'Support for racism': NT Police officer's Thin Blue Line symbol triggers ban

Australia Broadcast Center

4 days ago

A Northern Territory police sergeant with a history of racism publicly displayed an image linked to white supremacists as his Facebook cover photo for three years, only removing it last week after the ABC made inquiries.
WARNING: This story contains racist and offensive language and the name of an Indigenous person who has died.
Sergeant Lee Bauwens was the direct supervisor of former police constable Zachary Rolfe, who fatally shot 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in the remote community of Yuendumu in 2019.
The inquest that followed into Mr Walker's death revealed that Sergeant Bauwens shared attitudes with Mr Rolfe that were, in the words of the coroner, "plainly racist" and had "joined him in his use of racist language".
Sergeant Bauwens denied in his evidence to the coroner that his team or its members were racist.
Sergeant Bauwens uploaded the controversial Thin Blue Line flag as his Facebook cover image in February 2022, the day Mr Rolfe's murder trial began over the shooting death. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all charges.
The black-and-white image of the Australian flag with a blue line running horizontally through the middle has come to be associated with far-right extremism, according to academic Kaz Ross.
"This is a very, very politicised, racially charged image," Dr Ross told the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Team.
"In the context of inquiries into police racism in the Northern Territory, it's a very unacceptable thing to be displaying."
A day after the ABC made inquiries to the NT Police, an email was sent out to staff telling them to take "immediate steps to ensure that the 'Thin Blue Line' patch is not used on any NTPF uniforms, equipment, stations, vehicles and property".
"Initially the 'Thin Blue Line' concept included ideals of camaraderie, selfless service and making a difference with communities," the Commander of NT Police's Professional Standards Command said in the email leaked to the ABC.
"In more recent times the symbols and concept have been negatively associated with a 'them and us' approach to policing, use of excessive force and support for racism."
NT Police told the ABC the image had "never been approved" for use, but that members had last been advised against using the symbol in 2017 before it took on the present-day negative connotations.
Dr Ross, an independent researcher into far-right extremism, said many police forces have banned the symbol, which she said they recognise "as a symbol of violence and of racism".
"It's well known and well accepted that it is a sensitive symbol for police to display," said Dr Ross.
"It's absolutely shocking that someone in such a senior position was indicating on their social media, publicly associated with their name, that they believe in the concept of the Thin Blue Line."
The move to ban the symbol comes just weeks after NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found the Alice Springs Police Station — where Mr Rolfe and Sergeant Bauwens were stationed — normalised and "tacitly endorsed" racism, and that the Northern Territory Police Force as an organisation bore "significant hallmarks of institutional racism".
She found Zachary Rolfe — who described Sergeant Bauwens "as a mentor or someone he looked up to" — held "racist attitudes" and displayed a pattern of excessive force against Aboriginal men for which his superiors, including Sergeant Bauwens, failed to hold him to account.
Mr Rolfe has rejected the coroner's findings and is considering an appeal.
The inquest also revealed Sergeant Bauwens used overtly racist language, calling Aboriginal people "bush c*ons" in a text message to Mr Rolfe four months before Kumanjayi Walker's death.
This conflicted with evidence Sergeant Bauwens gave the coroner in April 2024 in which he claimed the word "c*on" was not used by frontline members.
"As a General duties Sgt for 8 years from 2014 to 2022 those terms or words were not used to my knowledge," he said in the statement.
Sergeant Bauwens also acknowledged in his evidence he had taken part in the now infamous racist awards at the Territory Response Group's (TRG) Christmas parties.
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage described the so-called Noogadah awards as "among the most grotesque examples of racism uncovered at the inquest".
One of the awards, for "the most c*on-like behaviour", Sergeant Bauwens acknowledged was "inappropriate" and "unacceptable".
The Thin Blue Line symbol historically symbolised the idea that police stand between order and chaos and has been used to honour officers who've died in the line of duty.
