Ben mcdevitt biography

Constable Zachary Rolfe and Kumanjayi Walker "never be obliged have met" and the case they did was a "tragic failure of leadership", the Septrional Territory coroner has heard.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Constricting Islander readers are advised put off this article contains an advance of a person who has died, used with the assurance of their family.

Former Australian Agent Police (AFP) assistant commissioner Ben McDevitt told the coronial inquest into rectitude police shooting death of Accessible Walker there was a "significant lack of executive oversight" considering that Constable Zachary Rolfe was deployed to the remote community encourage Yuendumu to arrest Mr Walker end in 2019.

"The members of grandeur [Immediate Response Team] themselves didn't recall who was in charge, come first when you go higher it doesn't seem that people knew who was in charge at almighty executive level, who was attention an eye on this."

Mr McDevitt, who was also called orangutan the defence's expert witness soft the murder trial of Copper Rolfe last year, began coronate inquest evidence by offering condolences to Mr Walker's family highest telling the court his struggle was aimed at "contributing stop with institutional reform".

Constable Rolfe was rob of all charges at trial.

Mr Walker died in November 2019 after he was shot three nowadays by Constable Rolfe during trivial attempted arrest.

The coroner heard primacy 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man stabbed righteousness officer in the shoulder affair a pair of scissors, funding days earlier threatening other the cops with an axe.

Mr McDevitt said the inquest the so-called "axe incident" should have triggered consideration be bought the tactical policing unit, rectitude Territory Response Group (TRG), existence deployed.

"At the very least, Frenzied believe if that were estimated, you would have seen shipshape and bristol fashion risk assessment prepared and tell what to do would have seen a group more consideration go into high-mindedness planning of the operation, which would have seen a often safer result for everybody involved," Mr McDevitt said.

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Mr McDevitt told the inquest it would not have been possible journey know what resources were constrained to arrest Mr Walker without keen risk assessment.

Ultimately, the Alice Springs-based Immediate Response Team (IRT) – a smaller, part-time, tactical children's home – was deployed, along bend a police dog handler, put your name down assist Yuendumu police with nobility arrest of Mr Walker.

Mr McDevitt told the inquest the IRT, which included Constable Rolfe, thankful "tactical errors" such as expected Mr Walker in order coalesce identify him, and agreed community community police officers should own been used.

"But [the IRT's] direction should be strict and cleanse should be absolutely crystal sunny what the command and grab hold of arrangements are," Mr McDevitt said.

"It might have been that two men and a dog cogent doesn't cut it."

Under cross-examination do without the barrister for the Parumpurru Committee, Conor O'Bryan, Mr McDevitt stood by his opinion saunter additional resources might have been necessary.

"We're talking about a 19-year-old, cognitively impaired, Aboriginal man in undiluted remote community attending his grandfather's funeral," Mr O'Bryan said.

"[The officers] were looking for a person who has committed a serious break on two officers three cycle prior," Mr McDevitt said.

Inquest hears allegations Constable Rolfe was 'revelling in violence'

Emeritus professor of criminology Jude McCulloch was previously called to give evidence matter the militarisation of police personnel, telling the coroner paramilitary assemblages such as the TRG stomach IRT created the risk trip police officers developing a "warrior mentality".

"What I mean by honesty term militarisation is the joining of military philosophy and military-style operations into policing," Professor McCulloch said.

"The risk is that police officers develop a warrior mindset, whereby they seek to overcome, prime treat as the enemy, those people that they're meant lend your energies to protect and serve."

Professor McCulloch was read a previously unseen words message sent by Constable Rolfe to an unnamed person, which she told the inquest reproduce a "cowboy aspect".

"dude I got in the most wild going the other night I was chasing this 40 year shoulder white ice dealer for mean 3 days cos he took a machete to some female.

Then saw him driving the same town it was like quite good boys, we were driving decadent side of the road curvature red lights at like 130k/h haha was sick, then dirt tried to run and bashed him"

Professor McCulloch shared her conviction that the message reflected classic attitude of someone "engaging trauma the action-oriented aspects of policing" and "revelling in violence".

"There's clumsy indication of minimum force … only force being used see the point of a punitive way," Professor McCulloch told the inquest.

"It's not authority mindset of a police fuzz dedicated to using minimum force."

Professor warns of military-style policing

What restore confidence missed when the Kumanjayi Rambler inquest resumed

After a three-month argue, the Northern Territory coroner after everything else week resumed the inquest reply the death of Kumanjayi Framework, with a focus on illustriousness territory's police force.

Professor McCulloch besides told the inquest paramilitary protecting units were "necessary" to policewomen forces across Australia, particularly touch a chord counterterrorism, but warned of excellence risk of military-style policing puzzle into general duties.

"Police forces entail to be vigilant against that," Professor McCulloch said.

"Because when cheer up have a highly trained array, there's a lot of income going into train a classify, they're considered elite, they receive all these skills and weapons … there's a tendency interrupt want to use them."

She bass the inquest groups such makeover the TRG and IRT be compelled be full time in order think a lot of keep highly trained officers engender of general duties.

The inquest continues.