Top NT cop ‘shocked by Zachary Rolfe charge’

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he was ‘as shocked as anyone’ to discover Constable Zachary Rolfe would be charged with murder.

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he was “as shocked as anyone” to discover Constable Zachary Rolfe would be charged with murder over the shooting death of Aboriginal teenager Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu.

Mr Chalker rejected calls for him to resign over the saga and denied claims he and Chief Minister Michael Gunner conspired with the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge Constable Rolfe, branding the suggestion a vexatious “lie”.

The public appearance ­almost two weeks after Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of murder followed a radio interview in which Mr Gunner said he had spoken to the commissioner about transparency.

Mr Chalker told media in Darwin he had been reluctant to answer questions earlier out of concern to avoid prejudicing other legal processes. He was “not involved” in the decision to charge Constable Rolfe, so he did not know why it had come so quickly.

“I’ve remained at arm’s length from the investigation,” he said. “The matter to charge was a matter between the investigation team and the DPP. I was as shocked as anybody … and ­immediately had to move into a mode of ensuring the safety of all people involved, and that ­included Constable Rolfe.”

Mr Chalker rebutted complaints by Constable Rolfe’s ­father that no senior officer had contacted his son. The top cop said while he had been advised not to contact Constable Rolfe directly, he had released officers to support him.

He said negative commentary about the murder investigation was affecting the officers who conducted it “with impartiality and professionalism” on behalf of the community. Constable Rolfe’s lawyers attacked the integrity of the investigation during his trial.

A petition of more than 10,000 signatures has been circulated calling for Mr Chalker to resign.

“Unfortunately, a lot of those opinions are based on a lie,” he said. “You can see how impactful and hurtful that lie has been … I believe I’ve got the confidence of a lot of police officers.”