NT Police Association to survey members on whether they’ve lost confidence in Jamie Chalker

The NT Police Force executive has responded to an imminent survey that will gauge whether the rank and file have lost confidence in Commissioner Jamie Chalker and why. SEE WHAT THEY SAID.

UPDATE, FRIDAY: NT Police’s top brass has rallied around their embattled leader in a show of solidarity, releasing a joint statement with Commissioner Jamie Chalker.

The statement, released late on Wednesday, is signed by Mr Chalker and co-signed by his deputy and assistant commissioners Michael Murphy, Murray Smalpage, Michael White, Bruce Porter, Travis Wurst and Martin Dole.

It comes in response to a planned union survey guaging whether the rank and file have lost confidence in Mr Chalker, and says “the sentiment around confidence first started in the months following the event at Yuendumu in 2019”.

Nine of the 12 NT Police regions have held votes of no confidence in Mr Chalker since Constable Zach Rolfe was acquitted over the shooting death of Yuendumu teenager Kumanjayi Walker in 2019.

The Northern Territory Police Force Executive statement says one of the key ongoing priotrities is the wellbeing and support for members. Pictures: Floss Adams.

“The Commissioner and the Police Executive engage regularly with members of the Northern Territory Police Force to understand issues that are concerning them and acknowledge the exceptional work that they’ve all been doing,” the Northern Territory Police Force Executive said.

“The proposed survey is a matter for the NTPA but the sentiment around confidence first started in the months following the event at Yuendumu in 2019. We equally would like to understand the primary drivers of the sentiment as the NTPA Executive has also expressed.

“We want to reach a stage that our entire workforce can be open about their concerns.”

The release stated that members have faced an “extroidinary” past two and a half years, expressing “matters relating to Covid-19 mandates and a number of criminal and disciplinary matters involving our members have added to these challenges”.

”We will continue to work with the NTPA on any specific issue that is raised through this survey as we continue to do so for all matters that are brought to our attention,” the Northern Territory Police Force Executive said.

“One of our key ongoing priorities is the wellbeing and support for our members as we perform our vital roles in serving and protecting the community.”

EARLER, THURSDAY: THE NT Police Association will survey its members “in the coming weeks” to gauge whether the rank and file have lost confidence in Commissioner Jamie Chalker and why, internal communications reveal.

In a “member alert” sent to union members on Wednesday, and seen by the NT News, NTPA president Paul McCue said it was “clear the membership is seeking to undertake a survey on this issue”.

It comes after nine of the 12 NT Police regions voted in motions expressing their lack of confidence in Mr Chalker.

But in the alert, Mr McCue said much of the public commentary “surrounding NTPA regional meetings and motions regarding confidence in the Commissioner” had been “completely inaccurate and misleading”.

“As has some of the comments directed toward the NTPA executive as the driver of this motion,” he wrote.

“This unsurprisingly continues today.”

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Mr McCue said NTPA officials had attended regional meetings “to provide leadership and understanding of possible outcomes in the event any motion is carried”.

But he said it was “not the role of the NTPA executive to interfere in that process”.

“The NTPA have allowed, through time, members to put forward their motions to determine if this is a widely and deeply felt issue, without the interference of public commentary,” Mr McCue wrote.

“The regions are free to list motions they feel are relevant to their region.”

Mr McCue said preparations would now take place to engage an external facilitator to conduct the survey.

“While it is clear from feedback at regional meetings those present want to answer the survey on whether they have confidence in the Commissioner, the NTPA executive, in addition to that, want to understand through any survey the primary drivers for such a sentiment from the regions” he wrote.

“Not all members will agree with what is being proposed, however it is the industrial right as part of the association that such a request can be put forward and members can choose to participate or not.”

Mr McCue signed off on the “member alert” sent to union members by saying he had “spoken with” Mr Chalker and warning members “to refrain from commenting on any form of media platform”.

It comes after Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage revealed in Budget Estimates that roughly one third of the entire NT Police force had been the subject of disciplinary proceedings, with about half of the complaints requiring no further action.

Mr Smalpage could not answer a question from Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro about how long the impugned officers had to wait for an outcome in those proceedings.

“That is one-third, basically, of our entire police force has had to undergo some interaction and contact with the disciplinary system,” she said.

“You have one-third of our police force interacting with Professional Standards. You then have just under half of those requiring no further action whatsoever.”