NT Police College, Darwin
the Constable course at Berrimah

The NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services College at the Peter McAulay Centre in Berrimah trains every new NT police officer, along with Aboriginal Community Police Officers, the new Police Public Safety Officers, Auxiliaries and experienced officers on the Accelerated Recruitment Program. The Constable course ends with a Diploma of Policing and a posting that could be anywhere from Darwin to a remote community.

The NT's recruit pay is among the highest in Australia, and it rises during the course. But the bigger money comes after graduation, when the 23% Consolidated Allowance and 5% General Policing Allowance are added, plus housing support. That's the deal: train in Darwin, then serve where the Territory needs you.

The College is at the Peter McAulay Centre in Berrimah, Darwin. NTPFES describes the Constable course as 30 weeks of paid, full-time training in Darwin. It doesn't publish a street address on the pages we read.

Housing: what NT Police says

NT Police says it provides all Constables and Aboriginal Community Police Officers, including Recruit Constables, with barracks accommodation, free departmental housing or a housing allowance, depending on family make-up. It doesn't say whether that means barracks during College training or housing once posted, and it doesn't mention meals.

NTPFES gives two lengths for the same course, and squad dates suggest the longer one is closer to reality.

One explanation is that 30 weeks is the training time and the extra fortnight is the Christmas stand-down, but NTPFES doesn't say so. Budget for 32 weeks and confirm with NT Police Recruitment.

NTPFES quotes 30 weeks, but its own squad dates run to about 32. Plan for the longer one.

NTPFES lists the main subjects on its Constable page, and an older squad graduation release adds more detail.

Cultural awareness and search and rescue reflect where you're likely to work. Many NT postings are in remote communities, so the course prepares you for policing with long distances and limited backup. After graduation, staying operational means keeping current in defensive tactics, the Glock pistol and Senior First Aid, which together form the operational safety requirements for promotion to Constable First Class.

NTPFES doesn't publish its College assessment rules, pass marks, or what happens if a recruit fails. The only failure rule we found is about selection: applicants who fail the standards may be excluded from reapplying for a set period.

Entry fitness standard

The farmer's carry and the 90-second bridge are the tests most people underestimate. Our NT Police fitness test guide explains how to train for them.

NT recruits are paid in two steps, according to the NTPFES Constable page: $74,619 a year for the first four months, then $79,095 a year from four months until graduation. Allowances aren't paid during training.

Across the course that's about $44,140 gross over 30 weeks, or $47,182 over 32, by our calculation.

See how this ranks nationally in our recruit pay comparison.

NT Police charges no course fees. Its support for people moving to the Territory is generous, but the details for the College period aren't spelled out.

Relocation is paid as reimbursement, so you need the money up front and the receipts to claim it. Keep every receipt from the move.

NTPFES doesn't publish a daily timetable, hours or rules for the College on the pages we read. So we can't describe a typical day at Berrimah from official sources.

Academies that do publish hours start between 6:30am and 8:30am and finish between about 3:30pm and 5pm on weekdays. In general, expect a mix of classroom legislation, practical tactics, driving and physical training, with study in your own time. Darwin is hot and humid, so if you're moving from a cooler state, give yourself time to acclimatise before physical training starts.

Graduates are sworn in as Probationary Constables and posted to varying locations throughout the Territory. NT Police is clear that postings are set by organisational need, not choice, and encourages people willing to work remotely to apply. In 2021, for example, Squad 139's graduates went 13 to Alice Springs, 12 to Katherine and 3 to Tennant Creek.

That's a rise of about 41% on the final recruit rate once the allowances start. Isolated postings lift the General Policing Allowance further. And there's a reward for going bush: a posting of choice in Darwin, Katherine or Alice Springs after 2 years' service elsewhere (CA 2022 cl.60). See the NT police salary guide for night shift and isolated locality rates.

Most NT graduates will serve outside Darwin at some point, and the 2022 consent agreement pays for it. None of these allowances apply while you're at the College, but they shape what your first posting is worth.

Standard annual leave also looks generous: the main salary table is labelled seven weeks' leave, and PPSOs are confirmed at seven weeks. We haven't confirmed the base entitlement clause for Constables, so treat seven weeks as likely rather than certain.

Constables: to the second anniversary of commencement (2 years), Police Administration Act s.16A(3)(a). ACPOs: 12 months from commencement.

1. 1

   College training

   ≈7 months

   30 weeks (32 on some NTPFES pages), counted within probation.

2. 2

   Probationary Constable

   To 2 years

   Posted anywhere in the NT, building workplace practicum evidence.

3. 3

   Confirmation

   2 years

   On the second anniversary of commencement, once the evidence is complete. The Commissioner can shorten or extend probation.

4. 4

   Constable First Class

   4 years

   Needs 4 completed years plus current defensive tactics, Glock and Senior First Aid, and College online assessments.

The College also trains people for other NT roles, each with its own course length.

ARP Squad 5 graduated on 24 April 2026, and the first PPSO squad trained from 23 February to 26 June 2026. A news report described 17 ACPOs moving across to the Constable stream alongside Squad 158. For entry rules, see our NT Police joining guide.

The NT combines one of the higher recruit rates with a long course and a large allowance package once you graduate.