🚓 Patrol Your Future: Inside Northern Territory Police — Jobs, Pay & Purpose 🔍
Keeping community safe across 1.3 million km² is no small feat. In this digest-style briefing you’ll learn—within minutes—how the Northern Territory Police Force (NTP) is structured, funded, and hiring so you can decide if a career in Australia’s Top End is the next move for you.
AT-A-GLANCE:
• Name of Department / Council: Northern Territory Police (NTP)
• Location: Territory-wide (HQ in Darwin; 47 stations, 16 posts, 2 multi-jurisdictional facilities)
• CEO: Commissioner Michael Murphy APM
• Total Revenue: A$520.1 million (FY 2023-24 Total Income)
• Total Number of Employees: 1,705 headcount (sworn & support, 30 Jun 2024)
DID YOU KNOW? 🤔
Across the NT there are more police facilities (65) than there are towns with a Woolies or Coles! That footprint—47 stations, 16 posts and 2 joint facilities—means officers often serve remote communities hundreds of kilometres from the next station, offering unrivalled exposure to outback policing.
THE QUALIFICATION, CERTIFICATIONS, TRADES, PROFESSSIONS, WORK EXPERIENCES & SKILLS MOST SUITED TO
Top 5 academic qualifications most suited:
• Bachelor of Criminology or Justice: Builds core investigative and legal-process knowledge.
• Bachelor of Psychology: Assists with offender profiling and victim support.
• Bachelor of Information Technology (Cyber Security): Vital for digital-forensic and cyber-crime squads.
• Diploma of Emergency Management: Equips you for disaster-response coordination in cyclone-prone regions.
• Certificate IV in Government (Investigations): Meets national standards for evidence gathering in regulatory contexts.
Top 5 certifications most suited:
• First Aid / Provide CPR: Mandatory for frontline response readiness.
• Defensive Driving & 4WD Instructor: Essential for remote-area patrols over rugged terrain.
• Certificate IV in Leadership & Management: Supports progression to Sergeant and beyond.
• UAV/Drone Pilot Licence: Expands search-and-rescue and traffic-crash investigation capability.
• National Crime Intelligence System (NCIS) training: Facilitates data-driven policing and intel sharing.
Top 5 trades / professions most suited:
• Qualified Mechanic / Auto-electrician: Keeps the vast vehicle fleet service-ready in remote posts.
• Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer: Supports Air Wing operations from Darwin & Alice Springs.
• Communications Technician: Maintains HF/VHF radio networks across the outback.
• Digital Forensic Examiner: Extracts evidentiary data from devices seized statewide.
• Project Manager (Infrastructure): Delivers station upgrades like the new Peppimenarti complex .
Top 5 skills most suited:
• Analytical Problem-Solving: Evaluates evidence to progress cases.
• Cross-Cultural Communication: Builds trust with more than 30 Aboriginal language groups.
• Resilience & Adaptability: Thrives during long deployments in harsh climates.
• Digital Literacy: Operates SerPro, IAPro NextGen and body-worn tech roll-outs.
• Community Engagement: Forges partnerships with Neighbourhood Watch NT and local councils .
Top 5 work experiences most suited:
• Military or Defence policing: Transfers command, risk and weapons skills.
• Emergency services volunteering (SES, RFS): Shows crisis-management aptitude.
• Customer-facing retail or hospitality: Demonstrates conflict-resolution under pressure.
• ICT Systems Administration: Directly relevant to SerPro digital-records project.
• Remote community work (education, health, mining): Proves you can live and lead outside urban centres.
THE KEY FACTS
• Name of Department: Northern Territory Police
• Name of CEO: Commissioner Michael Murphy APM
• Location: Territory-wide (Darwin HQ; regional bases in Katherine, Alice Springs & Tennant Creek)
• Year Founded: 1870
• Main mission and purpose: Uphold the law, protect life/property and deliver 24/7 policing services. Example: Strike Force Viper targets property crime hot-spots, returning stolen cars and cutting break-ins in Alice Springs .
• Main duties of the organisation: Prevent, detect and prosecute offences; road-safety enforcement; emergency management. Example: Police Air Wing evacuates remote flood victims when roads close.
• Key Projects, Key Strategic Priorities, Future Plans and Initiatives:
Strengthening Community Safety in Central Australia (+A$7.1 m Commonwealth funding)
Early Intervention Project (IAPro NextGen) to flag wellbeing or conduct risks early
SerPro Digital Record System rollout to streamline investigations and evidence management
myRoster e-rostering for real-time staffing data (police rollout 2025)
THE EMPLOYEES & REVENUE
• Total Number of Employees: 1,705 headcount (sworn & corporate)
• Total Number of Employees at each pay level (approx. FTE):
Commissioned Officers (Superintendent +) ≈ 65
Senior & Remote Sergeants ≈ 380
Constables & Senior Constables ≈ 955
Police Auxiliaries / ACPOs ≈ 258
Public-sector & specialist support ≈ 476
• Salary Bands: Recruit Constable starts in the low-A$80k range; Constable to Senior Constable mid-A$90k–A$110k; Sergeant to Senior Sergeant A$118k–A$150k; Superintendent and above exceed A$200k; Commissioner package >A$350k (enterprise-agreement rates, excl. allowances).
• Average salary in the department / council: ~A$172 k per FTE (includes super & allowances)
• Total Revenue: A$520.1 million (FY 2023-24)
• Average Revenue per Employee: ~A$305 k (revenue ÷ headcount)
GETTING A JOB AT NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE 🚀
Which Academic Subjects are likely to be most sought after, and of value, to this organisation?
Certificate / Diploma Level: Justice Studies, Community Services, Emergency Management, Information Technology Support, Business (Frontline Leadership).
Bachelor / Master Level: Criminology, Cyber Security, Psychological Science, Commerce (Accounting/Finance), Civil Engineering (for Forensic Crash/Infrastructure).
PhDs: Behavioural Science (offender rehabilitation), Forensic Science, Data Analytics (predictive policing).
Which Trades and Professions are likely to be most sought after?
• Heavy-vehicle mechanics (keep remote patrol vehicles operational)
• Aviation pilots & engineers (Police Air Wing)
• Radio/Comms technicians (maintain HF & satellite networks)
• Qualified electricians & carpenters (station maintenance in very remote locations)
• Forensic chemists & biologists (crime-lab analysis)
Which Work Experiences are likely to be most sought after?
• ADF or state police service experience
• Remote community engagement or Indigenous liaison roles
• ICT project delivery in government settings
• Emergency-services volunteering (SES, Surf Life Saving)
• Leadership roles in hospitality/tourism proving high-stress decision-making
Which Skills are likely to be most sought after?
Soft skills: Empathy, negotiation, resilience, cultural competence, public-speaking.
Technical skills: Digital forensics, OSINT, UAV/drone ops, data analytics (Power BI), firearms & tactical training.
General skills: Report writing, project management (Prince2/Agile), 4WD/off-road driving, remote first aid.
Which Hobbies and Interests align with the work of this organisation?
Bushwalking & camping • Community sport coaching • Amateur radio • Volunteering with SES/CFA • Drone photography • Fitness & martial arts
Want more information on this organisation?
Contact the organisation:
NT Police Recruitment Office
NAB House, 71 Smith Street, Darwin NT 0800
📞 (08) 8985 8985
✉️ ntpolice.recruitment@pfes.nt.gov.au
🔗 Current vacancies: police.nt.gov.au/careers
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