A SMALL town in the middle of Australia has been gripped by violence so severe that the local retirement home has put up prison-style fencing.
The town of Alice Springs is in the midst of preparations for a "summer of violence" after a crime wave including break-ins, car thefts and ram raids.
Recent photos of the retirement home in town revealed a "compound-style" fence with barbed wire has been erected to protect the town's most vulnerable.
The Old Timers Village, Flynn Lodge and resident-run Old Timers Museum are all behind the high-security fencing to prevent further chaos.
The small town has become overrun with crime, despite having a population of only 28,000.
The need for a fence to protect the town's elderly population has sparked fierce outrage on social media.
One frustrated resident commented: "It will not stop them as there is no consequence for their actions and they know that."
Another said: "That is so sad. No respect for elders and so sad for the residents… they deserve to feel safe and be safe."
A woman claiming to work at the elderly village said: "It's my work place. Yes, we need protection."
Another local chimed in: "It looks like a jail. So sad that our elderly need to be protected."
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The Alcatraz-style fencing was installed after it was revealed the elderly village was targeted during a crime wave last summer.
Owner of the Facebook page "Action for Alice", Darren Clark, shared photos of the new fence online.
He told NewsAu: "They get into rooms and steal possessions from residents. One guy, his mum… they were in her room.
"They've stolen staff cars. They were breaking in, getting cars and ram-raiding out."
It's the latest escalation as the city faced "youth crime" and "alcohol-fuelled violence" in recent years.
Despite new restrictions, Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson said the crime hasn't eased up.
He said: "The break-ins haven’t stopped, the stolen cars haven’t stopped, it’s crazy. I reckon it's worse than before."
The town has seen a 22 per cent increase in assaults, 28 per cent increase in domestic violence assaults, 28 per cent increase in alcohol-related assaults and a 23 per cent increase in sexual assaults, according to NT Police.
Clark said the antisocial behaviour is hard to keep up with on his Facebook page: "Just because it’s hot — the nights are warmer so they just stay out all night."
But the concerned citizen says police are not prepared for the uptick in crime, despite new measures such as the fence.
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Clark continued: "They haven't got enough police. They can't do it. They're not ready. They can't keep up now.
"If you ring police you’re lucky if they turn up. We just know nothing’s going to happen, there’s no ramifications — it’ll ignite."
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