Top cop to apologise to Indigenous community

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this article contains mentions of deceased persons.

Northern Territory Police will make an apology over injustices and harms caused to Indigenous Australians by the force.

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy announced he’ll make an apology at The Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures in Gulkula, northeast Arnhem Land, on Saturday.

“I’ll be speaking to a crowd in the ceremony area and basically recognising the injustices and the harms that Northern Territory police have been involved in the previous 154 years,” he told the ABC on Saturday.

“It’s about recognising that, owning it so we can move forward and unite and look at that healing and reconciliation into the future to work together for better outcomes for community safety.”

He said the answer is working together to look for better outcomes for all community members, noting the high rates of incarceration for Indigenous people.

“It will be an apology for a number of our involvements in positions and some of our activities that we’ve undertaken as the Northern Territory Police in the past,” he said.

It comes amid a coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, who was shot dead in his Alice Springs bedroom by NT police officer Zachary Rolfein in November 2019.

Mr Rolfe fired three shots after Mr Walker stabbed him with a pair of scissors.

Mr Murphy said the inquest had led police to “reflect” on the whole history of the NT police and come to the conclusion that change must be made.

“It’s a time to make a change. We need to own our past,” he said.

“As the commissioner of police, I’m responsible for the leadership of the agency and the future of it and where we’re headed and this is a real opportunity to seize on that and make a difference for the future and make it a different place.”

Speaking with the community, Mr Murphy said there has been “a lot of hurt” and anger, sparking the need to “do something different”.

Director of the NT’s Aboriginal Justice Agreement and Central Arrernte woman Leanne Liddle said the timing of the apology is “right”, and that it will contribute towards healing the hurt made to the Indigenous community.

“I think we need to recognise that there’s been damage and hurt and pain by Aboriginal people, and the apology will do something towards healing that,” she said on the ABC.

Ms Liddle said she’d be joining an anti-racism strategy to increase the number of Indigenous people in the NT Police force by 30 per cent, as well as bringing in Indigenous language speakers into triple-zero call centres.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. This isn’t going to change overnight, it’s going to take time,” she said.

“People will need to be patient. But I didn’t take this role on lightly.

“I didn’t accept it for a very long time because I had to make sure that the leadership was there, that my ability to do the work that I’ve been asked to do is able to get done. I’m confident that we will get there.”