Acting NT top cop Martin Dole says Walker inquest findings not the ‘worst day’ in police history
The NT Police Force has responded to the Coroner’s mammoth Walker inquest findings – which was not the ‘worst day’ in police history, according to the Acting Commissioner.
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The Northern Territory’s acting top cop says the force is “committed to stamping out racism” after coronial inquest findings uncovered damning evidence of racism among the ranks.
But he has stopped short of committing to implementing all of the coroner’s recommendations.
On Tuesday, acting NT police commissioner Martin Dole, flanked by police community resilience and engagement command executive director Leanne Liddle, addressed media on the Kumanjayi Walker findings, which were delivered on Monday.
Mr Dole said “what was tolerated in the past will no longer be acceptable” with the force “committed to stamping out racism in all its forms and making this a safer, fairer organisation for everybody”.
In NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage’s findings, delivered in Yuendumu, she found “institutional racism permitted a work environment to exist which not only tolerated Mr Rolfe’s racism but allowed it to go unchecked and permitted others to actively engage in it with him”.
But the damning findings did not equate to the “worst day” in the force’s history, according to Mr Dole, who said they were a platform for the force “to move forward”.
Mr Dole acknowledged the findings, and also said the police had acknowledged all 18 recommendations directed at them by the Coroner.
When asked if the force would commit to implementing all of them, he said the “force is committed to examining and considering all of those recommendations”.
“We’ll do so in consultation with the government and with Leanne’s team to see what’s practical and what can be implemented into the future,” he said.
Ms Liddle said the police had developed an anti-racism strategy, which was awaiting approval, before it would be released for consultation.
“Then we’ll go through a consultation process to make sure that it is fit for purpose and it does meet the needs of the Territory,” she said.
“It will be further informed with the recommendations of the coroner as a result of this inquest.”
When asked if the strategy would be public, she said “there will be some consultation done” around the report.
Mr Dole also defended his exit from Yuendumu once the coronial findings had been handed down, saying he was sorry Senior Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves felt disappointed he left a prearranged meeting.
“I spoke to several of the elders on the community at the time; we consulted and they agreed that it was better that the family be left to digest the findings, have a debrief with their lawyers and that in the future we have an opportunity to discuss the matters that they wanted to discuss,” Mr Dole said.
He would not commit to delivering a separate apology to Yuendumu – a community he policed in from 1999 to 2001 – instead referring back to former police commissioner Michael Murphy’s commitment at Garma Festival last year.
“We don’t resolve from that commitment and the way that looks into the future will be part of what we’re working towards,” he said.
Mr Dole also would not comment on any individual recommendations – such as the Coroner’s recommendation to the Northern Territory government to implement mandatory drug and alcohol testing for officers – as the police were still “working through all of those recommendations”.
Originally published as Acting NT top cop Martin Dole says Walker inquest findings not the ‘worst day’ in police history
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