Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has showed no contrition for the problems facing the NT Police force and downplayed the results of a damning survey that found 80 per cent of police respondents had no confidence in him, in his first media interview in more than five months.

Mr Chalker rejected the need for a parliamentary inquiry into the “crisis” currently gripping the police force, following the NT Police Association member survey that found that on top of the lack of confidence in the commissioner, that other issues such as staffing, high attrition, low morale, poor disciplinary processes and mental health and well-being also needed to be addressed.

Mr Chalker said he was not surprised by the results of the survey, but suggested that “a number voted that they do have confidence”.

That figure was 20 per cent of 1,044 respondents, with nearly 80 per cent saying they did not have confidence in him continuing in the role.

“It wasn’t unexpected given the period of time that we’ve had,” he told Mix 104.9 about the no-confidence vote.

“If you look at the totality, we’ve got a strength of about 1630 police officers. So those results, when you look at it really, close to 50 per cent have expressed that no confidence.

“Nearly 50 per cent either didn’t participate, and that was one of the clear messages that the NTPA President provided to people, is he knew that people didn’t agree with it. And a number voted that they do have confidence. So there’s a balance in that.”

In fact, the online survey was completed by 1044 police officers of 1608 members the NTPA said at the time were eligible to participate in the survey. It was the second highest total participation rate in the history of the NTPA.

Mr Chalker added that the low morale identified in the survey was because of “Yuendumu” being “front and centre”, referring to the rush to charge Constable Zach Rolfe with the murder of Kumanjayi Walker in November 2019.

“But what was also very prominent in the survey was the wage policy and that was a very overwhelming message and but all of those linked to morale,” he said.

“There’s no doubt our people did enormous, heavy lifting over the last two and half years, certainly in the COVID response.”

Asked about still having 50 per cent of rank-and-file officers having no confidence in him, Mr Chalker said that was an issue of the “messaging going out”.

“And unfortunately, people know this, I’m very limited in what I can say,” he said. “And that still remains the case today. The coronial commences on Monday, that’s been the subject of much reporting.

“Certainly a lot of social media opinion and commentary, much of it inaccurate. I know Paul [McCue NTPA president] spoke the other day about some of the inaccuracies that have been going on with some other things more recently. So it’s very difficult to be able to overcome a lot of that rumour.”

He added people who “have been impacted by the COVID mandates” have unfairly criticised him as well.

Mr Chalker then went on to describe the response to COVID-19 and that the police response to the pandemic had slowed his progress to introduce reforms to health and well-being matters for police, but that he was working towards addressing that and the other issues raised by members.

Asked if he had been involved in interfering with the investigation into Constable Rolfe, or if any of his executive had, Mr Chalker said there “was no interference from me”.

Mr Chalker also said he could not comment on the NT Independent’s reports that Constable Rolfe had been banned from attending police premises despite being reinstated to the force, due to claims from three officers involved in the failed murder case against him that they would be “triggered” if they saw him in a police station.

“I can’t comment on individuals,” he said. “He’s entitled to his privacy as well.”

Mr Chalker said he had been having conversations with “my commissioned officers, the superintendents and above” about what they want to see done to improve the police force and acting on that. He also said police were working hard to address the ongoing crime issues across the Territory.

Mr Chalker later said the upcoming coronial inquiry into the death of Kumanjayi Walker would “critique” the police before his “return” to the agency as Commissioner in November 2019.

“We know the next period for this coronial is going to have some bumps in the road that’s foreseeable,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure that we get everybody through that as much as we can and ensure that that sets the direction for the agency going forward because again, that will critique everything that occurred prior to my return here. And that’s what we’ve got to work on.”

He added he would not be resigning as Commissioner.