Racism complaint by three Aboriginal police is a ‘positive step’: NT top cop

Commissioner Michael Murphy said it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the case, but the police force was “invested in cultural reform”.

“What I can say is that it is a positive step for NT Police that members have the confidence to speak up about issues such as racism,” he said in a statement.

The complaint follows Murphy’s public apology in August to Indigenous Territorians for past harms and injustices caused by members of the NT police.

This apology was offensive to Aboriginal community police officers because it implied they had been complicit in the system, Levitt said.

“It was a blanket apology about racist conduct by the NT police,” she said.

“It didn’t distinguish between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members of the force … the way it was worded caught them up in the apology themselves, and they don’t have anything to apologise for.”

The lawyers said they plan to pursue the matter in the federal court if mediation is unsuccessful.