Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Zachary Rolfe notes say fatal arrest was ‘a success’

Former police officer Zachary Rolfe wrote notes to himself about the day he fatally shot ­Walpiri teen Kumanjayi Walker that said in part: ‘The arrest was a success.’

Zachary Rolfe. Picture: Liam Mendes

Former police officer Zachary Rolfe wrote notes to himself about the day he fatally shot ­Walpiri teen Kumanjayi Walker that said in part: “The arrest was a success.”

Twelve pages of typed and handwritten notes that Mr Rolfe took into the witness box during the inquest into Walker’s 2019 death have been handed to the counsel assisting the coroner, Peggy Dwyer SC, who asked Mr Rolfe on Tuesday to explain some of them on Tuesday.

After Mr Rolfe told the inquest that he made the notes ahead of his evidence in February, Dr Walker said to him: “Do you see the eighth bullet point there where you write: ‘The arrest was a success. Whether you pass an exam with 75 per cent or 100 per cent it’s still a success. It could just be better. Correction: for a police on the ground point of view – ­success. For an organisation it seemed the organisation failed.’”

Mr Rolfe said the notes were ponderings. He said: “Is it the case that the death of an offender ­constitutes a failure or is it the case that I feel like I saved my life, potentially saved (Constable Adam) Eberl’s life. That’s a success on the ground … is it just the ­narrative that is being pushed by police media? First someone called it a bungled arrest and everybody carried on keeping on calling it a bungled arrest?”

Mr Rolfe has been highly ­critical of NT Police in some of his evidence to the inquest, claiming racist language was common at Alice Springs police ­station. He has also revealed the force’s most elite unit had an ­annual award known as “coon of the year”. On Tuesday, he acknowledged he knew about this award when he was a serving officer, and before he told The Australian in a 2019 interview that he had never known racism inside NT Police.

Mr Rolfe does not accept that, on the day he searched for and killed Walker, there was a clear ­arrest plan explained to him by the then officer in charge at ­Yuendumu, Sergeant Julie Frost, to arrest Walker the next morning.

Dr Walker asked Mr Rolfe if the reason he ignored Sergeant Frost’s advice was because he thought he knew better than her and other “bush cops”. He replied that he did not ignore her advice.

When she asked him if he still considered the operation a success from an “on the ground police point of view”, Mr Rolfe ­replied: “This is me pondering to myself … the term ‘failed arrest’ has been used multiple times and this is me questioning that and ­exploring that statement.”

Mr Rolfe was charged with Walker’s murder four days after the shooting. A jury found him not guilty of all charges. In his evidence at the criminal trial and again at the ­inquest, he said Walker put his hand on Mr Rolfe’s Glock during a struggle. Walker had armed himself with scissors and stabbed Mr Rolfe in the shoulder before Mr Rolfe shot him three times.

On Tuesday, Mr Rolfe said: “I take complete responsibility for the death of Kumanjayi Walker.”

Dr Walker asked Mr Rolfe: “Do you accept that there were things that you could have done in terms of preparation and risk assessment that might have prevented Kumanjayi’s death?” Mr Rolfe replied: “Potentially, yes.”