NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy confirms Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White and Assistant Commissioner Sachin Sharma lost to leadership shake-up
Two highly respected top cops will not continue in their roles after providing heartfelt and frank testimony at Australia’s biggest coronial inquiry into Aboriginal women‘s domestic homicide.
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Two highly respected Territory cops have been pushed out of the police top brass amid a leadership shake-up which has upset domestic violence advocates.
NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy confirmed on Thursday that Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White and Assistant Commissioner Sachin Sharma would not be continuing in their current roles.
It comes two months after the recently appointed Police Commissioner announced he would be cutting one of the two deputy commissioner roles and expanding the number of assistant commissioners to six.
Acting Deputy Commissioner White has served as the Territory Operations and Road Safety, Assistant Commissioner Crime, Intelligence and Capability commissioner, while Mr Sharma was the assistant Commissioner for Domestic Violence and Youth.
Mr White and Mr Sharma were two of three police executive members — alongside Detective Superintendent Kirsten Engels — who have attended almost every hearing of a four-month coronial inquiry into domestic violence in the Territory.
This week both Mr White and Mr Sharma provided emotional and frank assessments of the radical change needed within police ranks to reform their domestic violence responses.
Yet on Wednesday — ahead of the two officers’ expert evidence — Mr Murphy confirmed he had sidelined both men from their current roles.
Mr Murphy was asked on ABC Darwin if Mr White or Mr Sharma would remain on the leadership team.
“Not at the moment, no,” he said.
Mr Murphy said domestic violence was an “absolute priority” for the entire force, and not “just for two executive officers … this is for 1670 of us to address”.
“It’s not just a single officer that’s invested in a change and reform in domestic violence — it‘s the entire police force.”
Mr Murphy said the domestic and family violence and youth assistant commissioner role would now be based in Alice Springs, with Mr Sharma telling the inquiry he was unable to move to continue in his role due to family obligations.
Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia chief executive Larissa Ellis told the coroner the sector had lost “two senior champions” with the reshuffle.
“I think the loss to the sector is going to be huge, “ Ms Ellis said.
“Where does that leave us now? We now have to make new relationships, we have to get new people on board with the direction we are going.
“I think it is a real shame that they are being moved.”
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