Police slam jail plans

The NT Police Association has hit out at plans to lock up prisoners at the Darwin watch house.

The Mitchell St Centre has been gazetted as a jail to accommodate prisoners on a short-term basis when the Berrimah jail becomes overcrowded.

Police Association president Vince Kelly said rank-and-file officers were not impressed by the prospect of becoming de facto prison wardens.

"It's unacceptable," Mr Kelly said.

"The Darwin Watch House was designed as a short-term custodial facility, not a full-time remand centre. Our members aren't trained to be prison officers and being a police officer is a lot different to running a prison."

To date, no prisoners have been transferred to the watch house.

Deputy director of Correctional Services Chris Manners said the department had initiated a number of strategies to alleviate the overflow at Berrimah jail, including transferring prisoners to Alice Springs Correctional Centre.

"There are short-term measures in place to address the high inmate numbers and no security has been compromised," he said.

There are now 27 more inmates at Berrimah jail than its capacity.

The daily average of inmates since February is 434 and overcrowding is expected to be alleviated when a new low-security area is completed in September, lifting low-security capacity from 80 to 150.

"As well as the new low-security area in Darwin, Correctional Services is looking at increasing the capacity of Alice Springs Correctional Centre," Mr Manners said.

NT police media director Andrew Cummins said police holding cells in Nhulunbuy, Katherine and Alice Springs were also gazetted as jails.

"The police position is the cells are to be used on an emergency last resort basis," he said.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Tue, 12 July 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Greg McLean
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/283