Northern Territory police have been accused of overreacting after a shotgun was brandished at a group of people drinking at a remote bush camp earlier this month.
But the police have said their actions in Borroloola, on the NT side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, two weeks ago were "professional and restrained".
Officers went to the bush area, where people congregate because they are banned from drinking alcohol in their homes on Borroloola's town camps under Federal Indigenous Intervention dry community laws, to remove liquor.
The police have been stopping drinking in more areas around Borroloola since riots in the majority Indigenous mining and fishing tourism town in March, caused by tensions between two clan groups.
Community members and the police agreed drinkers at the camp had become angry after alcohol was taken away.
Borroloola community spokesman Gadrian Hoosan said: "The police were tipping their beer over at the spring behind Yanyuwa camp where they was drinking, and they arrested one young fella, and another fella got real upset about that.
"It was really just people standing up for their rights in their drinking area, and that shouldn't be happening."
NT Police defend actions
Mr Hoosan accused the police of firing a shot, possibly using a rubber bullet, towards the drinkers.
But the NT Police said no shot was fired, rather an officer was threatened and picked up a shotgun loaded with non-lethal rounds.
"The group became angry and agitated and began threatening officers, with one man arrested for acting in a disorderly manner after he refused police directions to desist," the Territory Police said in a statement.
Police began escorting the man back to a police vehicle when it was alleged the agitated group began yelling threats and approaching officers in a threatening manner.
"At this point, an individual armed himself with a large stick and ran at officers who, fearing for their safety, actioned a shotgun loaded with non-lethal rounds," police said.
"The man immediately ran off in the opposite direction and officers were able to tactically disengage without any further altercations."
Police and community hold meeting
Mr Hoosan said some in the community were prepared to concede that the police were right that no shot was fired.
But he said even after senior police met with community members in Borroloola to discuss the incident last week he still felt officers overreacted.
"The police are trying to help and fix things up in the community, but they need to look in their own backyard, and fix themselves up before they can fix this community and my people up," he said.
However, the police said officers reacted to the situation in an appropriate manner.
"Officers were extremely professional and restrained throughout the incident given the circumstances they were faced with," the police said.
