The Northern Territory government is scrambling to beef up security at Darwin's Don Dale youth prison after two boys escaped and went on an alleged three-day crime spree.
Police unleashed the dog squad and tasered Josiah Binsaris, 17, who was arrested on Saturday morning at Adelaide River after allegedly trying to run officers off the road on a remote stretch of the Stuart Highway.
Binsaris and 17-year-old Trey Mawson sparked the dramatic manhunt after they escaped from a low-security block of the detention centre on Wednesday night.
An alleged accomplice Ezra Austral, who was not in Don Dale but is believed to have met up with Binsaris afetr his escape, had to be airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital when his car rolled during a high-speed police chase that stretched over several hundred kilometres.
The 19-year-old is in a stable condition after first being listed as critical and was charged at his bedside on Monday with a string of serious offences, including recklessly endangering life and aggravated robbery.
The NT government has ordered an urgent review into Don Dale security classification procedures and commissioned upgrades to the facility.
The juvenile justice royal commission has advised the Labor government to hold off on building new infrastructure to replace the notoriously inadequate Don Dale until after it delivers a final report in August.
Justice Minister Natasha Fyles admitted she would have preferred to get on with the job to make the community safe but is investing money to make Don Dale secure in the short term.
"We don't want to waste taxpayer dollars building something and then have the royal commission come out and provide an alternative view," she said.
On Monday, Binsaris faced court charged with a number of offences, including aggravated robbery, recklessly endangering life, resisting arrest and escaping detention.
He and Mawson spent three days on the run before being recaptured, during which time six civilian cars were allegedly stolen and five police vehicles damaged.
Mawson was found hiding in scrub almost 1000 kilometres southeast of Darwin at the remote community of Borroloola before sunrise on Saturday, a few hours before Binsaris was caught.
Deputy Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro called on Labor to "take responsibility for community safety and progress the development of a new youth detention centre".
"The government has not even identified an alternative site," she said.
"Blame-shifting and an internal inquiry fall well short of a substantial response to the carnage and point to a government incapable of taking charge."
