NT Police: Graduates prepare for Darwin, Alice Springs postings

In the coming weeks, 64 newly sworn-in officers will join the ranks of the NT Police. With just days remaining, read how the training will prepare them for the real world of law enforcement.

Police Minister Brent Potter, Lachlan Morgan, Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Bailey O'Loughlin. Both graduates will be posting out of the college in the coming weeks and into their new roles.

A massive cohort of recruits will be graduating from the NT Police academy in the coming weeks, with an additional 64 sworn-in members soon to be patrolling the Territory.

The cohort, graduating at the end of June, have received their posting orders and will report to their respective units across the Top End and Red Centre.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Police Minister Brent Potter attended the Peter McCauley Centre in Knuckey Lagoon to meet some of the graduates.

Commander James O’Brien said the recruits would use their final two weeks to undergo realistic training ahead of their new postings.

“The next two weeks they’ll be going through a lot of reality-based training, they’ll be going through moot courts, basically just preparing them from what it’s actually going to be like out on the road,” he said.

“A lot of them are getting deployed to Alice Springs, Darwin and also across Katherine and Tennant Creek.”

Chief Minister Eva Lawler with Bailey O'Loughlin, who will be graduating in June 2024.

Commander O’Brien said the cohort’s graduation followed strong recruitment efforts.

“We’re recruiting really well at the moment, I’ve looked at the figures for the next recruit squads coming up throughout 2024 (and) they are looking very good and promising, especially for our First Nations people as well,” he said.

“We’re really encouraging that, obviously we’ve got the highest population of First Nations people of any state or territory in Australia (and) that is a really big focus point of ours.”

Police Minister Brent Potter and Chief Minister Eva Lawler.

Police Minister Brent Potter declared the police college was “at capacity”, and said the newest members of the service would be permitted to apply for the specialist Territory Safety Division (TSD).

“The police college is at capacity and we see 64 graduates later this month moving right across Darwin, Alice Springs, and our regional areas,” he said.

“But what this graduation of 64 constables (also) allows is the Territory Safety Division (to open up) expressions of interest to fill the remaining 32 positions here in Darwin.”

The TSD, which targets large anti-social behaviour, most recently deployed to music festival BASSINTHEGRASS following a busy start to the year in which the unit was deployed to Wadeye, Katherine, and Alice Springs.

Mr Potter said the TSD would target “more senior” general duty police officers, but maintained new graduates could make up the numbers.

“This month’s graduation is fantastic because it means we can deliver on our commitment to the Territory Safety Division.”