An assistant commissioner who oversaw the murder investigation into Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe and who was previously based in Yuendumu has told the coroner he did not have a conflict of interest in the matter.
At the inquest into the death of Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker, Assistant Commissioner Martin Dole rejected allegations of political interference and bias in the decision to charge Constable Rolfe four days after he fatally shot the 19-year-old in an attempted arrest in 2019.
Constable Rolfe was earlier this year found not guilty of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death, after a Supreme Court trial.
Accusations of political interference in the decision to charge Constable Rolfe have previously been made by the opposition Country Liberal Party (CLP) and the NT Police Association.
Assistant Commissioner Dole confirmed to the coroner he spent part of his childhood in Kumanjayi Walker's home community of Yuendumu and had a close kinship relationship with members of the 19-year-old's family.
He said he could see how there a could be a "perceived conflict of interest" in his involvement in the investigation into Constable Rolfe.
But he said his relationships had no impact on his decision-making and he "made no investigative decisions."
"I think that if anyone has any knowledge of the kinship system… it doesn't in fact mean that you're a family member [in the non-Warlpiri way]," Assistant Commissioner Dole said.
The officer also told the court NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker had "absolutely" no involvement in the investigation.
'Tension' created for police by cultural payback
Assistant Commissioner Dole, who returned to Yuendumu as an adult to work, told the coroner there had "always been a conflict" for police when it came to "cultural payback" in remote Indigenous communities.
The inquest has previously heard payback is a traditional form of punishment under Warlpiri justice, or "parumpurru", which in the case of Kumanjayi Walker's death called for "a spear across the legs" of Constable Zachary Rolfe.
Assistant Commissioner Dole told the court he had seen payback in two remote communities as a police officer.
"It's always been a difficult thing to navigate," Assistant Commissioner Dole said.
"There was always a tension between the community needs and police [to respect] the culture… and our oath of office to protect and preserve life."
The inquest into the death of Mr Walker, which began in September, is expected to continue for the next two weeks before breaking for the holiday season.
Further hearings are expected in the new year.
