Palmerston police watch house has been returned to cops after prisoners relocated
The Government’s corrections plan has reached a new milestone, with important infrastructure finally being returned to police. Read what’s changed.
Northern Territory
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Palmerston Watch House has been returned to the exclusive use of NT Police after having been a Corrections facility housing prisoners since 2023.
Speaking outside Berrimah Correctional Centre on Wednesday morning, Deputy Chief Minister and Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said about 90 prisoners had been relocated to the revamped adult facility from Palmerston Watch House.
Alongside Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley, Mr Maley said the “milestone” move would allow the watch house to be returned to police service, allowing them “to do their job properly”.
There are currently about 316 beds in the facility, with a capacity of about 400 expected to be in place in coming months.
The facility was permanently commandeered by Corrections in June 2024 during the dying days of the previous Labor Government.
“The police can now use that Watch House by themselves, and they can arrest people out there in the community who are doing the wrong thing, put them into their Watch House and them move to the court system as they see fit.
“We have delivered the Berrimah Correctional Facility in the last four months (and) as of today there’s about 316 in the prison behind me and that’s a great milestone in relation to keeping the community safe.
“If you commit a crime in the Northern Territory, we’re going to find a bed for you. The CLP Government was elected on a strong mandate of community safety, and that ‘s what we intend to do.”
Darwin watch house remains in use by Corrections, but Mr Maley said by the end of this week Alice Springs watch house, which is currently a combined facility, will be returned to police when inmates there are relocated to the 96-bedmodular unit in Alice Springs.
Mr Varley said works at Berrimah had been conducted by external contractors with prisoners also contributing.
“We’ve tidied up the site, we’ve cleaned, we’ve cut through lots of green waste, we’ve also worked on repairs to plumbing, electricals and the fire systems. We’ve also spray painted cell doors, we’ve removed rust.
“There’s been a whole ton of work done and the additional 100 new beds that the minister has just announced are a demountable dormitory that we’ve literally craned over the fence, installed, connected and put fences around.”
Mr Maley said with the relocation back to prisons and the first cohort of private corrections officers from G4S security due to commence work next week, prison industries that have been shut down will resume.
“The plan is to be able to open up the prison industries and also the community work parties to be able to allow those prisoners to mow the lawns and do the work in the community that has happened for a number of years,” Mr Maley said.
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