NOT GUILTY Australia - Kumanjayi Walker, 19, fatally shot by LE, Yuendumu, Nov 2019

[Trooper]

Rolfe trying to pervert course of justice, inquest told​

An open letter from the police officer who shot and killed an Indigenous teenager has been condemned by NT police as a blatant attempt to pervert the course of justice.
An inquest into the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker resumed today, days after Constable Zachary Rolfe left the country having written a lengthy letter critical of the coroner and NT Police.

Rolfe said the NT Police Force had wasted millions of dollars on disciplining him rather than giving him a medal.

“Despite this, the coronial focus is still on me rather than on areas that could improve the circumstances of the NT,” he wrote last week.

Ian Freckelton, KC, representing the NT Police Force and addressing the coroner in the inquest, questioned the motive of Rolfe’s letter and whether it was an attempt to intimidate senior leaders of the police force.

“We don’t know whether the motive of Mr Rolfe is to try to intimidate the two members of the executive who are going to be giving evidence before you this week,” Freckelton said.

“If that is his motive, it is an attempt to pervert the course of justice. It is a gross and blatant attempt to interfere with your inquest.

“As best we read it, that seems to be the aspiration of Mr Rolfe.”

 

[Trooper]

The NT cops say Zachary Rolfe will face “consequences” for writing a 2500-word open letter about the shooting death of Indigenous teen Kumanjayi Walker before the cop jetted off overseas, the ABC reports. NT police’s barrister said the allegations were “disgraceful and despicable”, potentially perverted the course of justice, and that Rolfe appears to think “he can write or say anything” he wants, The Australian ($) adds. Rolfe accused the NT police and coroner of public vilification during the “biased” ongoing coronial inquest into Walker’s death, as The Australian ($) reports. Rolfe alleged he was “painted as a racist, violent cop” when “a tiny snippet” of his messages were published, to which counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer was like, OK — we tried not to include any other irrelevant and “embarrassing” messages from your phone, but we can put all of them in, if you want. The aggrieved NT Police Force is awaiting a response from Rolfe’s lawyer after he was served a section 79 notice (breach of discipline) over the letter.


(This situation has still got thrashing legs on it, and has many wierd and wonderful directions yet to take, not that anything will be done that compensates the family of Kumanjaya, or even sail close to 'justice'.But I can see some laws being changed, and some processes , such as those applying for jobs in the NT police being subjected to lengthy and professional scrutiny before intake, and the usual intake of former soldiers, especially those involved with dicey and highly inappropiate exercises overseas in desperate communities be heavily inspected indeed.

Soldiering is, or should be seen, as an entirely different profession than policing. These things are not the same. )

 

[Trooper]

Zachary Rolfe may have tried to pervert course of justice with open letter, inquest told

Barrister for NT police says force is ‘extremely concerned’ by 2,500 word statement by Rolfe, who was acquitted of all charges in relation to shooting of Kumanjayi Walker

www.theguardian.com

'Constable Zachary Rolfe may have made an “attempt to pervert the course of justice” in writing an open letter about his conduct, and media outlets that published it could be investigated for contempt, according to explosive evidence given to a coronial inquest.

Rolfe said in a 2,500-word statement published on Facebook that he was a “good cop” who “loved the job”, but that he had been “painted” as racist and violent.

Acting for the NT police, Ian Freckleton SC on Monday said the force was “extremely concerned” about Rolfe’s conduct.

“It seems to be some kind of a campaign mounted on behalf of Mr Rolfe that he be praised for his conduct and be given a medal for it,” Freckleton told the coroner, Elisabeth Armitage.

“He is persisting in a campaign, it would appear, to try to destabilise the Northern Territory police force [and] imputes a variety of slurs against the executive, including that they are ‘narcissists’, ‘liars’, ‘cowards’ and similar. He describes one senior member of the NT police force as a clown who has taken over a castle.

“We don’t know whether the motive of Mr Rolfe is to try to intimidate the two members of the executive who are going to be giving evidence before you this week.

