Northern Territory police have backflipped on a decision to scale back the Alice Springs station's operation hours, less than a day after the announcement was made.
Under the changes, the police station's front counter would no longer be staffed 24 hours a day from Thursday to redirect resources to peak periods.
Between 7pm and 7am, an intercom buzzer at the front door would instead connect the public to police communications in Darwin 1500km away.
But on Tuesday NT police said the plans will be deferred for two weeks amid concerns about a lack of community consultation.
"We'll be appreciating any feedback... we'll take on board what is being said," NT Deputy Commissioner Kate Vanderlaan said.
The NT police union is concerned frontline officers would face extra strain while the Alice Springs Women's Shelter says the lives of domestic violence victims seeking refuge could be endangered.
Both bodies claimed very limited, if any, consultation had taken place with the community.
Alice Springs, the major hub for central Australia, is currently the only police front counter in the desert region that is open 24 hours per day.
The outback town struggles with high levels of family violence and youth crime that has ramped up during the school holidays.
Deputy Commissioner Vanderlaan said the decision to rejig the roster had been made following a workload analysis and officers would be dispatched immediately if help was required at the station after hours.
She said the move had been independent of government, but Deputy Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says Labor has broken faith with Territorians by dumping its promise to consult.
"We're in the middle of a crime spree and instead of boosting police resources Labor is intent on shutting them down," she said.
Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion is worried the Gunner government's approach will reverse the positive progress delivered by the former Country Liberals chief minister Adam Giles.
"A visible police presence is critical if our communities are to be safe - and this includes ensuring the police station in Alice Springs is open around the clock," Minister Scullion said.
The CLP Senator for the NT is seeking an assurance from Labor that it is not "cutting services funded through the Coalition government's $208 million investment in policing and $81 million for community safety measures".
