The Northern Territory's top cop says he's unsure if a police officer recently found not guilty of murder while on duty will ever be able to return to work.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker today fronted media for the first time since he read a brief statement and refused to answer questions shortly after Constable Zachary Rolfe's acquittal almost a fortnight ago.
Rolfe was found not guilty of murdering 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker when he shot the Warlpiri man three times during an attempted arrest in the remote Central Australian community of Yuendemu in November 2019.
A marathon five-week Supreme Court trial heard he fired his weapon after being stabbed in the shoulder by Kumanjayi Walker with a pair of scissors.
Rolfe, a former Australian Defence Force soldier who served in Afghanistan, was also acquitted on alternate charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death.
Mr Chalker remained tight-lipped on whether Constable Rolfe had a future with NT Police, or if he was subject to any ongoing disciplinary matters.
"You'll appreciate that I can't make comment in relation to individual police officers and matters that are currently underway," he said.
"Any matters that are subject to disciplinary behavior are kept at arm's length from the Commissioner. The Professional Standards Command has control of those things. If they've got processes to follow, they'll follow them."
Mr Chalker also said he had no part in the decision to charge Constable Rolfe with murder, four days after the shooting.
NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker
The Northern Territory Police Association and the Country Liberal Party Opposition have been calling for an independent inquiry into events leading up to Constable Rolfe being charged.
Mr Chalker said he always remained "at arm's length" from the investigation.
"And that continues to this day. The matter to charge was a matter between the investigation team and DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) - I was as shocked as anyone," he said.
"I completely reject any inference that I was in a meeting with the Chief Minister and the Director of Public Prosecutions is simply not true. It did not happen.
"What is greatly concerning to me, because I've received further advice since that time, is that Constable Rolfe unfortunately believes that to be categorically true and that is deeply sad for me, it's deeply sad for our police force and it should be deeply sad to the community of the Northern Territory."
The NT coroner will hold an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of Mr Walker's death in Alice Springs in September.
