Northern Territory Acting Police Commissioner Martin Dole has admitted "all forms of racism have existed within the NT Police Force", describing the findings of the Kumanjayi Walker inquest as "confronting" and pledging to stamp it out of the organisation.
His comments come after Coroner Elisabeth Armitage concluded Australia's longest-running coronial inquest by finding that former officer Zachary Rolfe is a racist and that the NT Police Force exhibited "significant hallmarks of institutional racism".
Mr Walker, a 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man, was shot three times by Mr Rolfe during a failed arrest in Yuendumu in November 2019. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in a Supreme Court trial in 2022.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mr Dole said the inquest's findings and evidence — including racist messages sent by Mr Rolfe to other officers — were reflective of a broader issue in the force's culture, calling it a "truth that we must face".
"I acknowledge that all forms of racism have existed within the NT Police Force at various times, and that this was borne out in the evidence received during this inquest," he said.
"What was tolerated in the past will no longer be acceptable. We are committed to stamping out racism in all its forms and making this a safer, fairer organisation for everybody."
Mr Dole said he would honour a previous commitment made by former Commissioner Michael Murphy — who last year apologised to Aboriginal Territorians for "the past harms and the injustices caused by members of the Northern Territory Police" — to apologise to the Yuendumu community.
On Mr Walker's death, Mr Dole said: "Every member of the Northern Territory Police Force, we acknowledge the deep hurt that followed the events of the 9 November 2019 and the long inquest that followed. I extend my sincere sympathy to Kumanjayi Walker's loved ones and thank every witness and community member who contributed to the coroner's findings."
While he did not commit to implementing any specific recommendations made by Coroner Armitage — 18 of which relate directly to NT Police — Mr Dole said they "deserve to be considered properly, thoroughly and with the seriousness that they warrant".
The NT Police response, he said, "will take time" and would be done in consultation with the government and NT Police cultural reform director Leanne Liddle, to determine "what's practical and what can be implemented into the future".
Coroner Armitage rejected the idea that the problem was isolated to one individual, arguing: "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," she said.
Ms Liddle said the findings were "not new to many Aboriginal people," but "what matters now is how we respond". South Australia's first Aboriginal policewoman argued that whilst there was a long way to go, she had seen "meaningful change" across the NT Police.
"It's visible in the conversations being had, the leadership being shown, and the commitment by many officers to do better, be better and serve better," Ms Liddle said.
"We are working to rebuild trust, not through words alone, but through sustained partnerships, presence and culturally informed community policing.
"The past cannot be undone, but the future is ours to shape."
Ms Liddle said a "dedicated anti-racism strategy" was in its final stages and awaiting approval, which she labelled "not just a document," but a "practical roadmap to confront, prevent and eliminate racism in all its forms".
"It will hold us accountable and ensure that equity, respect and cultural competence are embedded across every level of the organisation," she said.
She also confirmed internal disciplinary action was being taken in some cases involving racism, though she couldn't provide details.
"We believe that once we reform the culture of the police force, that it will become far more attractive for Aboriginal people to be the change agents that we need within the Northern Territory Police Force to move forward," Ms Liddle said.
Mr Dole echoed that sentiment, saying, "we know we must listen more closely to our remote communities — not just listen, but listen, hear, and act".
"That includes seriously re-examining how we return to a meaningful version of community policing — one that reflects the needs and expectations of Aboriginal people and builds trust at a local level," he said.
