also believe that parents should be held accountable for the actions of their children until the child reaches 18 and can be held accountable. Or lower the age to 16 wouldn’t hurt. I guarantee there would be a large drop in the number of crimes being perpetrated by these young people if parents had to pay for the damages or serve prison terms for the crimes their children are committing. There would be a lot more discipline and teaching of values to young children if this happened, instead of all the self centred parents who can’t be bothered with what the kids do as long as they are out of their hair, and not interrupting the parents lifestyles. So many people never have been and never will be responsible parents and only have children because of the easy money the government dishes out when they have a baby.

I agree absolutely with what you say, and have been saying it myself for more years than I care to remember. However, in the overwhelming majority of these cases, these kids come from single parent homes. I have many single parent friends who’ve told me their struggles raising their children, but they were determined to turn well educated, well adjusted kids out into to the community. They had expectations of their kids and were determined to do the best job they could.

Contrast this with the single mother who has no expectations for her children. No expectations were ever placed on her, because she’s almost always a second, third, fourth generation welfare recipient. I know this’ll upset some readers, but I’m quoting a factual statistic, so don’t shoot the messenger. American research over many years, has shown that the biggest problem today in American society, is fatherless homes. Entire city streets with no live in dad, and usually, a welfare dependent mother.

Society isn’t what it was in our youth, rights have flourished, and responsibility is dying on the vine. The ubiquitous ‘they’ are blamed for everything, and apparently responsible for fixing everything that goes wrong. How often do we hear ‘They need to do something about this!’ ‘They should have known this would happen!’ In so many families, I would think most, any attempt to get payment from these parents would be futile. Of course their welfare could be garnisheed, but the amount taken would be so small that it would take forever to pay off the debt.

 

[Joydie]

Thanks for the reply.

There was an article in The Australian today. The boy is Aboriginal and he was carrying a machete.

 

[Defiant540]

The problem, in my humble opinion is, in many cases driven not by need, but by entitlement and the sure knowledge that there will be no consequences. My late husbands car was taken by a group of five kids, all under 17, trashed through the cane fields and scrapped by the insurance. They had a nice night out and WE paid the consequences by being deprived of a vehicle we couldn’t afford to replace (it was old and the insurance payout was peanuts). It’s time the parents were made to pay - deduct it from their payments and maybe a lack of booze and ciggies will help them start keeping an eye on their little darlings whether their own or those they are supposed to be fostering and keeping safe.

thank you!