The latest police data shows property offences in Darwin have been rising since October last year, returning to 2024 levels in July and August. (ABC News: Tristan Hooft)
In short:
Two years after the Country Liberal Party (CLP) government came to power on a tough-on-crime platform, official crime data shows a mixed bag of results across the Northern Territory.
Property offences dropped by 15 per cent in the CLP's second year, while offences against the person fell by 6 per cent, but those figures conceal a surge in offending around the Top End in 2026.
Meanwhile, crimes against the person dropped during the previous year and then appear to have plateaued, both in Darwin and across the NT.
Two years after the Country Liberal Party (CLP) swept to power in the Northern Territory on a promise to reduce crime, a surge in offending is threatening to undermine the government's efforts.
After the CLP passed a suite of law-and-order reforms in its first year in office, the number of crimes recorded in the NT fell notably year on year.
Preliminary data shows property offences dropped by 15 per cent in the government's second year, while offences against the person fell by 6 per cent.
However, the 12-monthly totals and territory-wide figures conceal a surge in offending around the Top End in 2026.
The latest police data shows property offences in Darwin have been rising since October last year, returning to 2024 levels in July and August this year.
The data shows more property crimes were recorded in August 2026 than in August 2024, when the CLP was elected.
Crimes against the person — including homicide, assault and robbery — dropped during the CLP's first year and appear to have plateaued, both in Darwin and the NT, since.
The government did not respond to a request for comment.
Unique challenges in regions
While Alice Springs has seen a reduction in offending under the government's tough-on-crime agenda, other areas have seen little to no change.
Both property crime and crimes against the person have reduced significantly in Alice Springs since the CLP took charge in August, 2024.
However, the government's efforts appear less effective in Katherine, where crime is currently at similar or worse levels than two years ago.
Crime rates have fluctuated in the Big Rivers town over the past two years, with the most recent NT Police data showing a sharp uptick since March this year.
Rural parts of the NT have also remained sticking points, with neither property crime nor crimes against the person dropping in line with the government's measures.