“If that is his motive, it is an attempt to pervert the course of justice. It is an attempt to interfere with your inquest. As best we read it, that seems to be the aspiration of Mr Rolfe. It will fail.”

Freckleton said Rolfe’s lawyers had been served with a notice to give a response in relation to his conduct within seven days.

“Depending on what response is received, further action is going to take place, and if appropriate, swiftly,” he said.'

...... ( Rolfe's inability to restrain his own behavior , with his added impression of himself as holy and above criticism , and the urge to write stuff down as a stream of half witted consciousness has led to this inquest suddenly lurching off into a whole other direction, ... Rolfe may have to cut his little junket overseas and return post haste to the NT trial to explain himself. .. . )

 

[Trooper]

Deputy commissioner highly critical of botched arrest of Kumanjayi Walker, inquest hears

Murray Smalpage tells coroner he is ‘struggling to find a reason’ for deviation from arrest plan on day Warlpiri teen was killed by Zachary Rolfe

www.theguardian.com

'The Northern Territory police’s second-highest serving officer has told an inquest he is “struggling to find a reason why” there was such a deviation from the “detailed” plan to arrest Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker on the day he was shot and killed by Constable Zachary Rolfe.

Walker, 19, was shot dead by Rolfe during a botched arrest in the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu in 2019. Rolfe was cleared of all criminal charges in relation to the shooting.


The deputy commissioner of NT police, Murray Smalpage, was highly critical of the operation to arrest Walker conducted by Rolfe and the other members of the immediate response team.

A plan to arrest Walker, developed by the Yuendumu community police sergeant Julie Frost, was “detailed” and “logical”, and the deviation from it should not have occurred, Smalpage said.

Frost had requested officers from the immediate response team, which handles high-risk arrests, to travel to Yuendumu on 9 November 2019 because of a series of issues within the community, and to assist in the arrest of Walker the following morning at 5am.

Rolfe, three colleagues in the immediate response team and an officer trained to handle police dogs arrived in Yuendumu from Alice Springs later that day. Walker was fatally shot that evening.

Smalpage told the inquest he did not think the team’s use of “long arm weapons” was appropriate, because arresting Walker was not a “high-risk deployment”.........


........
The officers should have known the “easily identifiable risk” that Kumanjayi Walker represented, Smalpage told the court, based on an incident three days earlier in which community officers in Yuendumu apprehended him while he was brandishing an axe, and peacefully disarmed him.

He said those officers “applied discretion and a common sense approach, to try and encourage Kumanjayi Walker to surrender. I think it was appropriate.”

Smalpage said it was “not a unique event” for police officers to have to arrest somebody who may have a weapon or presented the risk of absconding.

He said the obligation in light of that reality was for “members to undertake that task in terms of assessing the risk and working a way through to mitigating it”.

Under questioning by Ian Freckelton on behalf of the NT police, Smalpage said such preparation was important for “those who are about to embark upon the task, to know what they’re going to do, as opposed to just turning up and and driving in aimless circles”.


Smalpage formally apologised to Walker’s families yesterday on behalf of the NT police force, and said he had attended almost every day of the inquest to date, “to ensure that we gain every possible nuance” on how to improve and prevent another tragedy from occurring.''........

 

[Trooper]

Senior officer says dragging of Kumanjayi Walker to police car after shooting was ‘unacceptable’

Deputy commissioner of NT police confirms no plans to remove firearms from officers in remote communities

www.theguardian.com

''''A high-ranking Northern Territory police officer says it was “totally unacceptable” that Kumanjayi Walker was dragged byofficers from a house and across the ground to a police car after being shot

Smalpage agreed with the lawyer Andrew Boe, appearing on behalf of Walker’s families, that it was “extremely disrespectful” that the officers at the scene of the shooting dragged Walker from the house to a waiting police vehicle before he was transported to a local police station, in full view of his family.

