Northern Territory Police Dog Operations Unit continues to bite down on crime, supporting 885 arrests during the 2025-26 financial year and reinforcing its critical role in protecting frontline officers and keeping Territorians safe.
The specialist unit, comprising 17 police dogs and 17 handlers, is deployed across the Territory to assist general duties officers, detectives and specialist units with a wide range of incidents.
Police dogs are trained to track offenders, locate people attempting to evade police, search buildings and bushland, recover evidence and assist officers during high-risk arrests. The unit's drug-detection dogs also help identify and disrupt the movement of illicit substances throughout the Territory.
During the financial year, patrol dog teams directly apprehended 270 offenders and provided operational support leading to hundreds of additional arrests.
The vast majority of offenders located by patrol dogs were safely taken into custody without force being used by the dog. This included 113 offenders apprehended without force and 60 successfully tracked and arrested without a bite.
Patrol dog teams also supported the Tactical Response Group on 21 occasions and assisted with six search and rescue operations.
The teams completed 15 searches for evidence, successfully locating nine items, and were also deployed to track vulnerable or missing people during welfare-related operations.
Detector dog teams were deployed to airports, mail centres, freight facilities, licensed premises, road policing operations and remote communities throughout the year.
They supported 26 Drug Declared Area operations and helped police seize:
- 59.3 kilograms of cannabis
- 1.47 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 2.325 kilograms of cocaine
- more than two tonnes of kava
- 1,046 litres of alcohol
- $250,814 in cash.
Detector dog deployments also resulted in 62 Notices to Appear and more than 140 drug, traffic and liquor infringement notices.
The unit's results come as the latest crime statistics show total offending across the Northern Territory fell by 13 per cent in the 12 months ending July 2026 compared with the previous 12-month period.
Officer in Charge of the Dog Operations Unit, Senior Sergeant Steve Dalrymple, said the results reflected the capability, discipline and dedication of the unit's dogs and handlers.
"Our police dogs are an invaluable frontline capability. They can rapidly cover difficult terrain, track offenders who have fled into darkness or dense bushland, and search areas that would otherwise require significant police resources," Senior Sergeant Dalrymple said.
"Supporting 885 arrests in a single financial year is an outstanding result and demonstrates how frequently our dogs and handlers are called upon to apprehend offenders and resolve potentially dangerous incidents.
"Importantly, the vast majority of offenders apprehended by our patrol dogs were taken into custody without the dog needing to use force. Their presence alone is often enough to bring an incident to a safe conclusion.
"Our detector dogs have also helped remove significant quantities of illicit drugs and other contraband from circulation before they could cause further harm in our communities.
"Every successful deployment is backed by countless hours of training and an exceptional level of trust between each dog and its handler.
"The latest crime statistics are encouraging, but we are not taking our foot off the pedal. Our dogs and handlers will continue targeting repeat offenders, disrupting criminal activity and supporting police wherever they are needed across the Territory.
"The message to offenders is simple: if you run from police, one of our dogs may not be far behind."
Northern Territory Police will continue strengthening the Dog Operations Unit and deploying its specialist capabilities across urban, regional and remote areas.
