Gabrielle Wallington never has a problem with Northern Territory Police when she goes to a bottle shop, but it is a different story for her Aboriginal partner.

Josef Jakamarra Egger is an Aboriginal man who grew up in the Central Desert and teaches high school in Alice Springs, and said he is stopped by police every time he goes to buy alcohol.

"In the last three days I've been stopped four times by police at the bottle shop," Mr Egger said.

"This afternoon I went to the bottle shop and I was refused service by the police officer … there were other customers that went ahead without being questioned."

Ms Wallington says she doesn't have the same problem.

"I have never been stopped by police, ever," she said.

Mr Egger says he feels a sense of anxiety every time he goes to purchase takeaway alcohol.

"It's just frustrating because what it does is it makes you feel different," he said.

"And I think coming from Alice Springs community, you want to feel like a member of the community."

Mr Egger feels anxious that he'll be stopped by police every time he goes to buy alcohol. ( ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough )

Police unhappy with manning bottle shops

The NT is the only jurisdiction in Australia where police are permanently stationed outside bottle shops to prevent problem drinkers accessing alcohol, and to stop people bringing liquor into town camps.

It is a policy that's deeply unpopular with the NT Police Association, who have railed against being posted as security guards to enforce government policy, even after the return last week of the Banned Drinkers Register (BDR).

The register requires all people purchasing liquor at bottle shops to have their photo identification scanned, and people listed on the register — those who have committed alcohol-related offences or have nominated themselves to be listed because they have a drinking problem — will be refused service.

"We've been calling for the removal of police from temporary beat locations for some time, so now the BDR is back we want to see police off those bottle shops as soon as possible," said Paul Mc Cue, President of the NT Police Association.

"The Banned Drinkers Register is back, so why are police still stationed outside bottle shops?"

Mr Egger said he believed the BDR to be a fairer system.

"The BDR to me is a good thing because we're all equal, everyone has to show ID, not just your skin," he said.

The BDR has been reinstated in the NT, and Mr Egger says it's a fairer system. ( ABC News: Tom Maddocks )

Laws racist but effective: lawyer

But some groups believe there is still a need to have police stationed outside bottle shops, sometimes known as "point-of-sale intervention" or POSI.

"We need to keep the POSI in place for the time being, at least during the phase-in of the Banned Drinkers Register," said Russell Goldflam, President of the Criminal Lawyers Association NT.

He said the policy of stationing police outside bottle shops was racist, but reduced harm.

"They're racist, there's some doubt about their lawfulness, but even more importantly than those two negative things, they're highly effective," Mr Goldflam said.

But he wanted police and licensed alcohol inspectors to ask everyone purchasing take-away liquor where they planned to drink it, not just Aboriginal people.

"Whatever your complexion, whatever your appearance, you should be asked by a liquor inspector where you are planning on drinking that alcohol," Mr Goldflam said.

NT Police have yet to confirm if police will remain stationed outside bottle shops.