"NT Police Union Cautions on Severe Risks from Overcrowding in Watch House"

Share and Follow

Advocates believes a death in custody is imminent under the current conditions inside Northern Territory watch houses.

Amongst other instances of overcrowding, Palmerston police watch house is currently being used to house an overflow of more than 70 correctional prisoners.

NT Coordinator for the Justice Reform Initiative, Rocket Bretherton, says she fears for those currently caught up in the territory’s justice system.

“There is no privacy, no showers … 10 to 15 people in a cell, sharing mattresses on the floor,” the Noongar woman told NITV.

“I’ve heard stories of [people] not being able to get life saving medication.

“It’s only a matter of time.”

Rocket Bretherton has deep subject matter expertise as a consequence of her own experience in the NT justice system and has been working since 2019 to raise public awareness of the failings of the justice system. Source: Emma Kellaway

For years Ms Bretherton has campaigned and advocated for justice reform in the Northern Territory.

Recounting stories of people recently released from the Palmerston Police Watch House, 20 kilometers southeast of Darwin, Ms Bretherton said the conditions were “disgusting”.

“Men can see straight over to the women. There is no privacy.”

“I’ve been told [there is] period-stained sheets just wrapped up in the corner.

“That’s disgusting, we need to be doing better.”

Police union calls out ‘crisis point’

It comes as the Northern Territory Police Association (NTPA) President, Nathan Finn, said the situation is putting police officers, prisoners, and the broader community at unacceptable risk.

“This is officially out of control,” Mr Finn said in a statement.

“The CLP Government has made repeated promises to stop using police facilities for correctional purposes, yet the Palmerston Watch House is now overflowing.”

“It’s not a matter of if, but when a serious custody incident occurs.”

Mr Finn said the Palmerston Police Watch House has reached a “crisis point”, with 92 detainees recorded in custody on Monday, including 76 correctional prisoners.

The NTPA is calling on the NT Government to urgently invest in appropriate correctional infrastructure and stop relying on police watch houses as overflow prisons.

“If immediate action isn’t taken, we’re gravely concerned that someone – be it a police officer, a prisoner, or a member of the public, is going to be seriously injured or worse,” Mr Finn said.

Since coming to power in August last year, the NT Country Liberal Party Government has enacted a string of “tough-on-crime” policies, including the tightening of bail laws.

On Wednesday there were a total 2842 people incarcerated across the Northern Territory, an increase of more than 600 prisoners since the CLP came to power.

That includes a record number of inmates not yet convicted, with 49 per cent of those on remand awaiting sentencing.

88 per cent of those incarcerated in the NT are Indigenous.

‘No alternative’ in Government response

In a statement Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Corrections, Gerard Maley, told NITV there is “no alternative” and the solution to overcrowding is for “individuals to stop breaking the law”.

“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.”

The NT Government have created more than 500 new beds at Darwin and Alice Springs corrections facilities since taking office, with a further 238 beds expected to be added by August.

“Whilst government can strengthen laws, adequately resource police and expand corrections capacity this needs to be matched with personal responsibility: individuals need to stop breaking the law,” Mr Maley said in a statement.

Rocket Bretherton urged the NT Government to “do better”.

“If we want people to stop the offending behaviour, we need to look at the root causes of the behaviour,” Ms Bretherton said.

“If we don’t do that then there will be no change.”