Northern Territory Police ­Commissioner Jamie Chalker says report was wrong

NT Police ­Commissioner Jamie Chalker says a report in The Australian was wrong and misleading to suggest he was commenting on the outcome of the case against an NT officer.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker.

Northern Territory Police ­Commissioner Jamie Chalker says a report in The Australian on Friday was wrong and misleading to suggest he was commenting on the outcome of the case against an NT officer charged with the murder of an Aboriginal man during an arrest.

Mr Chalker was not commenting on the likely success of the prosecution case but stated he was confident the case had a good chance of withstanding the court process.

Mr Chalker was being ­interviewed by The Australian about the prosecution of ­decorated constable Zachary Rolfe, who stands accused of killing Aboriginal teenager Kumanjayi Walker in the outback community of Yuendumu late last year.

Constable Rolfe was charged within days of the alleged incident. The case has divided the community and sparked claims from within the Territory police force that the charges were politically motivated and premature.

During the interview, Mr Chalker said he had no regrets about the way the case was ­handled and that the investigation had been held to the highest standards to ensure it would withstand “every oversight”, ­including criminal court proceedings.

He denied claims of political interference and responded to a question about whether the charge had a strong enough basis in evidence by saying he would swiftly refer any suggestions of outside interference to the Territory’s anti-corruption watchdog.

Mr Chalker was then asked if he had “every reason to believe” the case would withstand a court process.

The Australian understood his answer, in the context of his ­earlier remarks, to be “expressing ­confidence” in obtaining a ­conviction.

However, The Australian ­accepts that Mr Chalker believed he was answering a ­different ­question and that using the words “expressing confidence” to paraphrase his remarks did not fairly reflect his intended ­meaning.