“In this case it’s totally unacceptable, and I understand the distress it caused,” Smalpage said.

“It should not have happened.”

Boe also asked Smalpage to clarify evidence he gave on Tuesday that there did not appear to be any evidence that former Australian Defence Force members who became NT police were any more likely to be involved in use of force incidents than police from other backgrounds.

He (Boe) said that documents before the inquest indicated that Rolfe was, in fact, more than twice as likely to use his firearm than the average among NT police with a non-military background.

Rolfe had previously served in the ADF.

Smalpage said that despite these statistics, a broader conclusion could not be drawn, which was why the force were analysing its data further.......'

 

[Trooper]

Botched Walker arrest 'had look of military operation'

''''''Commissioner Murray Smalpage about why the plan "had the whole look of a military operation around the house".

Mr Smalpage said he could see how the specialist unit could be seen as military-like but he defended the need for NT police to carry arms, citing examples of violence against police in other states.

Earlier, the inquest heard that a series of text messages which may have influenced Const Rolfe's defence to a murder charge were not meant for him.

After the shooting, Const Rolfe received text messages telling him to justify his intent as self-defence against "the s*** c*** (who) was telling him that he was going to stab the police".


But Sergeant Ian Nankivell, who wrote the messages, told the inquest he "emphatically denied" that the messages were for Const Rolfe.

Sgt Nankivell had sent the messages to a close friend of Const Rolfe, Constable Mitchell Hansen.

In November, Const Hansen told the inquest that Sgt Nankivell had sent the messages to him to forward to Const Rolfe.

The messages outlined an acronym "IAMO plus P" standing for intent, ability, means, opportunity and preclusion, which counsel assisting the coroner Patrick Coleridge said could be seen as a template for justifying Const Rolfe's shooting of Mr Walker.

Sgt Nankivell said the acronym had been part of his police training in Victoria.

"It's nothing about justification, it's about mental health," he said on Thursday.

When asked about his use of the word "critics" in the text messages, he said it referred to self-criticism, not external critics. "The IAMO plus P is designed just to guide you through the process (of thinking) when your mind is full of fog and dread," he said.

The messages were never intended to be seen by anyone other than Const Hansen, he said, despite also acknowledging that he was not close to Const Hansen nor did they have any relationship outside work. ........'

 

[Trooper]

MSN

www.msn.com

'''''
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter, whose portfolio includes the Professional Standards Command, was called to give evidence to the coronial inquest into the death of Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker on Friday.

Constable Rolfe, who fatally shot Mr Walker during an attempted arrest in the remote community of Yuendumu, was last year acquitted of all charges related to the shooting.

The court heard that after the shooting in 2019, a series of incidents involving Constable Rolfe were reviewed as part of the criminal and coronial investigations into the incident.

Assistant Commissioner Porter told the coroner of two arrests made by Constable Rolfe that were, at the time, deemed appropriate by his superiors.

Upon further review, Assistant Commissioner Porter said he would likely have deemed them "excessive"........


( the comments on this article are the usual , but give an indication of the commitment of some sections of the community to actually admire and promote police savagery)


''''
In one instance, body-worn camera footage appeared to show Constable Rolfe shutting the lid of a rubbish bin while a child hid inside from police before the officer pulled the bin to the ground and arrested the child.

"When I reviewed [the arrest], I took into account the 10 operational safety principles. [The child] was hiding in the bin; there was no verbal communication from Constable Rolfe," Assistant Commissioner Porter said.

"He provided no instruction to [the child], and there was no requirement or need for him at that point in time to close the lid or put the bin down in the manner he did.'''''''

'"In my view, it was not necessary and was excessive in the circumstance."...........

 

[Trooper]

Zachary Rolfe to be retired from NT police after psychological and risk assessments

The constable who shot and killed Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 will be stood down, police chief tells inquest

www.theguardian.com

No surprise to anyone, the NT Police have taken the path of least resistance, retiring instead of firing, which , all things considered may well be the better path, Rolfe being a well dollared up litigious employee, searching for 'a medal'...He'll be ok, he'll find other places to 'sort out' , I am sure we will all hear about Rolfe not too far down the track.

