Arrows, paint and iron bars used to damage businesses in NT town

An Elliott business owner says fighting and unrest in the community, 250 kilometres north of Tennant Creek, have escalated, with businesses and property damaged over the past week.

Northern Territory Police said family groups from the township and Marlinja Camp were fighting on Thursday and Friday last week after a family dispute, but since then there have been numerous incidents of criminal damage to properties in the town.

Dan Young, who owns a welding business in Elliott, said the violence and destruction were getting out of hand.

"People that aren't involved and businesses are suffering from it," he said.

"My truck's been broken into, windows smashed, interior's been trashed, they stripped everything they could of value, raided the toolboxes on the back, you know, they've put me out of action for a few days.

"This is going to be a very expensive week for my business."

Mr Young said numerous cars had been vandalised or broken into, and the post office and town store had also been targeted.

Arrows and paint

Northern Territory Police's Mick Fields said police believed the family disputes had started over disagreements over child disciplinary matters, which escalated due to heightened tensions in the community after a recent funeral and the involvement of alcohol.

The acting superintendent of Tennant Creek and the Barkly said police had confiscated arrows, iron bars and other non-traditional weapons.

"I can confirm that there's been a series of criminal damage, damage to property matters. It appears on face value to be completely senseless," he said.

"They have gone into some businesses; they've utilised some blue paint, which they've thrown around different places on the roads."

Calls for calm

Mr Fields urged Elliott residents to stay calm and consider the impacts on the broader community.

"The impact that unrest has in these small communities, like on all service providers, the children, the general feeling of being unsafe, it can't be measured," he said.

Mr Fields said additional police staff, including people from the cultural reform team and Aboriginal community police officers, had been deployed to the community to restore peace.

"Overall, things have settled down a little bit, but certainly there's some work to do on the ground."

Mr Young wasn't so certain.

"Is this going to be an ongoing concern?" he asked.