NT Police order training to ditch ‘knife equals gun’ phrase after Rolfe trial

A key phrase will no longer form part of NT Police’s officer training after multiple serving police witnesses gave evidence about it in the murder trial of Zach Rolfe.

THE “erroneous belief or misconception” that “knife equals gun” will no longer form part of NT Police’s officer training, after multiple serving police witnesses testified to having learned the phrase as recruits in giving evidence in the murder trial of Zach Rolfe.

Const Rolfe was acquitted on all charges in a Supreme Court trial earlier this year following the shooting death of 19-year-old Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker during an arrest gone wrong in Yuendumu in 2019.

After taking the stand in his own defence, Rolfe told the court he understood the phrase, when used in his police training, to mean that “if someone was threatening us with an edged weapon, our first response was to go for our firearm, unless that was impossible”.

In an internal broadcast to all serving members issued on Tuesday, officers were cautioned, as a direct response to the evidence heard in the trial, that “operational training does not use this phrase”, contradicting the prosecution witnesses.

A memo circulated through NT Police has cited the Rolfe trial for a change in police training. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“This broadcast is issued to address an identified erroneous belief or misconception amongst some members that ‘knife equals gun’ in all circumstances when members are faced with a physical threat to themselves or others during their operational duties,” the memo reads.

“This phrase may have derived from past training and has since been used incorrectly, poorly explained or wrongfully interpreted.

“This matter is brought to the attention of all sworn members as the phrase was subject of proceedings during the Supreme Court trial of Zachary Rolfe.

“Operational training does not use this phrase as it bears no true resemblance in relation to a members situational awareness, available tactical options and decision making when confronted with a weapon including an edged weapon.”

Instead, the memo says, when officers are confronted with a weapon – edged or otherwise – they should “in the first instance consider the principles of ‘threat, time, distance and cover’”.

“Adherence to these taught principles and added situational awareness in dynamic, unpredictable, and at times dangerous environments, will provide members the optimum response to maintaining everyone’s safety and the ability in making a more informed use of force decision,” it reads.

“When faced with a life or death situation in which a member has to make a decision to use force that is likely to cause death or serious harm, lethal force should always be used as a last resort and only to protect life.

“If other tactical options are available, members need to risk assess and consider if there is a less than lethal alternative and it is likely to be effective.”

Rolfe Trial

In giving evidence at the trial, the prosecution’s key “use of force” expert, who was the officer in charge of defensive tactics training at the NT Police college, Senior Sergeant Andrew Barram, told the court Rolfe was “justified when he fired the first shot” but not when he fired twice more.

Under cross examination by Const Rolfe’s barrister, David Edwardson QC, Sgt Barram agreed it was “the fact of an edged weapon that gives rise to this notion that we’ve talked about, knife equals gun or edged weapon equals gun”.

“And that’s a descriptive that was instilled in all persons who were trained as a police officer and specifically, Zachary Rolfe, when he was going through as a cadet?” Mr Edwardson asked.

“Yes,” Sgt Barram replied.

In response to questions from the NT News, NT Police confirmed it was “an internal broadcast relating to internal operations and training”.