'
'''''A Northern Territory police officer who shot and killed an Indigenous teenager is due to be retired from the force based on psychological and risk assessments.

NT police assistant commissioner, Bruce Porter, told an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker on Monday that constable Zachary Rolfe had been issued with a notice of the intention to stand him down from duty.


Porter said that the decision to retire Rolfe had been made on the basis of two psychological assessments and a risk assessment from December and January.

“We were of the opinion that he had the inability to continue as a member of the police force,” he said.

Rolfe returned to work in July 2022 but went on personal leave less than a month later.

Porter said he requested the medical examinations after Rolfe indicated to the inquest in November that he would not be returning to work without telling his employer the reason.

Police are also awaiting an explanation from Rolfe after he published a 2,500-word open letter 10 days ago criticising the coroner and NT police.

Rolfe mentioned his employer’s decision to “medically retire” him.

Earlier, the inquest heard that current cultural awareness programs were inadequate within the NT police force.

The NT government’s Aboriginal justice unit director, Leanne Liddle, told the inquest racism may not be deliberate but it was systemic.

She questioned why officers said locals might storm the police station if they were told of Walker’s death the night he was shot, despite there being no evidence that would happen..............''''''

 

[Trooper]

Constable Rolfe and Kumanjayi Walker 'never should have met', former AFP assistant commissioner tells inquest

A former assistant commissioner of the Australian Federal Police has criticised the executive oversight of the team deployed to Yuendumu to arrest Kumanjayi Walker in 2019, describing it as "totally lacking".

www.abc.net.au

'''''
Emeritus professor of criminology Jude McCulloch was earlier called to give evidence about the militarisation of police forces, telling the coroner paramilitary groups such as the TRG and IRT created the risk of police officers developing a "warrior mentality".

"What I mean by the term militarisation is the integration of military philosophy and military-style operations into policing," Professor McCulloch said.

"The risk is that police develop a warrior mindset, whereby they seek to overcome, or treat as the enemy, those people that they're meant to protect and serve."
Professor McCulloch was read a previously unseen text message sent by Constable Rolfe to an unnamed person, which she told the inquest reflected a "cowboy aspect".

"dude I got in the most wild pursuit the other night I was chasing this 40 year old white ice dealer for like 3 days cos he took a machete to some woman. Then saw him driving round town it was like bad boys, we were driving wrong side of the road through red lights at like 130k/h haha was sick, then he tried to run and bashed him"

Professor McCulloch shared her opinion that the message reflected an attitude of someone "engaging in the action-oriented aspects of policing" and "revelling in violence".

"There's no indication of minimum force … only force being used in a punitive way," Professor McCulloch told the inquest.

"It's not the mindset of a police officer dedicated to using minimum force."

Professor McCulloch also told the inquest paramilitary policing units were "necessary" to police forces across Australia, particularly in counterterrorism, but warned of the risk of military-style policing seeping into general duties.
"Police forces need to be vigilant against that," Professor McCulloch said.
"Because when you have a highly trained group, there's a lot of resources going into train a group, they're considered elite, they have all these skills and weapons … there's a tendency to want to use them."
She told the inquest groups such as the TRG and IRT should be full time in order to keep highly trained officers out of general duties.'''''

The inquest continues.

 

[Trooper]

'I would have referred it to the DPP': Assistant commissioner gives evidence about Rolfe perjury investigation

The Assistant Police Commissioner tells the coronial inquest into the death of Mr Walker that evidence from the perjury investigation into Constable Zachary Rolfe over an allegation that the officer "lied" to a court should have been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for decision.

www.abc.net.au

(The events that preceded Rolfe's actions re Walker are being investigated, to a certain extent. )

"Senior police should have referred evidence from an investigation into Constable Zachary Rolfe to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for an independent opinion on whether he should be charged with perjury, the Northern Territory Coroner has been told.

