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An off-duty police officer has suffered facial fractures after allegedly being kicked in the head during a violent attack in Perth’s CBD.
The 36-year-old was approached by a 16-year-old at Perth Train Station around 11.15pm on Saturday when an altercation broke out.
Public Transport Authority officers intervened but the teenager followed, allegedly kicking the officer to the ground outside a McDonald’s on William Street.
The officer suffered a fractured eye socket and nose and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.
The teenager was later tracked down, arrested and charged. He was released on bail on Sunday.
The city attack comes as the state government announces a four-month blitz — $3.5 million to fund 38,500 extra policing hours targeting the worst crime hotspots.
“It gives police great flexibility to deploy numbers to a particular location at a particular point in time,” Acting WA Police Commissioner Gary Dreibergs said.
Non-family related assaults in Northbridge, an inner city suburb in Perth, have risen from 53 in July to 63 in September. In the same period in Fremantle it’s spiked from 14 to 53.
In the northern coastal suburb of Hillarys — the scene of two one-punch attacks this month — the number of assaults has grown from 33 last year to 46 so far in 2021.
Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas is urging city-goers to show more responsibility.
“This time and day and age of going out, getting written off and going out and doing whatever you think you can do, those days are over, the community has had enough of that,” Mr Zempilas said.
Police already have the power to bar offenders from licensed venues for 12 months.
But with businesses still struggling to contain assaults inside venues, the state government has revealed it is considering stronger legislation to permanently ban people from entire entertainment precincts.
The opposition is hopeful the summer city crackdown will be replicated across the state.
“I am hearing some very scary stories from Fitzroy Crossing, Carnarvon, in my own electorate we have a shortage of police officers,” opposition leader Mia Davies said.
Source: 9News
