Sections & Units

The 'policing' role generally and any 'Water Policing' Activity undertaken by military and government officials in these settlements is currently being researched.

• Fort Dundas was a British settlement on Melville Island at Pularumpi established in 1824 and abandoned in 1828 aimed at commencing trade with the Malays.

• Port Essington had a small station constructed in 1831 and was abandoned in 1849

• Fort Wellington was a British Military outpost established in Raffles Bay on the Northern coast of Cobourg Peninsula between 1827 and 1829.   Convicts were used as labour and members of the 39th Regiment provided security.

• Escape Cliffs in, near the mouth of the Adelaide River, was established in 1864 by the South Australian Government abandoned in 1867.

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Port Darwin was settled in 1870 with a police contingent of troopers and water police.

William DAVIS joined the Northern Territory Police on 19 September 1872 by the vessel Condor and was assigned to Palmerston (Darwin) Water Police.  He was taken by a crocodile (referred to then as alligators) in Darwin Harbour on the 16th of November 1872 off Lameroo Beach just north of present day Stokes Hill Wharf while bathing, contrary to a standing order of the day.  (article in North Eastern Ensign - TROVE)

George Perry BADMAN arrived in Palmerston (Darwin) from the South Australian Police on 1 November 1873 and served until 22 December 1876 when he returned to SA.  His duties were both Water Police and Palmerston Gaoler. (Badman witness in murder of Inspector Pettinger trial in 1862 in SA)

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Port Darwin at the point where the Anglo-Australian submarine line reaches shore.

The Northern Territory Times and Gazette published on Friday the 6th of February 1874 discusses the number of public service staff then in the NT when the population was only a few hundred.  

At that time there was amongst the public service ranks;

• 1 Sub-Inspector of Police

• 1 Sergeant, Water Police and Gaoler

• 15 Troopers 

• 2 Water Police

• Special Constables

• Sub Collector of Customs

• Harbour and Shipping Master

• Master of the Government Vessel

This showed the importance placed upon the developing harbour and control of the adjoining sea routes.  The book "Northern Voayages: Australia's Monsoon Coast in Maritime History by Alan Powell is an excellent account of all aspects of maritime history in the north.

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Many years after WWII the Police Divers from the water police were involved in assisting government diving operations on wartime wrecks.

A variety of vessels were used in the early days including a red speedboat we are trying to get an image and picture of.

During Cyclone Tracy the NT Water Police Launch was destroyed.   It's hull was found smashed into mangroves some time later but it was never recovered.  Primo Bonato was one of the officers working the police launch pre-cyclone.   The role of the Water Police at that time included Search and Rescue, Diving and general policing of areas best accessed by water such as the Tiwi Islands.

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In the 1980's the Water Police were also given responsibility for enforcement of Fisheries legislation and provided two vessels for that purpose - the Pobassoo and the Salloo.  The Norlaw was also acquired for Search and Rescue purposes.

Their name was then changed to the Marine and Fisheries Enforcement Unit and later Marine and Fisheries Enforcement Section to conform with structure naming practices.

In 2010 the name was changed back to the Water Police Section. Under the new name the Water Police kept responsibility for Fisheries enforcement and responsibility for marine safety, marine search and rescue, general policing in the marine environment and to provide marine support to other sections of the NT Police Force.

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Water Police are the lead unit for Search and Rescue in the marine environment while the Territory Response Group is responsible for most land search.   Both units work closely together and search coordinators from those units or other sections can be called upon to manage a search with whatever resources are available.  The Police Air Wing is a significant element in search and rescue operations.

Because of the vast distances in the Northern Territory and the small size of the Police Force great use is made of local contractors especially for rotary air mobility.   

The Australian Defence Force an other commonwealth agencies such as Customs also have mobility assets based or stationed in the Territory that can be called upon to assist in some circumstances.  

All Police jurisdictions work closely with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority who run the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) in Canberra and have formal arrangements in relation to shared responsibility for search and rescue. 

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On the 19th of March 1981 the Chief Minister transferred the responsibility for Fisheries enforcement to the Northern Territory Police (from the Fisheries Division of the Department of Primary Production).

The Water Police base is currently situated in Albatros Street, Winnellie

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The Police Underwater Recovery Unit (PURU) was situated within water Police from about 2004 to 2012 but it then returned to the TRG.

Brief History of Darwin Harbour

Lieutenant John Stokes arrived at Darwin Harbour in 1839 aboard the Beagle.

He named it Port Darwin after his friend Charles Darwin who was at the time relatively unknown.  Darwin had travelled aboard the Beagle on an earlier voyage.   A commercial port was established 30 years later and the first modest wharf built in 1874 and was known as the Gulnare Wharf after a wreck at the site.   Stokes Hill Wharf was extensively damaged during bombing in WWII.

Darwin Harbour has a massive 8 metre tidal range creating extremely strong currents.

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Operating in the water can be quite dangerous.  Water Police are required to effect rescues and conduct operations in conditions that other people would not go out.  In addition to the dangers posed by the elements are the normal risks faced by all police when dealing with offenders.  While the majority of the people who water police deal with are law abiding citizens there are some who are not.   Some very violent and dangerous criminals have been apprehended by water police for offences from violent crime to drug trafficking. In order to manage the risks specialist equipment is needed.

Each water operator is issued with a Water Police Safety Vest designed by members of the unit to provide the equipment needed to maximise safety.

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