Police have started doing random searches on people on the Northern Territory's main roads and borders, in an attempt to tackle the spread of ice.

New legislation that increased powers went into effect on Friday allowing police to search any car, freight vehicle or person for drugs, specifically narcotics and methamphetamine, on specific stretches of Territory roads.

Key points: New police powers allows officers to randomly search cars, freight vehicles and people for drugs on specific stretches of NT roads

New police powers allows officers to randomly search cars, freight vehicles and people for drugs on specific stretches of NT roads Police can use intelligence to establish declared drug routes where they'll conduct their searches

Police can use intelligence to establish declared drug routes where they'll conduct their searches Police are using new vehicles fitted with mobile data technology to identify unregistered cars and do immediate background checks on drivers

Police Minister Peter Chandler said police also have the power to "establish declared drug routes" where they will conduct searches.

"We know that 80 per cent of drugs coming into the NT are coming in over our borders. So this legislation assists police to do their job even better," Mr Chandler said.

"Police officers need to be a commander or above in rank to declare a section of road, usually a 3-kilometre section of road, to be a drug route.

"They would then focus on an area that they had a suspicion or where they were undertaking an operation."

Acting NT Police Commissioner Kate Vanderlaan said three of the operation's new six specifically designed and updated four-wheel-drives would be permanently stationed at Timber Creek, Kulgera and Avon Downs to conduct the searches.

The other three vehicles will move around the Territory's different "declared drug routes" based on guidance from police intelligence.

"If we have intelligence of a drug route or where criminal activity is occurring... the commander will be provided with that intelligence and make the decision whether to declare it a drug route," Ms Vanderlaan said.

"So there are checks and balances in place.

"The vehicles have automatic number plate recognition cameras in them, so they're able to detect vehicles that are unregistered and vehicles that have alerts on them in terms of unlicensed drivers.

"It has mobile data capability, which allows us to do checks immediately on people we apprehend and provides us with that back up capacity."

She said trained sniffer dogs are also a part of the new operation, which functions under Task Force Nemesis.

Safeguards for accountability, Police Minister says

These new police powers are the result of an amendment to the Territory's Misuse of Drugs Act, which passed parliament last month.

Mr Chandler, who in August revealed his 21-year-old son was in the grip of ice addiction, said he was not concerned the new police powers impact on peoples' rights or privacy.

"Those people out there doing the right thing have nothing to fear. This is legislation targeted to those people who are doing the wrong thing," he said.

He also said there are safeguards built in for police accountability.

"Every single year, people will need to notify me as Police Minister how many drug routes have been declared and what areas they have been across the Northern Territory and that will be tabled in Parliament every single year," Mr Chandler said.

He said he hoped the new legislation would lead to more drug seizures

"There are two things that you do when you introduce new legislation, one is you do try to see an increase in seizure of drugs, and secondly it provides a very strong message to those out there that you will be caught," Mr Chandler said.