Police arrest three men in Wadeye over stolen Darwin RAAF base vehicle

NT Police arrest three men in Wadeye after Ford Ranger stolen from RAAF Base DarwinPosted Thu 17 Sep 2026 at 5:04pmThu 17 Sep 2026 at 5:04pmA home CCTV camera in Palmerston captured footage of the vehicle after it was allegedly used in a crime spree following the theft. (Picture: Supplied)In short:Northern Territory Police have arrested three men following an alleged crime spree using a vehicle stolen from Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin earlier this week.Police allege a man unlawfully entered the base on Monday, where he allegedly assaulted an Australian Defence Force member and stole a security vehicle.Investigators found the stolen Ford Ranger in the remote NT community of Wadeye yesterday.Northern Territory Police have arrested three men in a remote community south-west of Darwin following the alleged violent theft of a defence vehicle at a high-security air force base on Monday.Police and defence officials said a man allegedly unlawfully entered Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin and assaulted an Australian Defence Force member before stealing a white Ford Ranger.The ute was then allegedly involved in a stealing spree across Greater Darwin, which included the alleged theft of a tradie's tools from the Palmerston suburb of Zuccoli and fuel from a service station in Coolalinga.The vehicle was later spotted travelling south on the Stuart Highway.NT Police have arrested three men in Wadeye after tracking a vehicle stolen from RAAF Base Darwin to the community 400km away. (ABC News: Michael Donnelly)"Police commenced a pursuit, which was discontinued near Palmerston after members lost sight of the vehicle," an NT Police spokesperson said in a statement.Officers then arrested the three men in Wadeye yesterday evening, more than 400 kilometres away from RAAF Base Darwin.In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the police spokesperson said Strike Force Trident officers had "ascertained that multiple offenders had used the vehicle to travel to Wadeye"."Detectives provided information to local police who located and arrested three males in the community yesterday evening," they said.Police allege a man unlawfully entered the base on Monday night and stole the Ford Ranger which they later found in Wadeye. (Flikr: Kenhodge13)"They remain in custody and are expected to be charged with multiple offences relating to the use of the stolen motor vehicle."Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Burns said the stolen RAAF security vehicle was located and recovered by Wadeye Police."We suspect further offenders were involved," he said."Investigations into the theft, assault and subsequent offending remaining ongoing."A troubled period for WadeyeThe arrests come as the troubled West Daly community has been dealing with a sustained period of violent turmoil and an additional police presence.On Thursday morning, Acting Superintendent Josh Cunningham told ABC Radio Darwin Wadeye was experiencing a "heightened" period of unrest.Earlier in the week, up to 100 people were involved in a disturbance while allegedly armed with compound bows, spears and metal objects.The arrests come after an armed disturbance in the remote community of Wadeye involving up to 100 people this week. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)A 22-year-old man suffered serious injuries after allegedly being struck in the back with a three-pronged spear and Acting Superintendent Cunningham said additional police were sent to the community last week.NT Police have also said they believe the violence from Wadeye has been spilling over onto the streets of Darwin, with multiple arrests made over a brawl in the city's northern suburbs on Monday.The brawl involving about 30 people left a 30-year-old Wadeye man in a critical condition in hospital.Wadeye has for many years been stricken by intermittent periods of violent unrest, often driven by social circumstances including low employment prospects, alcohol and entrenched disadvantage.