NT police union raises alarm over death in custody risk in watch houses
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Their caution comes amid national attention on Aboriginal deaths in custody, after the NT coroner last week delivered her inquest findings into the 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu.
It also follows the recent deaths in custody of Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White in Alice Springs and a senior Kardu Rak Kirnmu elder at Royal Darwin Hospital.
In a statement, the NT Police Association (NTPA) said 92 detainees were kept in the Palmerston police watch house on Monday, including 76 overflow corrections prisoners.
"This is officially out of control," NTPA president Nathan Finn said in a statement.
The growing pressure on police comes just four months after the NT government promised to stop housing corrections prisoners at watch houses in Palmerston and Alice Springs.
Corrections Minister Gerard Maley told parliament on March 18 that all prisoners had been moved out of the watch houses and into prisons in Holtze and Berrimah.
Mr Finn told the ABC he was "extremely concerned" by another spike in corrections prisoners held inside watch houses.
"It's going to end up in a situation where a police officer is hurt, or an inmate in that facility is hurt or killed," he said.
"We've got no contingencies if someone gets violent.
"If someone has a mental health episode inside that facility, it's further placing our staff at unacceptable risk."
Former detainee Willis John Carlow, who was released on Tuesday after 10 days in the Palmerston watch house, said the conditions were "horrible".
"We had to s**t in front of everyone and there was no space, just 10 other people — 16 other people — in one space," he said.
"You've got to eat while they're taking a s**t so it was pretty bad."
Another former detainee, who was also released on Tuesday but wished to remain anonymous, said the women's cells were stained with period blood.
"We're all in this room with someone else's period blood all over the sheets and it's just pushed into a pile against the wall."
She said the female inmates had created a barricade of mattresses around the cell's toilet for privacy from male correctional officers walking past.
"You've got one blocked toilet and then one toilet that barely works and we're supposed to be drinking water from bubblers on top of the toilet," she said.
"There was a pregnant woman in there who had stomach pains … and for two weeks in a row was asking to see medical [staff]."
The NT's prison population has soared in recent months, partly driven by the NT government's introduction of tougher bail laws.
Data from the NT corrections department shows 2,847 prisoners were being held at correctional facilities on Tuesday, including 1,492 at Darwin Correctional Centre.
About half of those prisoners are people on remand who have not yet been sentenced or found guilty.
The overflow of prisoners is playing out in the courts.
More than 185 court matters were listed between just two sitting judges at Darwin Local Court on Tuesday, giving judges about three minutes on average to process each matter.
Mr Finn said the NT government had failed to support its "tough-on-crime" agenda with appropriate infrastructure to cope with rising prisoner numbers.
Mr Finn also claimed overcrowding inside watch houses was preventing police officers from making arrests.
"We've heard from a number of members coming through that limitations in watch house space has led to arrests not being made," he said.
NT Police and Mr Maley have been contacted for comment.
A department spokesperson said correctional staff have not operated out of the Palmerston police watch house since mid-March.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
7 minutes ago
- ABC News
NSW Premier says Gareth Ward must leave parliament after sex abuse conviction
The NSW premier says it is "ridiculous" that disgraced Kiama MP Gareth Ward remains in parliament after being convicted of serious sexual offences. Chris Minns today confirmed the government had legal advice that the Legislative Assembly had the power to remove the independent MP from parliament, even with an appeal pending. "It is completely, I think, ridiculous to be in a situation where someone has been not accused, not charged, but convicted of incredibly serious sexual assault convictions and stay as a member of parliament," Mr Minns said. Ward was found guilty by a District Court jury on Friday of four charges relating to the sexual abuse of two young men. That evening, the Minns Government issued a statement calling on the former Liberal minister to resign to protect the integrity of the parliament. Opposition Leader Mark Speakman also called for Ward's resignation on Friday. "If Mr Ward does not resign, then upon its resumption the parliament should swiftly take all appropriate steps to protect its integrity," Mr Speakman said. Ward will remain on bail until a detention application is considered by the District Court on Wednesday. His bail was varied, requiring him to report to police daily at either Kings Cross or Nowra A date for sentencing will be set on Wednesday. Mr Minns said any action taken by the NSW parliament would not be punitive, as it was the court's responsibility to determine punishment. But he said the parliament must protect its own integrity. "The Legislative Assembly needs to be in a position where it can assert the integrity of the House," Mr Minns said. "And one of the positions it can take is to say: If you have been convicted of these serious charges, it is not reasonable that that member stays on." The Premier said steps should be taken when parliament resumes in August. "Many taxpayers, many voters, would say 'Are you really suggesting that someone who has been convicted of these incredibly serious charges continues on as a member of parliament even when they are in jail?" the premier said. While the NSW Constitution allows MPs to remain in parliament while appealing a conviction, University of Sydney constitutional law expert Professor Anne Twomey said the parliament had the power to expel a member to protect its integrity, even before sentencing or appeal outcomes. "It would be a matter for the parliament to decide if this was an extreme case," she said. "But in an extreme case they could say 'Well it just undermines the ability of our House to operate, because people will lose trust in us and respect for us and therefore, in the circumstances, we have to expel and leave it up to the people to decide'." Mr Minns acknowledged the nature of the hung parliament and said he was yet to speak to the cross bench or opposition on whether they would support a move to expel the independent MP. The premier said he did not want the "enormous courage" of the two complainants to get lost in "a political bun fight" about Ward's future. "If you speak to survivors of this kind of sexual assault, they will tell you that going through the process of reporting it to the police and then a criminal trial turns your life upside down all over again," Mr Minns said. "That should not be forgotten in all this." During the trial the two complainants, who were aged 18 and 24 at the time of the offences in 2013 and 2015, gave detailed and often emotionally charged evidence. They both told the court of their deep reluctance to come forward, which was rooted in fear, self-blame and what they saw as a significant power imbalance between themselves and Ward.

ABC News
37 minutes ago
- ABC News
Western Sydney Airport official who sought $200k kickback narrowly avoids jail time
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has claimed its first scalp with the sentencing of a corrupt Western Sydney Airport official who asked for a $200,000 kickback. Sajish Erasery pleaded guilty to soliciting a corrupt commission after he attempted to invite a bribe from a company vying for a $5 million contract to provide automated parking systems at the soon-to-be completed airport. The anti-corruption watchdog found the former executive procurement manager had initially proposed he could "get the deal over the line" if he received $250,000, which equated to 5 per cent of the contract's value. The NACC said in a statement Erasery later reduced this figure to $200,000 and suggested a scheme to repay the business by inflating invoices. The Australian Federal Police arrested the man in March 2024 after his former employer referred the matter to the commission. He has been sentenced to two years' jail, which will be served in the community and require him to complete 500 hours of community service. The airport is due to be complete in 2026. Erasery is the first person to be sentenced following an investigation initiated by the NACC. Since the watchdog's inception, there have been convictions in nine other cases which were inherited from the former Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity in July 2023. The latest of those cases involved Anne McCann, a former Department of Home Affairs immigration officer, who abused power in public office by approving a visa application for her brother-in-law. Both matters were prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

ABC News
37 minutes ago
- ABC News
Man on the run after shooting in St Arnaud
A man is on the run after a shooting in the western Victorian town of St Arnaud between Bendigo and Horsham. Police say a man was shot by another man at the property in Kings Avenue about 7:30am today. One man was flown to hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Authorities believe the two men are known to each other.