Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage defends mouth to mouth call

The inquest heard members of Kumanjayi Walker’s family were ‘having a lot of difficulty accepting’ an apology from the force, with their lawyer describing it as ‘too little too late’.

NT Police Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage has told an inquest officers ‘will be wearing firearms’. Picture: Jason Walls

A choice not to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a fatally wounded Aboriginal teenager was an “operational decision”, an NT Police deputy commissioner has told an inquest into his death.

Constable Zach Rolfe was acquitted on all charges in March last year after shooting 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker three times in Yuendumu in 2019.

In giving evidence over three days this week at a Coronial inquiry into his death, Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage defended the officers’ actions in ignoring instructions from paramedics as “appropriate”.

Barrister for members of Mr Walker’s family, Andrew Boe, asked Mr Smalpage how it could “possibly be an operational decision” when there was equipment available to make the process safe and hygienic.

“I think the option to provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation should fall back to their training and they should comply with their training, that’s my answer,” he replied.

“I don’t know in terms of I can give a hard and fast answer in every instance police would do it — in this case they didn’t do it, I can’t alter that fact.”

Mr Boe also said an apology from Mr Smalpage for the officers having dragged the mortally wounded teenager along the ground was “too little too late”.

Lawyer Andrew Boe said an apology from NT Police was ‘too little too late’. Picture: Jason Walls

“Yesterday what you said was the first time that there was any acknowledgment that that was something you should apologise for, as a force,” he said.

“I am suggesting to you that while my clients instructed me to acknowledge your apology, they were having a lot of difficulty accepting it.”

Under questioning by North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency barrister Julian Murphy, Mr Smalpage also firmly rejected calls from Yuendumu residents for police to be disarmed of their guns, declaring “we will be wearing firearms”.

But Mr Smalpage agreed that decision had been made without the benefit of an internal review or “cost/benefit analysis”.

“I’m comfortable that as the local police officers at Yuendumu go about their lawful duties they are engaged with the community on a day-to-day basis but for our front line operational duties we will be armed,” he said.

“There may be times when it is appropriate (not to be), but for general operational policing duties, we do it for safety reasons.

“We don’t do it to confront the community, we do it to protect the community and to protect our officers.”

The inquest continues.

Originally published as Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage defends mouth to mouth call