The Gunner Government needs to provide a firm timeline of when it intends to roll out its proposed bail reforms, the NT Police Association says, with the warning that simply sending more police to Alice Springs will negatively affect other areas.

The government on Tuesday announced “tougher than ever” changes to bail legislation that would include revoking bail for repeat young offenders and expanding the list of offences for which the presumption of bail would not apply.

But the proposed changes were not introduced to Parliament this week, with the reforms not expected to be introduced until May or later.

NTPA president Paul McCue said the government’s refusal to provide a time frame for when all of the proposed measures will be enacted was unhelpful for frontline police who need help now, with some young offenders who think they are “untouchable”.

“We need a clear timeline for this change in legislation to happen sooner rather than later,” Mr McCue said.

“Police cannot go through another summer like they have been through and sending extra resources down to Alice Springs impacts negatively on other areas.”

Mr McCue underscored the need to implement reforms urgently as the police force needs help now dealing with the crime crisis.

“The Chief Minister said he did not feel bail legislation was a problem not that long ago and has now delayed debating these urgent changes until May,” Mr McCue said.

On February 2, Mr Gunner told the ABC that he would prefer to focus on crime prevention instead of dealing with effects after the crime.

“If you spend all your time on bail that’s after a crime has occurred,” the Chief Minister said. “If a crime does occur, you’ve got to act to make sure the consequence is real, and it breaks the cycle. Bail doesn’t do that.”

Time to review government’s youth crime policies, offenders think they’re ‘untouchable’: McCue

Mr McCue said the government’s backflip indicated that current policies are not working and that the government needed to “play their part” to help police.

“Having a Royal Commission and setting recommendations doesn’t mean you don’t review them if they are not working, you can’t just have a long-term plan without some short-term options as well,” he said.

“The feedback I am getting from police members is that some children are getting too many opportunities and there is a widespread view among some youths of feeling ‘untouchable’, to the point they are blatantly telling victims that if confronted.”

The NTPA said it is “outrageous” that half of youths on bail are committing further offences.

Mr McCue said the union support both the Labor and the CLP’s proposed amendments that would not grant bail to repeat offenders including young people that breach bail.

The NTPA said they also support the increased use of mandatory electronic monitoring for repeat offenders and support adding the offences of unlawful entry, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and assaulting police and frontline workers to the prescribed offences list that would exclude the presumption of bail.

“We have got to the point where something had to give and that was through Alice Springs being put in the national spotlight through Channel Nine’s: A Current Affair showing the crimes and issues our police have been at the forefront of and dealing with for some time,” Mr McCue said.