NT police officer suspended over Zachary Rolfe case criticism

Just hours after an opinion piece critical of the Police Commissioner was published, the veteran officer was suspended from duty without pay.

Sergeant Mark Casey has been suspended for publicly criticising his commissioner’s handling of the Zachary Rolfe, pictured, case. Picture: Glenn Campbell

A Northern Territory police officer has been suspended for publicly criticising his commissioner’s handling of the Zachary Rolfe case.

Just hours after an opinion piece penned by Sergeant Mark Casey – critical of Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker and other members of the brass – was published Saturday morning, the veteran officer was suspended from duty without pay.

According to an internal police broadcast, obtained by The Australian, the 45-year-old officer was suspended for allegedly committing a number of “serious breaches”.

“The alleged breaches relate to the officer’s personal behaviour and public views that do not align with the oath taken by the officer as a member of the Northern Territory Police Force,” it said.

The internal broadcast claimed that Sgt Casey’s actions were not in accordance with the Code of Conduct and Ethics as legislated within the Police Administration Act.

“The matter is under investigation by the Professional Standards Command,” it said.

“All members are reminded that they are bound by the NTPF Code of Conduct and Ethics and their oath to the office.

“NT ICAC and NT Ombudsman will be advised of the matter”.

Sgt Casey’s opinion piece, published by the NT Independent, expressed “concerns” about the actions of NT Police executive members including Mr Chalker.

“This concern relates to the authoritarian management as a whole and specifically in relation to the charging of Constable Zach Rolfe,” he wrote.

“I have observed the events since the day of the shooting and have held my judgment until now as I feel that unless someone speaks up there will be no change.

“It is time for someone to stand-up and allow the discourse to happen, rather than sitting in fear, waiting for someone else to take action.”

Last month Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of murdering Kumanjayi Walker at the remote outback community of Yuendumu during an arrest on November 9, 2019.

The officer shot Walker three times after the Indigenous teenager stabbed him with scissors.

Sgt Casey said “there has been deception, dishonesty, or at the very least, mistruths” in relation to why Constable Rolfe was charged with murder just four days after the shooting and before a thorough investigation into the incident had occurred.

The 25-year policing veteran questioned Mr Chalker’s recent public statement that he had been kept at “arm’s length” of the criminal investigation into the shooting.

“You are supposed to be the Commissioner of Police,” Sgt Casey wrote.

“You don’t get the option of keeping things at arm’s length or burying your head in the sand and blaming others.”

The Darwin-based officer also accused senior police of running a “smear campaign” against Constable Rolfe.

“You had his phone interrogated, and the best you could produce was a text message to an Army colleague,” he wrote.

Months before Constable Rolfe fatally shot Walker, he had described his job as getting to do “cowboy stuff with no rules” in a text message to an Army mate.

“Alice Springs sucks ha ha. The good thing is it’s like the Wild West and f*** all the rules in the job really … but it is a shit hole. Good to start here coz (sic) of the volume of work but will be good to leave,” Rolfe had texted.

After his trial, Justice John Burns lifted suppression orders on the text messages, which had not been admissible during the murder trial.

In another text message, Constable Rolfe wrote: “We have this small team in Alice, IRT, immediate response team. We’re not full time, just get called up from the Gd’s (general duties) for high risk jobs, it’s a sweet gig, just get to do cowboy stuff with no rules.”

The texts would have formed part of the prosecution’s case, along with so-called ‘tendency evidence’.

“Mr Chalker, you are not running a mini North Korea. Zach is allowed to have an opinion on whether he likes Alice Springs or not,” Sgt Casey said.

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“In relation to being like the Wild West, I have been involved in both military operations and NT Police operations, and I don’t think it is unreasonable to say the NT Police is like the Wild West compared to the military.

“But we all say things in private that aren’t meant to be heard in the public arena. Isn’t that right Murray Smalpage? Another example of a double standard.”

NT police members are angry that Deputy Commissioner Smalpage faced no disciplinary action after livestreaming himself making controversial comments to social media in September.

In the inadvertent video, Mr Smalpage appears to suggest “murder” would be the most appropriate collective noun for a group of police officers.

At the time the Northern Territory Police Association called on Mr Chalker to immediately stand down Mr Smalpage for bringing the NT Police Force into disrepute over the incident and said that the same “standards must apply across all ranks”.

But Mr Chalker immediately ruled out any disciplinary action against Deputy Smalpage saying that if the “people in the world were much kinder to one another, we would be in a far better place”.

Mr Chalker issued a statement in which he said that after reviewing the footage and speaking with Mr Smalpage, the video and his subsequent apology “speak for themselves and as such no investigation is required”.

“This dictatorship needs to end and the core values of this police force need to be reinstated: integrity; loyalty; and courage,” Sgt Casey wrote on Saturday.

“It is time for the executive to lead by example, and not by the mantra of ‘do as I say, not as I do’.

“Members are frequently punished for good work and rewarded for mediocrity or poor performance.

“Most members of this police force work hard and want to do good but are eventually worn down, particularly with the abuse of the draconian disciplinary system in place.”

An NTPA spokesperson said the NTPA “will provide ongoing support throughout whatever process takes place”.

NT Police did not respond to questions.