<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A manhunt is under way for a 21-year-old man who escaped from custody at a facility on Willard Road in Howard Springs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/northern-territory" rel="" target="" title="Northern Territory"><span>Northern Territory</span></a><span> police received a report about 10.20pm (12am AEDT) that he had escaped following his last sighting at 7pm yesterday during routine bed checks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The man's electronic monitoring device alerted staff about 7.55pm that it had been removed 16 kilometres away on Catalina Road and Flockhart Drive, Marlows Lagoon.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/influencer-filmed-taking-baby-wombat-from-mother-side-of-the-road-in-australia/0a4f364f-8edd-4c41-9f97-1258e2b4ecaf" target="_blank"><strong><span>'Extreme distress': Influencer cops backlash over baby wombat video</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police say they do not believe he poses a risk to the general public, but members of the community are advised not to approach him.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Additional police resources have been deployed, and investigations are ongoing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/man-escapes-custody-as-police-are-handed-back-their-watch-houses-amid-nt-corrections-crisis/42d90e97-2159-4e64-a142-6bd1f2312339" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Contact police on 131 444, quoting reference number P25068454, or to report anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His escape comes just a month after another escape from the watchhouse in the CBD.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The government also announced today that NT Corrections staff and about 90 prisoners exited Palmerston Watch House on Monday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley says the move is another milestone in the government's corrections master plan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The police can now use that watch house by themselves, and they can arrest people out there in the community who are doing the wrong thing, put them into their watchhouse and then move to the court system as they see fit," Maley said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We know that corrections have been in that watch house since about June last year, and the Labor government made many promises to move them out but failed to deliver."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Acting Police Commissioner Martin Dole said it was "great" that police now have more facilities available.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There is always going to be at the moment with the current pressures on the justice system, some need for us to have prisoners in our watch houses that should be in the custody of corrections officers, and that's going to continue for the foreseeable future," Dole said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Darwin and Alice Springs watch houses will continue to operate as combined correctional facilities, but Maley said he hopes the prisoners and corrections staff in the Alice Springs watch house will be moved to the Alice Springs prison by the end of the week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We know that there were a lot of people in those watchouses for a long time, which would have impacted the police to be able to do their job," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This announcement comes ahead of security company G4S's commencement next week to assist with freeing up police and correctional officers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This move has been criticised by correctional officers, citing concerns about safety and privatisation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The government also announced that Berrimah Correctional Facility will soon be able to accommodate more than 360 beds by adding 100-bed temporary demountable dormitories.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley says work has been taking place seven days a week to make the facility operational.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The costs continue here because we're not done yet, and we've always said that this facility will continue to expand as we go," Varley said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're up to 316 beds. There are further works still to be done on this site, and by next month, we expect another 100 or so beds to come online as we continue block renovations, which will take us to around 400 beds."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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