The Northern Territory government has gone soft on youth offenders and forgotten about victims, the Country Liberal Party says.
The tough-on-crime pitch comes amid a tight three-way race for office as the Top End goes to the polls on Saturday.
Leader Lia Finocchiaro says NT crime is skyrocketing and Territorians have had enough.
“People feel there are no consequences for these youth offenders who continue to do the wrong thing,” she said during a leaders’ debate.
“This government is so offender-focused it is really forgetting about the victims.”
Ms Finocchiaro said the CLP would put victims at the centre of its law and order policies if elected, with stronger bail laws and tougher punishment.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner disagreed his government had failed to tackle the problem, citing new punishment strategies for youth offenders.
“We don’t’ want the crime to occur … but once it does there has to be a tough consequence,” he said.
Mr Gunner said early intervention programs were also required to stop youths offending in the first place.
Territory Alliance leader Terry Mills said the NTneeded community courts that could intervene early and curb youth offending before it escalated.
“We need to reset the way we respond to young people by involving those who are closer to them,” he said.
More than 42 per cent of eligible NT voters have cast their ballot with two days of early voting to go.
It equates to 60,334 votes out of the 141,225 people on the electoral roll, the electoral commission says.