Constable Zachary Rolfe says the Northern Territory police force intends to "medically retire" him, in a lengthy public statement released days before the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker resumes.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Constable Rolfe shot and killed Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker during an attempt to arrest the 19-year-old in the remote community of Yuendumu in November 2019.
He was acquitted of murder, manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death, after a jury last year found he acted in self-defence when he shot Mr Walker, after being stabbed in the shoulder with a pair of scissors.
In a 2,500-word statement Constable Rolfe alleged there was "blatant and obvious" bias in the investigations into the shooting of Kumanjayi Walker.
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has previously rejected such allegations and said the investigation which led to Constable Rolfe being charged with murder was "normal".
Constable Rolfe also said he has been notified by NT Police that it intends to medically retire him.
He said the agency has now "decided that they will attempt to medically retire me due to "mental health"," Constable Rolfe said.
"I was directed to attend an independent medical exam with a psychiatrist; the psych reported that I have no diagnosable issues, he believes I am right to return to work with a supported return to work plan."
He said NT Police "has refused to offer that plan and instead has served me with notice of their intent."
NT Police said they will not comment on internal ongoing matters, and a spokesperson for NT Police said they will continue to respect the coronial process.
Constable Rolfe told the coroner, when he briefly appeared in November, he had been on sick leave since the inquest began two months earlier.
He had returned to work in July last year, following his trial, but said he had been "banned from all police stations" and was working in a non-uniformed role in the Darwin CBD.
NT Police Association president, Paul McCue, who has supported Constable Rolfe since the shooting, said NT Police had the power to retire officers if it believed they were "not fit to discharge, suited to perform, or capable of efficiently performing" their duties.
"If the member is not determined to be totally and permanently incapacitated, but unable to perform their normal duties because of a physical or mental condition, the Commissioner shall take whatever steps he considers reasonable and practicable to facilitate the member resuming those duties or take such other action under [the Police Administration Act] as the Commissioner thinks appropriate," Mr McCue said.
Constable Rolfe also said he was issued an additional disciplinary notice for "daring to speak out about the poor treatment [he has] received" from NT Police.
The ABC understands the notice related to media interviews Constable Rolfe took part in after he was acquitted.
Officer defends racist 'playground language'
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage has been presiding over a long-running coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, which is scheduled to resume next week after a three-month break.
Constable Rolfe was expected to be called to give evidence when the inquest resumes, but last year launched legal action in a bid to be excused from answering questions which he argued could lead to disciplinary action.
He is now scheduled to front the inquest in July, pending a supreme court appeal of a decision compelling him to take the stand.
Throughout the coronial inquest, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage heard evidence of text exchanges with other officers uncovered on Constable Rolfe's phone in which Mr Rolfe spoke of "towelling up locals" and other officers referred to "bush c**ns" and "n***as".
The messages were among 14 topics the officer declined to answer questions on when he was called to give evidence to the inquest last year.
In his statement, Constable Rolfe said he said he had been unfairly painted as a "racist, violent cop" and said the messages had been selected out of thousands. He apologised for the language he sometimes used, admitting what he called "playground language" was "crass", "rude" and that "most [people] would find it offensive."
"But I use it in private with no intention to harm, with others who understand this. I have used rude and racist terms regarding nearly every race, most often my own. I have done so in private with others with a shared background, I should not use these terms, and I'm sorry for using them," Constable Rolfe said.
"When private texts are made public, they become meaningful because others put their own value in words, and it cannot be controlled."
The officer maintained the messages had "nothing to do with the death of Kumanjayi Walker" and that when he fired his Glock three times during the arrest of the man in 2019, he "did not think about [Mr Walker's] race, upbringing or his past trauma."
"I thought about defending my partner's life, and that's what I did. In a different state, I would have got a medal for it, and none of you would ever have known my name," Constable Rolfe said.
Rolfe 'loved' being a cop
The officer said he had been given "remedial advice" from NT Police about his actions on the night Kumanjayi Walker was killed, following his acquittal for murder.
"Millions of dollars, thousands of wasted hours, exacerbated trauma for families and community, only for the result to be an email to be providing me with remedial advice," Constable Rolfe said in his statement.
Constable Rolfe said he “loved” being a police officer and took on the job to help and protect people, writing about interactions with children and suicidal members of the public whilst on duty.
“If all you know of me is through the media then you see me as a violent thug, an ex-soldier with a past,” Constable Rolfe said.
“You don’t see all the countless people I’ve done my best to help."
The officer said he made “no apologies” for doing his job and maintained the use-of-force incidents aired throughout the coronial inquest were presented "out of context".
Constable Rolfe's father, Richard Rolfe, told the ABC his son had left Australia to travel overseas for "a couple of months".
"I do have concerns about his mental health, I think he needs a break," Mr Rolfe said.
He alleged the police force had been "piling pressure" on the 30-year-old constable, with recent disciplinary proceedings leaving him with "serious concerns" for his son's mental wellbeing.
Mr Rolfe said he was believed Constable Rolfe will return to Australia before he is scheduled to give evidence to the inquest at the end of July.