Assistant Police Commissioner Bruce Porter — whose portfolio includes the Professional Standards Command — told the coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker that he would have referred the officer to the DPP, after a police investigation into allegations Constable Rolfe "lied" to a court in an earlier case.

The coroner heard Local Court Judge Greg Borchers wrote, in May 2019, that Constable Rolfe lacked credibility, "fabricated" evidence and "lied" in evidence during the case against Indigenous man Malcolm Ryder, who was later cleared of assaulting police.

During the case against Malcolm Ryder, Constable Rolfe told the court that he saw Mr Ryder "throwing punches" towards a fellow officer inside a bedroom where his stepson was being arrested, however, Judge Borchers said footage captured by one of the other officer's body-worn cameras showed no evidence of Mr Ryder trying to hit anyone in the bedroom.

Constable Rolfe's lawyer, Luke Officer, told the inquest that a witness who would have supported Constable Rolfe's evidence was never called in the case against Mr Ryder.....'''''

 

[Trooper]

A police apology, discipline questions and Constable Zachary Rolfe's future up in the air: What happened before the Kumanjayi Walker inquest adjourned

The inquest into the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker has adjourned until July after a further two weeks of evidence, with attitudes, culture and discipline within the NT Police force in the spotlight.

www.abc.net.au

( a decent article, worth reading )

This matter is now adjourned until April, due entirely to Rolfe's Supreme Court case which he hopes will agree that he does not need to answer any questions that do not suit his narrative, or something like that. That is the actual affect of a decision in his favour, but it is also reasonably optimistic to foresee that the case may go hard against him. And then, this inquest has legs and starts off again.

But so far it has been forensic and detailed and well run, with the general tone being that Rolfe was a totally unsuited person to be policing in the Northern Territory, and , as it happens, QLD, NSW, VIC, SA and WA and Tas all agree on this one point. He is banned from applying to any police force in AU for 10 years, and only after a lot of psyche work and therapy, and Rolfe will most likely reject that proposition. He will be 'retired' from the NT police force on the grounds of mental instability and some other equally awful diagnosis, which would make any police force anywhere hesistate. One hopes they would hesitate to enfold Rolfe into any sort of community policing..

'(This part of the inquest interested me, Rolfe was always dodgy about his body camera, cavalier about wearing it, and downright shy about turning it on, and there are not many good reasons to do that. None, actually. )

'''''Much of the evidence before the coroner about the disciplinary processes of police officers was specific to Constable Rolfe's use-of-force reports and multiple reminders to turn on his body-worn camera as a young constable.

But when Assistant Police Commissioner Bruce Porter, whose portfolio includes the Professional Standards Command, was called to give evidence, many of the questions put to him were about the general supervision of inexperienced officers and their supervisors' responsibility to reign in concerning behaviour.

The coroner heard that in the four months before Mr Walker died, "nothing of substance [was] done, to advise Constable Rolfe in relation to his behaviours", after a handful of complaints had been made against him.'


SO.. we wait until April's hearing.

 

[Trooper]

There was not anything presented in court about Rolfe's background, but a lot about Walker's, and the opportunities missed with him along the way. Rolfe, on the other hand was blessed with opportunities, his parents being bigwigs in the Liberal Party circle, ( when the govt changed, this, of course, became suddenly less opportunistic) and when Rolfe was in his heyday, his parents moved in rarified air in Canberra.

I would have liked as much investigation into Rolfe's time as a soldier, and his exit from the AU army, and the reasons for that. Maybe next session, who knows .....

 

[Trooper]

Zachary Rolfe informed NT police force intends to dismiss him, sources say

Sources have told the ABC that Constable Zachary Rolfe has been issued a letter notifying him the NT police force intends to dismiss him.

www.abc.net.au

( a preliminary strike against Rolfe, by the NT police force, before the decision about his being made to answer questions he, Rolfe, feels he doesn't need to. That matter is to be heard this week, or after Easter, ,I think . )

'''
Sources have told the ABC that Constable Rolfe's lawyers were served a letter several days ago, informing them the officer would be dismissed under section 78 of the NT Police Administration Act (the PAA).

