Former NT Police officer Clint Sims has been appointed one of two deputy police commissioners under a six-month “trial” of the dual-role model that was previously used for years in the executive, with Acting Deputy Commissioner Travis Wurst staying on despite recently withdrawing his application for the permanent job for “personal reasons”, which comes amid ongoing turmoil in senior police leadership.

Police Commissioner Martin Dole made the unusual announcement this morning after previously pledging a national public recruitment for two permanent deputies, a stance he took shortly after being appointed directly to the top job by Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro without a public hiring process and less than a week after the Justice Blow investigation into police executive recruitment revealed there was no proper recruitment policy for senior police positions.

Mr Dole said Mr Sims’ appointment marks the start of a six-month trial of the two-deputy model, in which Mr Sims will oversee the Specialist and Operational Support portfolio while Mr Wurst leads Territory Policing as Acting Deputy Commissioner.

“Clint knows the Territory; he understands the complexity of policing across urban, regional, and remote communities,” Mr Dole said at the press conference announcing the appointments.

“He also returns with significant national leadership experience gained across Australia’s most complex law enforcement and security environments. That combination of Territory experience and broader national perspective will be valuable to the Northern Territory Police and the executive.”

The “trial” comes despite the two deputy commissioner model previously being a fixture in the NT Police executive, that was scrapped in late 2023 after former police commissioner Michael Murphy assumed the top job.

Asked why he would need to do a “trial” period for the two deputy model after years of witnessing how it worked, Mr Dole said it was a “new leadership team”.

“We’re assessing the structure of the organisation,” he said. “The two deputy model gives us an ability to look at that operating model whilst we assess the assistant commissioner roles as well.

“There’s currently a recruitment process for assistant commissioner roles as well, so we’re looking at the structure of the Northern Territory Police Force and the senior leadership.”

Mr Wurst has been in the acting role for the last 10 months, but the NT Independent understands he pulled his application for the permanent role in recent weeks, following the conclusion of the public recruitment process.

Mr Dole did not explain why he chose to take his name out of contention for the permanent role.

“That’s a personal decision by Acting Deputy Commissioner Wurst, and we respect that decision,” he said.

Mr Wurst did not provide comment at the press conference.

Mr Dole said the deputy position was advertised nationally and that he and two other police commissioners from across the country were on the panel that recommended the appointments to Ms Finocchiaro.

The public advertisement for the deputy roles was posted in June and clearly stated it was for two deputy positions – one for Northern Command and the other for Southern Command. Mr Dole did not explain why that did not eventuate.

Asked if he had learned lessons from previous flawed appointments, Mr Dole said the police had taken Justice Blow’s “numerous” recommendations concerning appointment processes “seriously”.

“It was a fair and competitive recruitment process,” he said.

Mr Dole previously said the deputy positions would need to be filled before finalising all other acting positions in lower roles such as assistant commissioner and superintendents. But that could now take many more months while the “trial” is under way.

“Look, this is the beginning of stabilising the leadership of the Northern Territory Police,” he said.

“The assistant commissioner rounds are out and open. There’s a selection process for assistant commissioners that will be followed by commanders, and we’re hoping to have the senior executive resolved by the end of the year.”

Police Association welcomes Sims to new leadership role

Mr Sims has more than 30 years law enforcement experience across state and federal jurisdictions. He began his career with NT Police in 1995 and served for more than 21 years, including as a detective superintendent.

He is widely respected in the ranks as an officer with integrity, who played a key role in uncovering former commissioner John McRoberts’ scandal in 2014.

Since leaving NT Police in 2016, Mr Sims has been a commander and assistant commissioner of the Australian Border Force, with responsibilities spanning border security, national security, maritime threats and serious and organised crime.

Mr Sims said he understood the turmoil and leadership issues in the NT Police that has seen three commissioners in the last four years.

“I think it’s the three, the three of us together, [will] provide a really consistent approach,” he said.

“We’re really united. We are all values-driven in terms of our integrity and our professionalism, and that’s what we bring to the police force and the future of the police force.”

NTPA president Nathan Finn said the union was pleased to see Mr Sims appointed Deputy Commissioner amid the latest struggles, but did not make comment on the six month “trial” period.

“Deputy Commissioner Sims takes on the role at a challenging time for Territory policing,” Mr Finn said in a statement.

“Our members deserve strong, stable and accountable leadership that listens to them, understands the pressures they face and supports them in the challenging work they do.

“The NTPA looks forward to working with Deputy Commissioner Sims in his new role and getting to know his approach to the challenges facing policing across the Territory.”

Mr Dole reiterated at the press conference that all current acting assistant commissioners remain in their roles while a selection process is currently underway.