NT Police acting Senior Sergeant Neil Mellon arrested

A former head of NT Police’s Territory Response Group was handcuffed upon arrival at work and accused of unlawfully accessing data.

Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Mellon received the Australian Police Medal in the 2019 Australia Day honours. Picture: Justin Kennedy

A veteran Northern Territory police officer, until recently in charge of its tactical response unit, was in custody on Thursday night after being handcuffed and arrested upon arrival at work.

The Territory Response Group’s former officer in charge, Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Mellon, was arrested as he arrived for work at Darwin police station on Thursday morning.

NT police on Thursday night said they expected to charge the 47-year-old with unlawfully accessing data, disclosing confidential information, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and several other charges.

This comes after officers from Crime Command executed a search warrant on his Darwin home on Thursday morning after taking him into custody.

No one, including his distraught wife, also a long-serving NT police officer, or his children, was present when their house was searched.

The Australian understands Sandi Mellon was not even informed her husband had been arrested, despite his request that she be contacted, until five hours later when she went looking for him at work.

Acting Sen Sgt Mellon, who joined the NT police in 1995, has been performing the role of Darwin watch commander since recently leaving the TRG after 18 years.

He has also worked at Alice Springs and the Police Training College, and is one of the longest serving members of the TRG.

In 2019 he received the Australian Police Medal as part of the Australia Day honours.

“Throughout his time with the TRG he has been involved in a range of tactical operations, from body retrievals in dangerous situations, through to shootings and searching for suspected murderers,” former police commissioner Reece Kershaw said at the time.

“He has also been responsible for a number of close personal protection operations of visiting dignitaries, including the Dalai Lama and former US president Obama.

“He has encountered distressing, stressful and dangerous situations during his career yet acts bravely, and above and beyond what is expected of members of the force.”

NT police said Acting Sen Sgt Mellon was expected to be charged with the long list of offences. “Currently he remains in custody as the matter is under investigation by Crime Command,” a statement said.

Shocked police sources on Thursday night said Acting Senior Sergeant Mellon, a well-known and well-liked officer who had devoted almost three decades of his life to serving the community, was “being treated like a common criminal”.

The Australian understands he was recently “pushed out” of the TRG along with other senior operators at the unit after being told they had “been there for too long”.

The former TRG OIC deployed to Alice Springs in the days following the Yuendumu shooting in November 2019.

Acting Senior Sergeant Mellon, with other TRG members, provided welfare support to Constable Zach Rolfe and his family following the shooting of Kumanjayi Walker but there is no indication the possible charges are related.

On Thursday, two other NT cops were also charged with separate and unrelated offences.

A 21-year-old male officer was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and is due to appear in Katherine Local Court on August 29.

A 46-year-old male officer, 46, is due to appear in Darwin Local Court on August 31 for allegedly obtaining benefit by deception.