Section 78 of the PAA relates to "public interest dismissal" and says a member of the police force may be immediately dismissed if the NT police commissioner is "of the opinion that the member has committed a breach of discipline and it is in the public interest that the member be immediately dismissed".

It also says the commissioner must have "taken into account any written response of the member made after service on the member of a notice under section 79".

On March 6, 2023, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter — whose portfolio includes the professional standards command — told the coronial inquest into the shooting that Constable Rolfe had been issued a section 79 notice under the PAA on February 26, 2023, asking him to respond to an alleged breach of discipline.

He told the inquest that notice related to a 2,500-word "opinion piece" attributed to Constable Rolfe that had been published online critizising the coronial inquest and his treatment by the police force.

In the 2,500-word statement, published in February, Constable Rolfe wrote that he had been issued a notice of the NT police force's intention to "medically retire" him.

During the inquest, Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter told the coroner that he had made that call.

"I formed the opinion that he had the inability to continue as a member of the police force," he told the inquest.

In the statement, Constable Rolfe wrote that he had been directed to attend an independent medical exam with a psychiatrist.

"The psych reported that I have no diagnosable issues, he believes I am right to return to work with a supported return to work plan," the statement read.

( so.. at a checkmate.. or stalemate. The NT police force holds the opinion that Rolfe is not welcome in the ranks, and Rolfe says he is perfectly sane and merely in need of some support at work ! ) ....

 

[JLZ]

Zachary Rolfe informed NT police force intends to dismiss him, sources say

Sources have told the ABC that Constable Zachary Rolfe has been issued a letter notifying him the NT police force intends to dismiss him.

www.abc.net.au

( a preliminary strike against Rolfe, by the NT police force, before the decision about his being made to answer questions he, Rolfe, feels he doesn't need to. That matter is to be heard this week, or after Easter, ,I think . )

'''
Sources have told the ABC that Constable Rolfe's lawyers were served a letter several days ago, informing them the officer would be dismissed under section 78 of the NT Police Administration Act (the PAA).

Section 78 of the PAA relates to "public interest dismissal" and says a member of the police force may be immediately dismissed if the NT police commissioner is "of the opinion that the member has committed a breach of discipline and it is in the public interest that the member be immediately dismissed".

It also says the commissioner must have "taken into account any written response of the member made after service on the member of a notice under section 79".

On March 6, 2023, NT Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter — whose portfolio includes the professional standards command — told the coronial inquest into the shooting that Constable Rolfe had been issued a section 79 notice under the PAA on February 26, 2023, asking him to respond to an alleged breach of discipline.

He told the inquest that notice related to a 2,500-word "opinion piece" attributed to Constable Rolfe that had been published online critizising the coronial inquest and his treatment by the police force.

In the 2,500-word statement, published in February, Constable Rolfe wrote that he had been issued a notice of the NT police force's intention to "medically retire" him.

During the inquest, Assistant Commissioner Bruce Porter told the coroner that he had made that call.

"I formed the opinion that he had the inability to continue as a member of the police force," he told the inquest.

In the statement, Constable Rolfe wrote that he had been directed to attend an independent medical exam with a psychiatrist.

"The psych reported that I have no diagnosable issues, he believes I am right to return to work with a supported return to work plan," the statement read.

( so.. at a checkmate.. or stalemate. The NT police force holds the opinion that Rolfe is not welcome in the ranks, and Rolfe says he is perfectly sane and merely in need of some support at work ! ) ....

Rolfe saying that isn't addressing the reason for the dismissal. He needs to show that the public would be safe if he returned to work, not just that he personally would be fine (with a little support).

 

[Trooper]

Rolfe saying that isn't addressing the reason for the dismissal. He needs to show that the public would be safe if he returned to work, not just that he personally would be fine (with a little support).

