NT police watch houses still holding correctional prisoners despite minister’s claim
The police union has expressed frustration at police watch-houses still being used to hold dozens of long term prisoners, despite the Corrections Minister stating ‘final transfers’ out were complete.
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The police union has expressed frustration at dozens of correctional inmates still being kept in watch-houses, despite an explicit claim by the minister that the practice had stopped last month.
On Monday, 75 correctional prisoners remained in Palmerston Police watch-house, 12 in Katherine and 14 in Alice Springs.
It comes after Corrections Minister Gerard Maley told parliament last month Corrections would no longer staff or use operational police watch-houses in Palmerston or Alice Springs.
“By Monday 10 March 2025 all prisoners were moved from Palmerston watch-house to Holtze and Berrimah, with final transfers in the Alice Springs Correctional Centre completed by 16 March,” he said on March 18.
“This means that watch-houses are available to protect Territorians and allow police to move their job to move freely in and arrest people who do the wrong thing.”
However corrections inmates were never transferred out of Palmerston, according to the Northern Territory Police Association.
NTPA president Nathan Finn said police officers were “fed up with taking on the responsibilities of other agencies without recognition or support”.
“Two weeks after the government assured officers that watch-houses would be freed up, we find ourselves in exactly the same situation,” he said.
“This is yet another example of our officers being disrespected and taken for granted.”
Mr Finn criticised the government’s decision to spend $1.3m hiring private security firm G4S to support correctional staffing, while police received no extra funding for assisting in the watch-houses.
Independent member for Johnston Justine Davis said she had been trying to visit a watch-house for months, and in March was told by Minister Maley she had the right to do so but prisoner transfers out of Palmerston had been completed.
“This is clearly not the case, and I will continue to push for transparency and accountability,” Ms Davis said.
“We have heard terrible allegations about watch-house conditions including overcrowding with 18 people in a single cell, inadequate access to clean drinking water, constant 24h artificial lighting, and no outdoor access.
“Using watch-houses as makeshift prisons not just a matter of inconvenience — it’s a life-or-death issue.”
Opposition Leader Selena Uibo called on the CLP “to stop misleading Territorians” and to “support police to get on with their job”.
Minister Maley met with the Corrections Commissioner and the Police Commissioner on Friday morning to discuss the current pressures on the justice system.
He said corrections staff left Palmerston watch-house last month, however remanded prisoners would continue to be held in police custody until beds became available in a correctional facility.
“This is not unusual, but we know accommodating prisoners who have been remanded in police watch-houses is far from ideal, and not a long-term solution,” he said.
“The management of police watch houses is an operational matter, and the Commissioner for Corrections is working closely with the Commissioner for Police.
“There is no alternative – police will continue arresting those who break the law, and corrections will continue expanding capacity to ensure those who are remanded or sentenced have a bed.”
Mr Maley said the government was prioritising bringing new corrections infrastructure online as quickly as possible, with 100 beds soon to be operational at Berrimah Correctional Centre, in addition to the more than 500 new beds delivered since the election.
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Originally published as NT police watch houses still holding correctional prisoners despite minister’s claim
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