00:00The tour of a Darwin cell, soon to accommodate the ever-growing number of those arrested
00:08in the territory.
00:09We're seeing more people being arrested and reminded, which means safer streets.
00:14One week into the new year and prisons have hit a new population record.
00:19As of today I think it's just over 2,600 and yes we are seeing capacity.
00:23I think each week the numbers go up.
00:26Prison numbers are expected to keep rising as a suite of new bail and weapons reforms
00:31named Declan's Law, after slain bottle shop worker Declan Lavity, come into force today.
00:38That'll mean more people incarcerated, more people in custody and that's going to place
00:41a huge strain going forward.
00:43They predict that it's going to range between 80 to up to 200 prisoners extra in custody.
00:48The influx of prisoners has been putting immense pressure on police watch houses, which the
00:53association says have hit capacity in Darwin, Alice Springs and Catherine.
00:59We're at a crisis situation here where our members are being limited, the number of people
01:03actually put in our facility due to the rising numbers of corrections prisoners in our police
01:07facilities.
01:08To alleviate some of that pressure.
01:11The watch house at Palmerston station will be handed over to corrections for the foreseeable
01:15future to help with the demand pressures as Declan's Law comes online.
01:20And these cells at the police headquarters in Darwin will be used for police arrests.
01:26So this facility is fit for purpose, there's eight cells behind me, it can house a number
01:32of prisoners.
01:33Obviously this will be opened up and operational this week in light of increasing prison numbers.
01:38Other prisoners are also on the move as part of the government's prison plan.
01:42The corrections minister confirming youth detainees are expected to be shifted from
01:47Alice Springs to Darwin over the next month.
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