A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged following two incidents of indecent assaults on a young girl and a woman Tuesday morning in Katherine.

NT Police Watch Commander Siiri Tennosaar said Katherine police apprehended the man a few hours after reports of the incident with the help of tips from the public.

“The police received a report just before 9am yesterday that a young girl had been approached and assaulted while riding her bicycle along an alleyway behind Frangipanni Court, and police also received a report that a male of similar description approached and assaulted another woman in a shopping center shortly prior to that incident,” Ms Tennosaar told ABC Radio.

Police said the man attempted to touch the girl inappropriately before she was able to escape and run home for help.

Authorities earlier described the alleged offender as an Aboriginal male, approximately 40 years old, 170 centimetres tall with short black and grey hair, wearing red knee-length shorts and a dark shirt.

“At around 3pm yesterday, the male was arrested by detectives from the Katherine criminal investigation branch,” Ms Tennosaar said.

The man has been charged with indecent dealing with a child under 16 and indecent assault. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in Katherine Local Court Wednesday.

Detective Senior Sergeant David Hamlyn thanked the public for providing information that led to arresting the man quickly.