Kumanjayi Walker inquest: Aboriginal officer tells of ‘rough’ policing that ‘lacks respect’ in remote NT

Aboriginal community police officer Derek Williams told the inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death that aggressive policing tactics within remote NT communities could lead to a breakdown in relations between police and the community. Photograph: Aaron Bunch/AAP

The inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker has heard concerns from a senior Aboriginal officer about “rough” policing and racism in the Northern Territory police force.

Walker, 19, was shot three times by police officer Const Zachery Rolfe during an attempted arrest in the remote NT community of Yuendumu in November 2019. A jury in March found Rolfe not guilty of murder and two alternative charges after a six-week trial in the NT supreme court in Darwin.