Overhauling an organisation with the "hallmarks of institutional racism" - while facing a government that denies such racism exists - is one of the "hardest jobs I've ever had to do in my life," says Northern Territory Police Cultural Reform Command Director, Leanne Liddle.
On Thursday, after years of criticism over racism within the force, the NT Police launched their first-ever anti-racism strategy. Led by Ms Liddle, the initiative follows widespread revelations of racism which emerged during the inquest into the 2019 death of 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker.
Aboriginal Territorians have long shared experiences of racism at the hands of police, but the issue gained national attention during the inquest, when evidence was presented of racist "games" and "awards" within the force.
Speaking to ABC's Stateline, Ms Liddle - a former police officer in South Australia - said there was no denying the problem.
"Racism exists in our police force, and we need to fix it," she said.
The Arrernte woman emphasised real change must come from the majority, noting it "isn't an Aboriginal issue, this is actually everybody's issue".
"The heavy lifting is going to have to come from the non-Aboriginal people both inside and outside of the police force because that's where a lot of the power and the privilege sits and where the decisions are made," she said.
The charge of systemic racism has been rejected by the Country Liberal Party (CLP) Government. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who also holds the Police Minister portfolio, has repeatedly dismissed such claims, telling reporters last month she didn't accept "the premise" of a question about systemic racism in the NT Police.
Ms Liddle said systemic racism is more difficult to identify than overt racism, as it is embedded in practices and institutions. She said she has witnessed "lots of cases of racial profiling" involving Aboriginal people by serving officers.
"A lot of people have difficulty in understanding what systemic racism looks like and how it sits in agencies, particularly agencies like the police force," she told the ABC.
"People might align certain characteristics and therefore have biases in front of them that, you know, 'Aboriginal people are heavy drinkers, they don't look after their kids'.
"The stereotypes are layered, and it's something I've seen whilst I've been working with police."
Last year, former Police Commissioner Michael Murphy apologised to Aboriginal Territorians for "the past harms and the injustices caused by members of the Northern Territory Police".
"I know that I can't change or undo the past, but as police commissioner alongside our police officers, we can commit to not repeat the mistakes and injustices of the past," he said at Garma. "Northern Territory Police need to be accountable for the past treatment of Aboriginal people."
Ms Liddle said the "degrading" and "demoralising" behaviour of racism could no longer be tolerated in 2025.
"The old police force that once allowed this behaviour perhaps to go unaddressed and for people not to be held accountable for it, is no longer the police force that we have moving forward," she said.
Kumanjayi Walker's cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown, told National Indigenous Times last year that racism towards Aboriginal Territorians from police "has been something that has existed forever".
"I think when you work within the police force, it's hard for us to believe that anybody within the police force doesn't know that racism exists, because it comes across so obviously to us, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," she said.
During the Walker inquest, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found Zachary Rolfe - who shot and killed Mr Walker and was found not guilty in a 2022 Supreme Court trial - was "racist," and that he "worked in and benefited from an organisation with the hallmarks of institutional racism".
The CLP Government has not formally responded to the findings but has criticised the length and cost of the inquest and flagged changes to the Coroner's Act.
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The Coroner found racist attitudes were entrenched within parts of the NT Police, identifying "grotesque" examples of racism within the specialist Territory Response Group which were ignored by then-commissioner Murphy.
Five senior officers told the court the so-called "C**n of the Year" award held no racist connotations.
An investigation by the Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (OICAC) into racism in the force found "no admissible evidence" the five officers lied to the court, but concluded "any person of reasonable intelligence" would recognise evident racism in the series of informal awards for "C**N of the year".
In response, Ms Finocchiaro said: "The CLP has never supported the view that there is systemic racism within the Northern Territory police force."
During a parliamentary debate on police oversight and deaths in custody last month, Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley falsely claimed that Independent Justine Davis had called NT Police "untrustworthy" and said comments from the Human Rights Commissioner - which argued police have "often been the agents of this injustice" - were "embarrassing".
The first stage of the anti-racism plan, to be rolled out by 2027, will tackle racism "in all its forms". It focuses on four key areas: "serve and protect," "eliminate racism," "represent and reflect our Territory," and "be accountable".
It also sets a target to boost Aboriginal employment to 30 per cent - reflecting the NT's Indigenous population - and to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and victims of racism.
Ms Liddle told the ABC while there has been support from within the organisation, there has also been resistance from those under investigation for racism against Aboriginal Territorians.
"It's not a nice, pleasant experience to allege racism, let alone define that it has occurred," she said.
In July, she confirmed internal disciplinary action was underway in some racism cases, though she could not provide details. Asked again, she said she couldn't share numbers, but added, "It keeps me busy, how's that".
"At the moment I am seeing more good police officers than bad police officers and I think I want those bad racist police officers to be the minority," she said.
"I've had police officers who have been gifted or taken artefacts from communities - that might have been 10-15 years ago - return those items to me because they know it wasn't theirs to take."
