Katherine Police Station opened in November 1886 under the then South Australian Police. It was transferred to the Commonwealth on the 1st of January 1911 and is operated by Northern Territory Police. Inspector Foelsche of the Northern Territory Division felt obliged to open a Police station as it was the commanding overland route to Queensland and to prevent horse and cattle stealing. The town had already established a post office, hotel, store and linesman's cottages for the Overland Telegraph line.

The station was a small wooden single room which had previously served as the first police station at Adelaide River. Conditions at the police station were cramped and primitive to say the least. It was not until August 1908 that the station was replaced with a building acquired from the Cosmopolitan Howley Gold mine located at Howley, approximately 130 klm's south of Darwin. It remained at the original site until a new building was erected at a different site.

Katherine police station from its beginning was a very busy station. Established in primitive and cramped quarters, from which mounted constables patrolled vast remote distances in a most inhospitable environment. They were required to deal with the violence between local pastoralist's and Aborigines, conduct missing person and murder investigations, and prevent the loss and theft of livestock. Maintain law and order amongst the many gold prospectors within the regions whilst at the same time deliver a myriad of other government services to the vast outlying settlements.

Katherine is situated 320 kilometers south of Darwin and is the third largest town in the Northern Territory. It is often called the 'Crossroads of the North as it is located on the junction of the Stuart Highway linking the north and the south and the Victoria Highway to Western Australia. It is a regional centre for people from many isolated communities as well as a tourist destination to places like Nitmiluk Katherine Gorge. The Tindal Air Base is home to a major RAAF base. Long having had a history of cattle production in the region, it is increasingly seeing horticultural development.

A significant incident in the history of Katherine police was the murder of Constable Condon who was shot by a man with a rifle while responding to a call in the main street. The Katherine Police social Club is named in honour of Bill Condon.

Katherine floods

Katherine has had several floods since it's establishment - during any disaster the officer in charge of the police station becomes the local counter disaster controller acting on advice from a counter disaster committee formed from local community leaders.