Latest news with #KumanjayiWhite
The Advertiser
15 hours ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
West Australian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, 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," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
ABC News
18 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Kumanjayi White's family continue demands for CCTV footage of Alice Springs death in custody
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 grandfather of a 24-year-old Aboriginal man who died in police custody in Alice Springs last week has renewed his demands for CCTV vision and an independent probe into the death. Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White died last Tuesday after he was restrained by plain-clothed police officers in a Coles supermarket, after allegedly assaulting a security guard in the store. The death prompted an outpouring of grief and anger from the Warlpiri and wider Alice Springs communities, with hundreds attending a vigil at the supermarket on Friday. In an interview with the ABC on Tuesday, respected Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves said Northern Territory police came to speak to him in Yuendumu, Mr White's home community, in the days after the death. Mr Hargraves said the family was "very, very angry" at the police response. "When we met at the police station with the coroner and with the commissioner [it was] the same story that we hear every day every time, that this has happened and the police did their job," he said. "We are sick of it and we are losing lots of our loved ones … we want to get the police to be accountable because it just keeps going." Mr Hargraves said it was "a disgrace" that NT police were rejecting the family's demands to release CCTV footage and for an independent investigation into the death of his jaja (grandson). "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." Mr White died just weeks before the NT coroner was due to hand down her findings in the coronial inquest into the 2019 police shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, who was also from Yuendumu. The coroner has since delayed the findings at the community's request following this latest death in custody. NT Police Acting Commissioner Martin Dole on Monday defended the police decision to internally investigate Mr White's death in custody, saying that an independent investigation could compromise "further action being taken". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has since backed the force's decision, saying an internal investigation is "entirely appropriate". "People can have full confidence in the Northern Territory Police Force to do their job … I urge everyone to respect the process," she said. Since the death, Mr White's family has engaged lawyer George Newhouse, who on Friday filed a formal request to the NT Police Force for an independent inquiry into the incident. Mr Newhouse said he had not yet received a response. In the letter, which has been provided to the ABC, the family made several requests including that NT police "appoint an independent body from another state or territory to undertake internal investigations in a culturally safe manner". Mr Newhouse said the NT Ombudsman could also get involved as an "oversight" body for the police investigation, to ensure transparency. "We have in New South Wales an independent body called the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission that oversees inquiries like this, and cases are not destroyed or unable to proceed because of that. "Right now the family is desperate to hear what happened to their loved one … and it is vital that the police reach out to the family … and show them CCTV footage of what happened." Acting Commissioner Dole has said responsibility for criminal investigations sits "solely" with NT police. "This is the same in every state and jurisdiction in Australia and it's no different in the Northern Territory," he told ABC Radio Alice Springs on Monday. "It's not simply a matter that a criminal investigation can be handed to someone independent as there's real risks that action that is taken could prevent further action being taken."
ABC News
21 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
NT chief minister rejects calls for independent investigation into death in custody, criticises senator
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.
