An initial 32 Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, or PALIs, will undergo a “fast-track training” program through the embattled police college, which the Lawler Government says will enable them to become constables quickly and address police officer shortages across the NT.

The NT Independent revealed in 2021 that the police college had failed to address risks associated with putting cops on the beat before their competency was assessed, two years after being made aware of problems at the college, including that the college employed unqualified instructors, failed to keep proper records of cadet training and could not determine who its managers were or if they were “fit and proper” people.

PALIs currently work at bottle shops in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and Katherine.

Police Minister Brent Potter said he had spoke to PALIs in Katherine who all told him they wanted “to do more”, so he decided to let them become constables.

“Giving them the opportunity to convert gives us more police officers right now,” he said.

He added that he could “assure Territorians in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Alice Springs, you will still see a PALI, a constable or a licensing inspector on the bottle shops to deter people misusing alcohol”.

When asked about the current conditions in the police college and its ability to properly train recruits, Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said “it has improved” under new management.

“They’ve got a pretty tight curriculum and you know we work with other educators,” he said. “We actually have to second other police in with experience to help train the other officers in a range of disciplines across law, across drive training, across firearms, defensive tactics, first aid. It’s very complex and they’ve got good people in there teaching the recruits.”

Mr Murphy said the move to upskill PALIs “makes them a more effective tool for public safety in a time when the community needs it”.

However, Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said in a statement that the new scheme to train PALIs as constables was “smoke and mirrors” to address police shortages.

“Whilst we support PALIs who want to become constables, Labor doesn’t have a plan to replace those PALIs on bottle shops which puts our community at risk,” she said.

“Brent Potter needs to explain whether PALIs are still being actively recruited and whether their secret plan is to replace PALIs with licensing inspectors?”