Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he was kept at ‘arm’s length’ from Rolfe charge decision

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker was ‘as shocked as anybody’ at the speed of the charging of Constable Zach Rolfe following the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker.

POLICE Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he was shocked when he learned Constable Zach Rolfe had been charged with the murder of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi Walker.

Taking questions for the first time since Constable Rolfe was found not guilty, Mr Chalker said he had no involvement in the decision to lay the murder charge.

Constable Rolfe’s barrister David Edwardson QC has described the police investigation as a disgrace, saying the murder charge was laid just four days after the incident in the absence of “any meaningful investigation”.

It has also been revealed two detectives working on the case noted serious concerns about the haste with which the charge was laid.

Asked why Constable Rolfe was charged so quickly, Mr Chalker said: “I can’t give you an answer to that because I wasn’t involved in that.”

“I’ve remained at arms-length from the investigation for the whole period of time,” he said. “The matter to charge (Constable Rolfe) was a matter for the investigation team and the DPP. I was as shocked as anybody.”

He rejected accusations he had met with Chief Minister Michael Gunner and the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss the case.

“It did not happen,” he said.

“What is greatly concerning to me because I’ve received further advice since that point in time is that Constable Rolfe, unfortunately, believes that to be categorically true.”

Mr Gunner has flagged the possibility of legal action after Mr Rolfe told The Australian he believed there had been political interference in the decision to charge him.

“Someone created that lie and he believed that to be true,” Mr Chalker said.

“That is just so deeply disappointing and you can see the division that that single reference has caused.”

He dismissed concerns about his performance as a petition to have him sacked reached almost 10,000 signatures. “Unfortunately a lot of those opinions are based on a lie,” he said. “Is that fair. Is that reasonable?”

He finished his press conference by saying “we are having a conversation about a whole lot of rumour and innuendo that simply has no fact to it”.

“That’s why they’re keeping me away from you, because when they want the Commissioner to come forward they want me to speak of fact,” he said. He did not respond to a question about who “they” were.

Gunner ‘didn’t formally meet’ with Fyles after Rolfe shooting

HEALTH Minister Natasha Fyles held no formal meetings with Chief Minister Michael Gunner in the four days after Kumanjayi Walker was shot dead by police at Yuendumu.

During an interview on Mix FM last week, Mr Gunner said he had travelled to Yuendumu three days after the shooting to address concerns that health staff had been evacuated from the community on the day Walker was shot dead by Constable Zachary Rolfe during a failed arrest attempt.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles held no formal meetings with Chief Minister Michael Gunner in the four days after Kumanjayi Walker was shot dead by police at Yuendumu

The Opposition has since questioned why Mr Gunner travelled to Yuendumu with Police Minister Nicole Manison, rather than Ms Fyles.

Asked on Monday if she held any meetings with the Chief Minister or Police Commissioner in the days after the shooting, Ms Fyles said: “So, of course, I was aware of the event, that it took place. I would have to go back to look at my diary to look at meetings.”

A spokeswoman later confirmed Ms Fyles diary showed no record of any meetings but said she would have been in regular contact with Mr Gunner about the incident during those days.

Earlier this month a jury found Constable Rolfe not guilty of murder and the reserve charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death.

The Opposition is calling for an independent inquiry into the events that led to the decision to charge Constable Rolfe.

The Opposition is calling for an independent inquiry into the events that led to the decision to charge Constable Zach Rolfe. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Ms Fyles has rejected suggestions there was political interference in the police investigation.

“We had a community at Yuendumu grieving, mourning, and the Chief Minister as the leader was invited to that community and he attended,” she said.

Mr Gunner has been criticised for telling community members “consequences will flow” just a day before Constable Rolfe was charged.

“The comments he made were around the coronial inquest and one just has to look at that transcript to see that he mentioned it multiple times,” Ms Fyles said.

“I can assure Territorians there was no political interference in that situation.”

Asked if she still supported Mr Gunner, Ms Fyles said: “Absolutely”.

Originally published as Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker says he was kept at ‘arm’s length’ from Rolfe charge decision