Weapons seized in bid to curb violence in Wadeye

Lloyd Jones Published January 19, 2026 at 5.30pm (AWST)

Police have seized dozens of weapons including bows and arrows, spears and a crossbow in a bid to curb violent confrontations in a remote community.

At least six cars have been torched in the Northern Territory Indigenous community of Wadeye amid recent brawls and confrontations involving men armed with edged weapons.

Officers have used pepper spray to disperse crowds in the town as they try to ease tensions, with the public confrontations put down to feuding between families.

A large quantity of weapons was seized in Wadeye over the weekend following the latest disturbance in which a man allegedly aimed a bow and arrow at officers, police said on Monday.

The lawful searches of multiple properties in the town 395km southwest of Darwin yielded crossbows, spears, bows and arrows, boomerangs and hatchets.

NT Police said it was working closely with community leaders and the feuding families.

"There is a shared expectation that these violent disturbances must come to an end," Acting Senior Sergeant Jason Canning said in a statement.

A 34-year-old man was shot in the arm with a crossbow bolt in Wadeye on January 7. He was flown to Darwin for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The Wadeye brawls follow recent unrest in the remote Arnhem communities of Maningrida and Ramingining.

AAP

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National Indigenous Times

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