The attack came days after government forces recaptured the town of Shirqat, north of Tikrit, from IS militants.
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A triple suicide bombing attempt has killed at least 11 Iraqi security officers near Tikrit, a police spokesman has said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the first of its kind since the city was retaken from Islamic State in April previous year.
The attacks also wounded a total of 23 people.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic State frequently carries out suicide attacks targeting both civilians and security forces in Iraq.
Militants also blew up a truck laden with explosives at another police checkpoint north of Tirkit, killing eight people. The city, about 360 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, is the last major IS urban stronghold in Iraq. Western officials have indicated that the drive for Mosul, Iraq’s second city and an Isis stronghold, may begin next month, though Baghdad has declined to specify when it will start. Even after Mosul is retaken, the jihadists will still have the ability to carry out attacks like those in Tikrit on Saturday.
Colonel Mohammed al-Jabouri of the Salahuddin province police force says three explosives-packed vehicles were driven to a checkpoint on Saturday (24 September).
One militant was killed at the checkpoint after shooting dead four police officers in the attack at around 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), according to police and sources from Salahuddin Operations Command, which is responsible for security in the area.
He said the attacks occurred as the local police chief and head of the provincial security committee were visiting the site. One of the attackers were killed and the rest fled.
The city and surrounding areas have become a major hub for local and global aid groups providing assistance to civilians forced from their homes by fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi forces further north.
He reiterated the pledge for the liberation by year-end of the northern city of Mosul, which fell to Daesh in 2014 and has been called the group’s so-called headquarters in Iraq.
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Government forces have been slowly recapturing towns surrounding Mosul with the support of United States airstrikes; most recently, the town of Shirqat.
