The leader of a small vigilante group says he will intervene if he witnesses a crime taking place, but NT Police are warning "street patrols by residents are not the answer" to crime.

The Facebook group Darwin Community Justice put out a call on Tuesday morning to its 3,150 fans for people to "be apart (sic) of the solution".

"Sick to death of hearing of people (sic) hard-earned belongings been stolen? Sick of hearing how someone 'got off Scott free'? Horrified of hearing about someone been put in hospital because they were in the wrong spot and the wrong time?" the post read.

The founder of the social media group, which formed in 2014 under the name Darwin Vigilante Justice, told the ABC up to "15 people on any given night of the week" had begun patrolling the streets of Palmerston, 20 kilometres from Darwin, looking for what he said were "would-be thieves".

"We are not out there to hurt anybody," Zac Wild said, before adding if members of his group "see a break and enter, we are going to intervene".

"A lot of people are calling us vigilantes and I guess you could call us that, but that is not what we are about."

Mr Wild, who has lived in the area for a year, said the aim of his group was to "keep the neighbourhood safe ... report suspicious behaviour" and "work with police to prevent and deter crime".

He rejected the suggestion he should not get involved, because police "can't be everywhere at once".

Mr Wild said a recent incident at his neighbour's house and last week's attempted robbery in which a dog was stabbed by the thieves were catalysts that led him to organise a group to walk the streets.

"I was sitting at home one day with one of my mates and my dog was barking continuously," he said.

Mr Wild said he went outside where he saw "10 young kids, ages of between 10 to 17 or 18" at his neighbour's house.

"I asked them what they were doing there, their reply wasn't so polite," he said.

Mr Wild said he and his friend "intervened" but did not specify what that meant.

The Facebook page features shared posts about crime from the NT Police Facebook page and commercial media organisations. It also features an excerpt on "self defence" from the NT Criminal Code Act.

In the call to arms for street patrol volunteers, the page said:

Anyone wishing to do night patrols are welcome. 1. It's a voluntary task 2. You are not to take the law into your own hands 3. Report any suspicious activity to the police 4. Report back to admin, so a post can be posted on the page to warn people in that area 5. Take a notepad and pen to take notes in case you witness a crime, the more detail the better

Mr Wild said he hoped to organise a public rally in the near future as a protest against what he said was rising crime in the Palmerston area.

Resident patrols 'not the answer', say police

But NT Police said today while it recognised the efforts of "community-minded residents in Palmerston to help fight crime, all Territorians should ensure that their actions remain within the law".

"Street patrols by residents are not the answer. The best way for the community to help fight crime is to report it directly to police or through Crime Stoppers," Commander Brent Warren said in a press release.

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"Police are very concerned by the idea of residents conducting night patrols. Any behaviour of this type risks putting otherwise law-abiding members of the community in the wrong, and causes police significant problems."

Commander Warren said crime prevention through "appropriate home security measures is more beneficial than community street patrols".

"Another approach to helping ensure your local community remains safe is to either set up or join your local Neighbourhood Watch group."

Commander Warren said unlawful entries were 20.77 per cent lower for Palmerston and 24.52 per cent lower in Darwin and Casuarina, in Darwin's north, over the past financial year.

Official statistics for the Palmerston area over the 12 months between December 2014 and 2015 list a 10.1 per cent decrease in assault, a 33.5 per cent drop in alcohol-related assault and 26.3 per cent drop in sexual assault.

But Palmerston house break-ins were up by 37.8 per cent, commercial break-ins rose by 11.2 per cent and property damage was up by 12.2 per cent.

In Darwin over the same period, house and commercial break-ins both fell, while vehicle theft and property damage both rose.

Vigilante groups not new

It is not the first time police have urged NT residents to restrain from taking the law into their own hands.

In May 2015, a group called Alice Springs Volunteer Force (ASVF) advertised on social media for people with "firearms experience" who were "willing to teach others" to take part in a group.

"Be a part of something to be proud of," the message from the group read.

The group's founder, Irish expat Gary Hall, refused at the time to say how many members the ASVF had, but told media "we don't have a force of 500 men but it's not three blokes sitting in a coffee shop smoking cigars".

An NT Police spokesperson said at the time "upholding of the law is always best left to professional law enforcement officers" and they were "monitoring" the group.