It has been a year since NT police have been officially required to notify the Aboriginal legal service each time they make an arrest.
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Government regulation requires police to notify the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, which has an office in Katherine, every time an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is arrested and taken into police custody.
NAAJA says it has received 7401 notifications and its Custody Notification Service staff have spoken to and assisted 5218 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in police custody.
NAAJA's CEO Priscilla Atkins said with each conversation its staff have provided reassurance, legal advice and information, wellbeing checks, contacted family members and made referrals to various support services to assist people on their release or at court.
"Some of those clients have been particularly vulnerable due to mental illness or cognitive impairment, pregnancy or having unaccompanied children at home, being victims of family violence or sexual assault, immature age (children as young as 10), police use of force or in need of medical attention.
"Many have required interpreters. If not for the CNS in most instances, people in police custody would not have received support or access to an interpreter. The CNS made a total of 5754 referrals."
The NAAJA's custody notification service is staffed by two full time lawyers, four full time support staff and two casual support staff.
More than half of the staff are Indigenous which means that more often than not Aboriginal people in police custody are receiving support from their own mob.
Ms Atkins said the new service plays an important safeguard for Aboriginal people in police custody.
"Some of the best outcomes for Aboriginal people over the past 12 months have occurred when the police have worked with the CNS to best assist the person in their custody."
The CNS was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.
The Commissioners also recommended that the NT Government commit to funding the CNS after the initial three year funding provided by the Commonwealth and NAAJA has called on whichever political party that forms government after the Territory election to do so.
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