UN chief questions NT police behaviour

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the Northern Territory coroner’s inquiry into the death of Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 “uncovers disturbing allegations of institutional racism in Northern Territory policing and use of excessive force”.

“Findings by coroner reinforce urgent need for comprehensive reforms to address injustice suffered by First Nations peoples,” Mr Turk, an Austrian lawyer, posted on Twitter – X.

Mr Turk’s spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters in Geneva she expected the inquiry to “lead to quite a bit of soul-searching by the authorities to take measures”.

Ms Shamdasani said Australian authorities should evaluate whether further independent oversight was needed.

NT coroner Elisabeth Armitage found former policeman Zachary Rolfe “was racist”, and that the then-police officer worked in an organisation with the hallmarks of “institutional racism” in her report published last week.

The coroner also warned that there was a “significant risk” that Mr Rolfe’s racism and other attitudes affected his response “in a way that increased the likelihood of a fatal outcome”.

Rolfe was acquitted of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death by a jury in Darwin in 2022.