NT Police watch commander Acting Senior Sergeant Neil Mellon faces 31 charges including conspiracy to pervert course of justice, with the details of his alleged offences but not his name revealed at a press conference, which police sources told the NT Independent was highly unusual for police to hold.

One police source told the NT Independent there had been officers charged with more serious crimes who had not been the subject of a press conference over the last few years, and questioned why it was held.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker did not front the media, with Channel Nine Darwin last Friday saying Mr Chalker had not done a press conference or agreed to an interview with media for 148 days.

Instead, Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White fronted the press conference on Friday the NT Independent was barred from, where other media outlets reported he said a 47-year-old officer was arrested on Thursday morning but did not name the officer.

He said the officer was arrested while walking into a police station on Thursday morning, after they had executed a search warrant on his home, and said he was now suspended without pay, but had later been granted bail.

The NT Independent yesterday broke the news Snr Sgt Mellon had been arrested but the NT Police refused to answer questions. Later yesterday they issued a press release acknowledging an unnamed officer was in custody and expected to be charged.

Other media also reported Snr Sgt Mellon’s name today, shortly before NT Police announced there would be a press conference.

Mr White said the attempting to pervert the course of justice and destruction of evidence charges related to an investigation the sprung from a major crash investigation that commenced in February.

He said Snr Sgt Mellon was also charged with unlawfully accessing data, disclosing confidential information, destruction of evidence, and obtaining benefit by deception.

Other charges include possessing fireworks, prohibited weapons, and an unregistered firearm, manufacturing prohibited weapons, failing to meet storage requirements, interfering with protected wildlife and stealing.

Mr White also said the charges were not connected to the charges announced against other police officers this week and that the matter has been referred to the NT ICAC and Ombudsman.

But another police source had told the NT Independent the investigation had already been done in conjunction with the Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

“It’s important to recognise the behaviour of this officer will be before the courts and the matter is in relation to the damage and mistrust of his position within the police force,” Mr White said.

Sources told the NT Independent Snr Sgt Mellon was put in handcuffs when arrested at the police station, which they said was also unusual, with Constable Zach Rolfe not placed in cuffs when charged with the murder he was later acquitted of.

Several police sources highlighted the unusual nature of the press conference, with one saying they could not recall a case where a police officer was the subject of a press conference like this over the last two decades.

“Normally it’s reported for transparency and no further comments as it’s before the court,” they said.

“And why wasn’t Chalker giving the press conference?”

Another said they thought it was aimed at public humiliation, and said there were other officers who were charged with relatively more serious charges, or had been stood down because of serious issues, and none had been the subject of a press conference, with some of their misdeeds never made public.

“His offences when you look at them, they are not that serious, it is not like like he’s accused of murder or rape,” they said.

“It seems this is being done to publicly humiliate him. My gut feel is they are making a public disgrace of Neil to discredit him.

“They do not normally do press conference, there have been heaps of officers who have been charged, or stood down, or done other things to disgrace the force where there have been no press conference.

“I think it is a character assassination, that is why there is a press conference.”

Snr Sgt Mellon’s Linkedin profile states he began in the NT Police force in 1995, and an NT Police media release from 2019 reported he received the Australian Police Medal as part of the Australia Day honours that year.

He also spent 18 years in the Territory Response Group.