Current Police Officer Zachary Rolfe found not guilty of the murder of Kumanjayi Walker - NT

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Rob R

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Aug 17, 2009
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I've never heard anybody use this kind of language for aboriginal persons, not even when I've been working remote or stuck in outback towns but here the cops are. And it's the Sergeant.

A Senior Northern Territory Police officer has told the coronial inquest into the shooting death of an Aboriginal man he as "no excuse" for using a racial slur in a text message to Zachary Rolfe, sent four months before Mr Rolfe shot Kumanjayi Walker.

Sergeant Lee Bauwens was the officer in charge of the tactical Immediate Response Team [IRT], that then-constable Zachary Rolfe was a part of when he deployed to Yuendumu on the night Mr Walker was killed.

I heard it used once at Shennanigans on Mitchell St, before anyone could react an older military bloke in our group got up and punched the bloke in the face.

He then told us he will not tolerate anyone saying it because he saw the full horror of its use when he visited Eglin air force (Florida) base in the late 80s and was invited to go c**n shooting on the weekend and naively asked why anyone would shoot raccoons only to find out how evil the people he thought were normal actually were.

In his words, if you use that sort of language about a human being, you are the one who isn't human.

I will admit, I thought the case against Rolfe wasn't strong (in a legal sense at the time) but the SGT shouldn't have a job and there is clearly a rot in the place. There is certainly no doubt Rolfe should have been sacked before the shooting.

On SM-A125F using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

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I'd have thought racist language was behaviour.

"I haven't seen a lot of racist behaviour, but racist language was normalised in the NT Police Force," Mr Rolfe told the court.

"In the muster room… I could hear something racist every day.

"Racist language is used everywhere."
 

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