00:00As a blind person living alone in Alice Springs, Murray Stewart is increasingly worried about his safety.
00:09I know with my medical conditions that if I am hit in a violent fashion, it is likely that I would pass away.
00:19He's one of many vulnerable people in the outback town, including women, taking steps to protect themselves.
00:25I don't know if I would be able to protect myself in the same way that a man probably could.
00:30These fears come as the town reels from escalating violent crime, including a brutal home invasion this week,
00:37which left a two-month-old baby with a fractured skull.
00:40The NT Health Minister today announcing an integration of mental health and alcohol services
00:46as part of efforts to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
00:50There's no cost-cutting involved. This is more about bringing the services together
00:54to ensure that we have a streamlined and coordinated approach.
00:58He also called on his federal counterparts for an audit of all Commonwealth funding
01:02pledged to address issues in the town.
01:05Yesterday, the NT Chief Minister wrote to the Commonwealth with a list of urgent measures
01:10to address Alice Springs crime, including distributing welfare payments on takeaway alcohol free days
01:16and income management for the parents of young offenders.
01:20In a statement, Indigenous Australians Minister Malindiri McCarthy says her government
01:24has already invested in a range of community safety measures for Alice Springs
01:29and will keep working with the NT government to roll out support.
01:34NT Police today also confirmed members of the Tactical Response Group
01:38and Search and Rescue Section have been deployed to bolster Alice Springs police numbers,
01:43with more officers set to join early next week.
01:47In the meantime, locals are doing all they can to stay safe.
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