A moot point, now! he' s been dismissed. Those with clout must have decided that Rolfe was possibly not the best judge of his own capacity to renovate his own psyche and also, be capable of discovering any remnants of his propensity for obedience and ethics...

Zachary Rolfe formally dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force

NT Police confirms former constable Zachary Rolfe has been dismissed from the force "due to serious breaches of discipline".

www.abc.net.au

''''Zachary Rolfe has officially been dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force, a spokesperson has confirmed.

The ABC reported on Sunday the former officer's lawyers had been issued a 'section 78' dismissal notice late last week, but the NT Police's media manager said Mr Rolfe remained a serving member of the force.

The NT Police Force has now confirmed Mr Rolfe is no longer a serving member.

“A 31-year-old male police officer has been dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force effective 4th April 2023,” a statement from the NT Police Force said.

“The officer was dismissed under section 78 of the Police Administration Act 1978 due to serious breaches of discipline during their policing career.”

 

[Trooper]

And that conclusion reached by the NT police force would be gazetted throughout all Australian Police Orgs , including NZ, Britain, and Canada, and probably South Africa as well, which means that those police forces that stated they would not hire him as a police officer now have that as a legal basis to refuse him even the possibility of any interviews or applications.

Small victory for the people of Yuendumu, very small and probably never enough, but something. RIP Kuminjayi.

 

[Trooper]

Zachary Rolfe expected to appeal dismissal from Northern Territory police

His termination follows a statement he published criticising the force and his prosecution over the shooting of Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker

www.theguardian.com

''''Rolfe was charged with murder and two other charges relating to the shooting of Walker in the remote community of Yuendumu, but was found not guilty last year.

His father, Richard Rolfe, confirmed to the Guardian that lawyers for Rolfe planned to appeal against the notice. Rolfe is currently overseas.

His lawyer, Luke Officer, said in a statement issued late Tuesday: “Constable Rolfe’s intention is to appeal the decision and exercise the full legal options available to him challenging the validity of the decision, the failure to afford fairness and the process by which it was made, the lawfulness of the decision, and also the merits of the decision.'

( I reckon this appeal will fall over, before it gets to court, or shortly thereafter. Not many folks win up against an entire Police Force, and Rolfe is not a born winner, quite the opposite, interesting that his Dad is in the mix as well,, as he probably is forking out the cash for all this palaver. Rolfe is currently 'overseas' and unable , obviously , to speak for himself... .. )

'
The NT police confirmed in a short statement that a 31-year-old officer had been dismissed, with that dismissal effective from Tuesday.

“The officer was dismissed under section 78 of the Police Administration Act 1978 due to serious breaches of discipline during their policing career.”

No further details were provided.

'
The inquest previously heard that Rolfe was punished in June last year for four serious breaches of discipline relating to unauthorised interviews with the Australian newspaper and Seven network.


His punishment included a formal caution and being placed on a period of good behaviour for 12 months, Ian Freckelton KC, for the NT police, told the court. That good behaviour obligation remained in force at the time the statement attributed to Rolfe was published.
“Constable Rolfe could not have been under any illusion as to what his obligations were at the time that he saw fit to pen [that] communication,” Freckelton said.

Richard Rolfe said a section 78 notice had been issued by NT commissioner, Jamie Chalker, on Thursday confirming that his son would be dismissed for discipline breaches.

The following day, Chalker was reportedly asked to resign by the NT government.

The NT government, Chalker and the NT police have declined to comment on the commissioner’s future.

Chalker is currently on leave.

( Some high handed dagger work being done in the NT, for sure......)

 

[Trooper]

Suppression order lifted over controversial police report into death of Kumanjayi Walker

The report contains highly critical reviews of NT Police processes and concerns raised by prosecutors about the expert witnesses called in the murder case against former police officer Zachary Rolfe.

www.abc.net.au

''''''
Mr Rolfe deployed to Yuendumu on November 9, 2019, as part of the specialist Immediate Response Team [IRT], after local officers requested assistance from Alice Springs with a spate of break-ins and the arrest of Mr Walker.

