Queensland police’s 10-year ban on Zachary Rolfe job

Zachary Rolfe was banned from applying to join the Queensland police force for 10 years after failing to disclose a fine for ‘violent behaviour’ and had also previously pleaded guilty to theft while in the ADF, a court has heard.

Zachary Rolfe. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

Zachary Rolfe was banned from applying to join the Queensland police force for 10 years after failing to disclose a fine for “violent behaviour” and had also previously pleaded guilty to theft while in the Australian Defence Force, a court has heard.

A decision on the admissibility of evidence in the ongoing coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, published on Tuesday, has also revealed psychological testing showed Constable Rolfe had an above-average “aggression score”.

Constable Rolfe was acquitted by a Northern Territory Supreme Court jury in March after fatally shooting the 19-year-old Warlpiri man during a bungled arrest at Yuendumu in 2019.

In her ruling, Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said the evidence challenged by Constable Rolfe’s legal team “suggests that Constable Rolfe did not provide accurate information to the police force during his recruitment process”.

Ms Armitage said that in his application to join the NT Police Force, Constable Rolfe had denied he had ever been the subject of any complaints, internal investigations or disciplinary action.

“The impugned evidence suggests, however, that while a soldier in the Australian Defence Force in 2012, Constable Rolfe had been the subject of an internal military investigation as a result of which he had pleaded guilty, at a military trial, to a charge of theft,” she wrote.

“In his written application to the (NT) police force, Constable Rolfe did not disclose a fine he had received in Queensland for ‘public nuisance – violent behaviour’. On the other hand, Constable Rolfe disclosed this matter during his oral interview.”

As a result of a similar failure to declare the fine in an application to join the Queensland police, Ms Armitage said he was informed “that the failure to disclose this matter was an integrity breach and that he was excluded from reapplying for the Queensland Police Service for 10 years”.

As part of the recruitment process for joining the NT police, Constable Rolfe had undertaken psychological testing with the Australian Institute of Forensic Psychologists. While he was “otherwise found to be an ‘excellent’ candidate”, Ms Armitage said the resulting report found that “after making a mistake, Zachary is less likely than many others to accept responsibility”.

“He may brush off the significance of the error, seek to minimise his own role, or to blame others,” the report found.

“The ‘Aggression’ score is above average. Whether Zachary will act with firm assertiveness or frank aggression cannot be determined from this scale alone.”

Ms Armitage said the report also found that “friction between Constable Rolfe and his father, Richard Rolfe”, was a pattern that “has frequently (been) found to be associated with later resentment of authority figures in highly structured organisations in which employees are expected to comply with strict procedures”.

The inquest continues.

NT NEWS