NT Police to receive $90m boost in government’s pre-election 2024 budget

NT Police will reach record levels funding as the government continues to pour millions into demonstrating its commitment to community safety ahead of the election.

Northern Territory Police will reach record levels funding thanks to an extra $90m in Tuesday’s budget, as the government continues to pour millions into demonstrating its commitment to community safety ahead of the election.

Budget 2024 will bring the annual investment in police to $561, up from $472 in 2023-24.

It forms part of the $570m promised over five years to overhaul police resourcing, systems and culture, as the force struggles to meet increasing demand and high crime rates.

Eight Polaris All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) for NT Police will be deployed into local communities, as an almost $90m boost is promised to the force in the 2024 Budget. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Included in the cash-splash are eight new Polaris All-Terrain Vehicles to improve police off-road mobility.

Sixty-eight recruits are currently undergoing ATV training and will be deployed into local communities next month.

“I know the number one issue Territorians face is around crime and anti-social behaviour,” Ms Lawler said.

“We need to make sure that our Budget 2024 reflects that.”

The major funding injection will go towards 200 additional officers over four years, plus an extra 52 officers in the newly established Territory Safety Division in Darwin, and 18 in Alice Springs.

There will also be 25 extra emergency call takers, along with extra resources and infrastructure upgrades.

Ms Lawler said corrections and courts would also receive a boost, though whether it will be enough to bolster the already stretched thin justice system remains uncertain.

“We need to make sure that, if we have more police, there is support through judicial process as well,” she said.

“We’re putting some extra dollars into (the legal aid sector), but that’s also federal responsibility.”

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said Territorians “know Labor cannot be trusted to reduce crime and make the community safer”.

“Territorians will judge Labor on their actions not their words – robberies in Darwin are up 262 per cent in Labor’s eight years is just one example of many,” she said.

“Territorians will not forget that Eva Lawler could only bring herself to say ‘crime’ once in her budget speech last year and gave a minuscule increase of $2m for police despite the high levels of crime.”

According to the NT Police Association, Territory Police had overspent $60m as of February.

Ms Lawler said the $90m payrise would go towards additional measures – not just plugging the hole in last year’s budget.

Ms Lawler said police had been “very, very busy this year”, pointing to events including Cyclone Megan and widespread flooding in the Territory.

“That is a fact that at times police do overspend their budget,” Ms Lawler said.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler, Police Minister Brent Potter and Police Commissioner Michael Murphy. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy welcomed what was “probably the most significant investment” in the Territory force in history.

He said the extra boots on the ground would “take away the demand on our existing officers” and was “a massive contribution to public safety”.

Commissioner Murphy said the latest batch of new recruits were expected to land in Alice Springs in early July.

“We’re planning on deploying them, after they graduate, into Alice Springs and preparing for the summer months and the demand that we’re currently experiencing across the Northern Territory.”

Budget 2024 will also include an extra $1.1m for private security patrols across the NT, increasing the total spend to $5.4m.

The money covers the shortfall from Darwin City Council discontinuing its contribution to CBD patrols.