Commander Proctor said the entire deployment showed "significant system failures" and that communication breakdowns between ranks meant the purpose of the IRT's callout to Yuendumu was unclear.

"The IRT should not have been allowed to deploy at the time they did," Commander Proctor wrote.

"No mention was made [in an initial brief to the IRT] of the family of Kumanjayi Walker being intermediaries to assist in him handing himself into police.

"The message and mission had dissipated into a mission of 'simply arrest Walker'."

''
The report also noted the IRT's Standard Operating Procedures stipulated members subject to disciplinary action would be stood down during their investigation.

Mr Rolfe, despite having "several internal matters under investigation" at the time Mr Walker was shot, was still deployed as part of the IRT.

Commander Proctor's report detailed several concerns about Mr Rolfe's behaviour as a junior officer in Alice Springs and the "systemic failures" in supervision and reporting of police use of force.

"The largest contributing factor … is the absence of an 'early intervention system' to enable the early identification of officers who are engaging in or demonstrating behaviours that are not appropriate of expected from an officer," Commander Proctor wrote.

( one dead young man, one 'officer behaving in a manner not appropriate ..... )

 

[Trooper]

''Commander Proctor was also highly critical of the Northern Territory Police Force's recruitment processes, which did not pick up on Mr Rolfe's failure to disclose his adverse military history.

The report found the force had stopped requesting information from military services because it would take "an excessive period of time", which Commander Proctor said brought into question the "integrity and rigour of the whole NT Police recruitment process".

One didn't need a crystal ball to surmise that Rolfe had been a problem to the Australian Army, long before he honed his skill at being a problem to the Northern Territory Police. He did not rise thru the ranks in the army and his leaving of it, under a cloud of some mysterious manner was about the best thing he did for the army. He had clout in Canberra thru his father being the supplier of luxury cars to various politicians, whom, it seems, agreed to keep Rolfe's unappealing behaviour in the Army, on deployment in Afghanistan, and on base in AU, under tight wraps.

He was unsuccessful in applying to a few State police forces, and utterly rejected by the Au Fed Police, but the NT force picked him up. no doubt relying on his army training to be of use to them. A bad decision , as it turns out, but a catastrophic decision for young Walker.

 

[Trooper]

Long-awaited police report on death of Kumanjayi Walker critical of ‘military police response’

Previously confidential report describes ‘warrior-like mentality’ among force that contained ‘vast over-representation of former military members’

www.theguardian.com

( informative article by the Guardian.)

''''
The original version of Proctor’s report was scathing about police culture in Alice Springs at the time of the shooting.

“By the 9 November 2019 the policing culture in Alice Springs had degenerated into a state where unacceptable police behaviour was allegedly being condoned by supervisors and senior police management,” Proctor wrote.

This statement does not appear in the final report published online on Thursday.''''


''''
However, in all versions, Proctor was critical of the “militarisation” of policing in the NT. In the decade to May 2020, he said, 192 of the 718 NTPOL recruits – about 26.4% – were former ADF personnel.

“This is a vast over-representation of former military members recruited to police the Northern Territory who do not proportionally represent the populace of the community they serve,” Proctor wrote.


( nearly 27% of the NT force are ex military... and that would be the military that has been under the cloud of war crimes, abuse of power, underperforming in Afghanistan, etc. )

I thought it was interesting that Rolfe 'left out' of his resume to the NT police his army experiences and service, if such it can be called. There must be a reason for that omission, and one that springs to mind is that his army service was unappealing to the general public, or even , weirdly enough, unappetising to the NT police force, which seems to be a final resting place for soldiers that are not reluctantly let go by the army. So it must have been bad, if he was shy about telling the NT police about his army days, bordering on being drummed out, or dishonorable discharge level of awfulness.