Northern Territory Police has accepted a report from a joint investigation with the Anti-Corruption Commission, that found 'mock awards' historically handed out to officers were "clearly racist". The report concluded there was no "admissible" evidence to investigate further, which has led some to challenge the findings and call for a wider investigation.
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00:00The investigation was prompted by allegations brought forward during the coronial inquest
00:06into the death of Indigenous teenager Kumunjai Walker.
00:10A lot of that evidence surrounded the culture and conduct within the elite TRG group within
00:16NT Police.
00:17And some of that evidence revolved around these mock awards that were handed out between
00:21officers up to 2015.
00:24Now in her report yesterday, former judge Patricia Kelly said that those awards were
00:29indeed racist in nature.
00:32However the investigation did go wider, it invited members of the force to come forward
00:36with their experiences of racism during their time serving with the force.
00:41And what came out of that were allegations against five police officers.
00:44However, because of the nature of the investigation, the complainants had anonymity and so Justice
00:51Kelly found there was no admissible evidence coming forward about those officers because
00:56the evidence against them was redacted.
00:58Now that's been well received, particularly by the NT Chief Minister who said yesterday
01:03that she always stood by the force when it comes to these allegations and that she effectively
01:08feels the matter has been put to bed.
01:11Commissioner Michael Murphy said in a statement that he had accepted that there had been past
01:15failings within the police but that they were committed to change.
01:19But it's the nature of the investigation and the fact it was limited for legal reasons
01:23that's led to questions around its efficacy.
01:26Jeswin Yorratnam is the NT Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.
01:30He told the ABC that it's clear that the report has not put allegations of racism within the
01:35force to bed.
01:36The word systemic, if you look at the report, is not at all found.
01:41So to say that it exonerates police from systemic discrimination perhaps is not accurate.
01:45The ABC also spoke to Dana Levitt, she's with the law firm that's brought a class action
01:50on behalf of Aboriginal police officers.
01:53And she says the notion that there's been no allegations of racism after 2015 is a nonsense.
02:00Her class action includes evidence that relates to right up to the present day.
02:06It includes racial stereotypes, it includes racial insults hurled around within the police
02:11force and she says that the fact that the investigation was limited in scope undermines
02:17its very nature.
02:18To suggest that they're imagining it, they're effectively gaslighting the Aboriginal community
02:24in the Northern Territory by saying your experiences didn't happen and don't matter.
02:31And I question the value of even publishing this report about nothing in the first place
02:38because it's meaningless and it's likely to be counterproductive.
02:43The NT ICAC has said repeatedly it does not have the resources to conduct a systemic,
02:48a wide review of the NT police force.
02:50The NT Anti-Discrimination Commissioner says his office wants to step forward and conduct
02:55such a review.
02:56It wants to help police understand the way it handles racism within its force, in recruitment,
03:02within officers and the way it deals with members of the public.