The announcement was made by the NT Government today after the program was scrapped five years ago.

The new school based policing program will launch in 10 government schools at the start of Term 4 this year.

The new school based policing model was designed in collaboration with the Department of Education and Council of Government School Organisations, as well as NT Police.

The new model aims to address issues raised during the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the NT with a greater focus on safety, youth engagement and youth diversion in keeping with best practice models developed in similar jurisdictions.

The School Based Police will operate in collaboration with Youth and Community Engagement Constables model during and after school hours and beyond the school environment to target youth at risk of disengaging.

Ten central locations were selected as hubs for the program. They are:

A report on the progress and effectiveness of the new model will be undertaken in Term 1, 2019.

NTPF  will also continue their already high engagement in remote communities – including in schools – and work to strengthen these relationships.

 Police Minister Nicole Manison said: “We have listened to Territorians and we have acted. The Government is bringing back school based policing after the initiative was cut by the CLP government.

“Community safety and our children are key priorities for our government and this model of school-based policing will enable our kids to be engaged and empowered, which we know helps prevent youth crime and reduce victimisation.

“We also want to ensure that a child’s first encounter with a police officer is a positive one.”

Education Minister Selena Uibo said: “The Government believes that every child deserves the best start in life.

“This proactive model of policing in schools will better enable us to identify at-risk kids, to re-engage them to grow, learn and achieve, and set them on the right track to a bright future.

NT Council of Government School Organisations president Tabby Fudge said: “We are delighted and grateful to the government for responding to the request of schools for the reinstatement of the school based policing program.

“The return of a new and improved school and police partnership will strengthen school safety, respectful relationships and student success.”

A government spokeswoman said the schools had been chosen using an intelligence-led, evidence-based approach.

Information including the number of suspensions, incidents and the number of “at risk” youth identified at the school formed the basis for the inclusion of these schools in the model.

Today’s rebadged school based policing model is a welcome addition to the terrific work the Territory’s police officers do in the community, and a measure we have been calling for since 2017. However, the Opposition is concerned that this is another task for the already overstretched and under resourced Northern Territory Police Force to complete without additional funding.

Opposition deputy leader Lia Finocchiaro welcomed today’s program announcement but questioned the government’s commitment given that there will be no additional funding or police officers put to the program.

“In what has become a trademark of this Labor government, the to-do list for our police is growing at the whim of Labor who can’t keep crime under control or kids safe.

“I expect that these police will be properly resourced with vehicles, safety equipment and the support they need to do their important job.

“There is some 150 government schools across the Northern Territory and 33,000 children enrolled, so while 10 police working with school students is welcome, there are a lot of schools and Territory kids that will miss out, including in remote areas and those children at non-government schools.

“Contrary to Labor’s rhetoric, the former CLP government did not scrap school-based constables, a fact that the Minister for Police confirmed under questioning from the Opposition in Parliament last year.

“Two years in government and overseeing a crime crisis, the Labor government needs to stop blaming former governments and just get on with the job of keeping Territorians safe,” Ms Finocchiaro said.