Coroner finds racism apparent within police force
Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia.
Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death.
KEY QUOTES:
* "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism"
* "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019"
* "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach"
* "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional"
* "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy"
* "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny."
* "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public"
* "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death"
* "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer"
* "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism"
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including:
* Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command
* Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported
* The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy
* A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years
* A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia
* Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics.
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