Northern Territory Police to Recruit 200 New Officers Amid Youth Violence

The NT Police are recruiting 200 new cops. AAP Image/Aaron Bunch

The Northern Territory (NT) is to get a 200-officer boost to its police ranks to directly target youth crime in the wake of escalating regional disorder.

The NT Police currently number 1,642 officers, and the targeted increase to 1,842 is scheduled over the next four years.

“Reducing crime is my top priority and we will work tirelessly to improve community safety right across the Territory,” NT Chief Minister Eva Lawler said in an announcement on April 3.

Youth crime in NT is fueled by socioeconomic disadvantage, substance abuse, family dysfunction, and historical and cultural factors that disproportionately affects Indigenous youth, who are overrepresented in the state’s justice system.

Efforts to address youth crime in NT have included early intervention and diversionary programs and community engagement initiatives.

However, challenges remain in effectively addressing the root causes of youth crime, with the latest figures showing violent offences by 12- to 17-year-olds are at their highest recorded level since 2016.

The announcement to swell police numbers comes amid a curfew imposed on March 29 in Alice Springs that bans all children under 18, excluding those with a valid reason, from the town’s Central Business District between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. for the next two weeks.

The curfew was put in place in an attempt to quell civil unrest and stem a concentrated crime wave plaguing the town.

A violent attack involving 70 youths upon a pub called the Todd Tavern was triggered by a memorial service for a teenager who was killed in a traffic incident on March 8.

“We saw … really violent behaviour yesterday associated with the death of an 18-year-old male. That’s led to family feuds and that’s what erupted in Alice Springs yesterday,” Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said on March 26.

Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory is currently under a youth curfew. Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images

The damage inflicted on the pub was widely publicised on social media, prompting Ms. Lawler to declare a state of emergency for Alice Springs, bringing in over 50 additional police and liquor inspectors and granting special powers under the Emergency Management Act 2013.

The curfew remains in place despite challenges from experts over its legality, but Commissioner Murphy was unrepentant, saying there would be an “increase in tempo and visibility” of officers in the town.

Recruitment Drive in the Works

NT is often seen as a hard area to recruit experienced police staff. NT police operate an accelerated recruitment program that targets officers already hardened to the rigours of the job.

Traditionally sourced from other areas of Australia, along with the UK and New Zealand packages offer up to $20,000 (US$13,100) in relocation assistance and salaries upwards of $118,000 for a 10-year veteran.

Ms. Lawler said $200 million was earmarked to help cover the recruitment and a new drive will kick off after May’s budget is delivered.

“Investing more in the Northern Territory Police Force so they can have the right amount of officers available to combat crime each day is a key plank of my common sense plan to lower crime,” Ms. Lawler said.

Police Minister Brent Potter said the extra officers were badly needed.

“We back our hardworking police and that’s why we are going to make sure more officers than ever are out patrolling our streets.”