But experts say the "manifestation" of that concept has been evolving over the past decade and the flag has surged in popularity by some opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The symbol was displayed alongside the Confederate flag during the violent 'Unite the Right' rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
"They were all white supremacist groups," Dr Ross said, of the 'Unite the Right' riots.
"That was the core factor that united them."
The symbol was also worn by some of the insurrectionists during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Former assistant commissioner of NT Police Jeanette Kerr told the ABC she started noticing the Thin Blue Line patch on a handful of NT Police officers' navy blue uniforms about four years ago.
"I've spoken to a couple of young police and it is well known to some of them as a symbol of police solidarity. They reject that it's racism," she said.
"But it can't be denied that that's in fact how it's perceived by the community."
Ms Kerr left the force in 2017 after serving for 29 years. She has a Masters of Applied Criminology and Police Executive Management from Cambridge University and regularly keeps in contact with former colleagues.
She supports NT Police moving to ban the public use of the symbol.
"It certainly is up to the executive … Not dealing with these issues seriously undermines the legitimacy of the police force," she said.
"It (inaction) can cause lack of trust and reputation in the police … then people stop reporting crime."
Police forces in some other parts of Australia prohibit the display of the Thin Blue Line flag.
In a statement, Victoria Police told the ABC "the Thin Blue Line patches are currently not approved for wear by Victoria Police officers", while NSW Police said its policy "prohibits the use of non-authorised embellishments on uniforms".
Queensland Police told the ABC the symbol is also not an approved part of the uniform, and that while the origins of the concept were meant to be supportive of police, "there are concerns that its message has been misused to advance unrelated agendas".
Some police forces across the United States and Canada have reportedly also banned their officers from wearing Thin Blue Line patches, citing their association with white nationalist groups.
Dr Kaz Ross said she has noticed the Australian version of the symbol posted in the private Facebook groups of serving and former police officers.
"They felt that they [police] weren't valued … were under attack, that they needed more protection and that people didn't really understand the nature of their role," she said.
"They used the Thin Blue Line to kind of say, 'Well, police lives matter, blue lives matter and people aren't listening to us'.
"So whenever there was some kind of blow-up in the media about police aggression or police violence, you would see a flare-up in these groups."
In 2022, Victorian Police Commander Mark Galliott conducted a confidential external review into NT Police's complaints and discipline system. This internal report, marked "sensitive", was made public at the Kumanjayi Walker inquest.
As well as documenting instances of racism and bias amongst police, Commander Galliott recommended the NT Police Force consider prohibiting the wearing of the Thin Blue Line insignia patches on police uniforms due to its "negative impact".
This recommendation was ignored until last week when the ABC emailed NT Police.
Arrernte man Nick Espie — who is a former legal director and special counsel at the Human Rights Law Centre — told the ABC it is a shame the NTPF had not acted on this earlier.
"Much more needs to be done to address the inherent risks of racism that occur within the police force," Mr Espie said.
"The police need to shift towards being an anti-racist organisation and developing an anti-racism strategy that covers all aspects of policy, procedure and operation."
Last month the Executive Director of the NT Police's Community Resilience and Engagement Command, Leanne Liddle, said the NT Police Force is working on a "dedicated anti-racism strategy which is now in its final stages".
After the Walker inquest findings were handed down in July, Acting NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said "all forms of racism" have existed within the force at various times.
"That is confronting. But it is a truth that we must face," he said.
"What was tolerated in the past will no longer be acceptable. We are committed to stamping out racism in all its forms, and making this a safer, fairer organisation for everybody."
NT Police did not respond to the ABC's specific questions about racism within the force.
"Regarding the use of symbols, patches, or other public displays, the NTPF maintains strict social media and conduct guidelines for all officers, aimed at preventing behaviour that could undermine public trust or contribute to divisiveness," it said in a statement.
"We continually review these guidelines to ensure they align with our values of professionalism and respect."