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
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Teenage boy in custody after alleged Darwin Show stabbing of another teenage boy
A teenager is in serious condition after he was stabbed at the Royal Darwin Show, with the alleged offender in custody, police say. The Northern Territory Police said the boy, aged 15, was assaulted with a knife by another 15-year-old boy at the showgrounds after an altercation. A spokesperson said the alleged offender fled the scene after the incident took place at around 8.20pm on Saturday. "Police and St John Ambulance attended, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital in a serious condition," the spokesperson said. Police later posted a Facebook update at 10pm, saying the alleged offender was located. "The 15-year-old alleged offender has been arrested by police and is currently in custody," the statement said. Police are urging anyone with information to contact 131 444 and quote reference number P25199834.


SBS Australia
7 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Four Aussie residents, including two citizens, now facing Hong Kong arrest warrants, bounties
Four Australian residents are now facing overseas arrest warrants issued by Hong Kong's national security police, after a fresh announcement concerning support for a pro-democracy party in the state's parliament. Australian citizen Chongyi Feng and resident Wong Sau-Wo are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial "Hong Kong Parliament" group. They are among 19 activists who are are accused of organising or participating in the group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a "Hong Kong constitution". Authorities say the group aims to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. There is a bounty of at least HK$200,000 ($38,807) for each of the activists. Yam, who is a legal scholar, and Hui, a former Hong Kong Democracy party MP, were among eight overseas-based activists who authorities accused of national security offences, including foreign collusion and incitement to secession. At the time, the police also offered rewards of HK$1 million ($194,000) for information leading to each possible arrest. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has reacted to the announcement, saying "Australia strongly objects to Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants for pro-democracy advocates in Australia." "Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy," she wrote on social media platform X on Saturday "We have consistently expressed our strong objections to China and Hong Kong on the broad and extraterritorial application of Hong Kong's national security legislation, and we will continue to do so." SBS News has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment. Hong Kong's national security law Feng has told SBS News that, while he feels safe being in Australia, the federal government must remain cautious in its interactions with China. "So we need to be fully aware of the nature of (China's) authoritarian regime when dealing with Xi Jinping or the People's Republic of China." He says many of his friends in Hong Kong have been jailed due to the state's national security law, which makes perceived political subversion a serious offence. Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. "I feel quite sad that the autonomy of Hong Kong, of basic human rights in Hong Kong, and democracy in Hong Kong have all been destroyed by the implementation of the national security law," Feng said. Police reiterated that national security offences were serious crimes with extraterritorial reach and urged the wanted individuals to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in. "If offenders voluntarily give up continuing to violate the crime, turn themselves in, truthfully confess their crimes, or provide key information that helps solve other cases, they may be eligible for reduced punishment," they said in a statement. Police also warned that aiding, abetting, or funding others to participate in the "Hong Kong Parliament" could be a criminal offence. Additional reporting by Wing Kuang and the Reuters News Agency.

The Australian
9 hours ago
- The Australian
Immigration detainee, 45, accused of making hundreds of threatening calls to police
Police have bemoaned the 'frustrating waste of resources' after an immigration detainee in Western Australia was charged over allegedly threatening phone calls. The Moroccan national, 45, was arrested at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre on Thursday and charged with two offences of using carriage service to menace, harass or offend and using a carriage service to make threat to kill. According to the Australian Federal Police, the man allegedly made 297 offensive phone calls to the AFP over 54 days in April through July. This would be an average of 5.5 calls per day over the two-month period. The 45-year-old will return to court in September. Picture: Australian Federal Police. AFP Detective Acting Inspector Karen Addiscott said the man's alleged calls could have disrupted or delayed genuine calls from being answered 'These types of calls not only impose a frustrating waste of resources for the agency targeted, they can be distressing and concerning for the people who answer them, even if they are not the direct target of the threats,' she said. The man appeared in the Perth Magistrates' Court on Friday where he was remanded in custody ahead of his next appearance on September 12. Read related topics: Immigration Liam Beatty Journalist Liam Beatty is a court reporter with NCA NewsWire. He has previously worked in newsrooms in Victoria and Western Australia. Liam Beatty