A 44-year-old Palmerston man has been arrested by sex crimes detectives at his home for allegedly raping a child and producing child abuse material, NT Police said.

The man was arrested on Friday, more than a month after detectives from the NT Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team and AFP raided the man’s home and seized a number of electronic devices for forensic examination.

The search warrant was executed on October 21, with the man arrested at his home in Palmerston on Friday, police said. It was unclear why there was such a long delay.

The man has been charged with one count of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, two counts of gross indecency with a child under 10, four counts of indecent dealings with a child, four counts of producing child abuse material, one count of grooming a child under 16 and one count of failing to comply with an order.

The man will remain in custody and is scheduled to front court on January 18.

“Our message to offenders is clear, access and transmit child abuse material, you will be found and you will be prosecuted,” said Detective Acting Superintendent Justin Bentley.

“We have a dedicated professional team that will leave no stone unturned to bring these people to justice.”

AFP Superintendent Mal Bickford said the investigation highlighted how closely police around Australia worked together to combat the exploitation and abuse of children.

“Our common goal is to protect children, wherever they live, and to ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts,” Supt Bickford said.

“Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://crimestoppers.com.au/.

“You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) via the ‘Report Abuse’ button at www.accce.gov.au/report.”