NT chief minister rejects calls for independent investigation into death in custody, criticises senator

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2 days ago

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families.
The Northern Territory chief minister has vehemently ruled out an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young disabled Warlpiri man in an Alice Springs supermarket.
Last Tuesday, 24-year-old Yuendumu man Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by plain-clothed police officers in Coles, after he allegedly assaulted a security guard in the store.
Advocacy groups including Justice Not Jails, Justice for Walker and Amnesty International have been at the forefront of calls for an external inquiry, alongside Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves.
Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy is also among those who have said it may be necessary for an inquiry to take place at arm's length from NT police, to ensure impartiality.
The NT Police Force last week rejected those calls.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday said she supported police conducting an internal investigation and criticised Ms McCarthy's suggestion for it to be handed to an outside body.
"It is entirely appropriate [that NT police investigate] and this is exactly what happens for all deaths in custody," Ms Finocchiaro told ABC Radio Darwin.
"It's consistent nationally as well.
"People can have full confidence in the Northern Territory Police Force to do their job, which is investigate matters … this now needs to take its course, and I urge everyone to respect the process."
Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Ms McCarthy about her comments about an external investigation, which she described as "entirely unhelpful".
"If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force."
Ms Finocchiaro also said it would not be appropriate for the NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption or the NT Ombudsman to hold their own separate investigation into the death.
"All of this speculation is fuelling a political debate, rather than dealing with the issue at hand," she said.
Ms McCarthy's office has been contacted for comment.
Speaking to the ABC on Tuesday, Mr Hargraves said Kumanjayi White's family was demanding an independent investigation into the death.
"We want this police to give us the CCTV [of the incident] … we want [an] independent investigation so we can get a better understanding of what happened."
In a statement earlier this week, Justice Not Jails spokesperson Natalie Hunter said the group had "no faith in the NT police force to carry out an honest and transparent investigation".
"The family needs to be empowered to ask the questions they want answered on their own terms, and the police need to step out of the way and let them do that," she said.
Thomas Mayo, another Justice Not Jails spokesperson, said an independent investigation was "absolutely vital", particularly given allegations of racism within the NT Police Force that emerged during the coronial investigation into the fatal 2019 police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu.
"A mere glimpse at the record of police investigating themselves when there are allegations of racial violence against them is enough to understand why the family and community are calling for an independent investigation," he said.
Ms Finocchiaro has also defended not visiting Alice Springs since Kumanjayi White's death, and said she would not to repeat the previous Labor government's handling of past Aboriginal deaths in custody.
"It's a tragic situation but it's one that needs to be moved through carefully," she said.
"I'm not going to make the same stupid mistakes that Labor made when they ran in on these types of issues, and created a political situation around something that needs to be done properly."
Former NT Labor chief minister Michael Gunner faced accusations of political interference after he visited Yuendumu and told community members "consequences will flow" following the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker by a police officer in 2019.