Police fury at trend in assaults

THE Far North’s police have again earned the unenviable title of being the punching bags of the state with a spiralling number of assaults on officers.

A day after a French tourist faced court for the alleged attack on a paramedic at a backpacker hostel, annual police figures show there have been 295 separate attacks on officers in the past 12 months, including incidents of punching, kicking and spitting.

Of those, 12 have resulted in the suspect being charged with assault occasioning bodily harm – one of the most serious classes of assault.

Far North police Acting Supt Rolf Straatemeier labelled the ongoing trend “completely unacceptable”.

But, he said, it was difficult to explain why the public’s attitude to officers was the worst in the state.

The Far North topped state figures just ahead of North Brisbane (276).

There were less than half the number of police assaults in Townsville last year.

It continued an ongoing trend, with the Far North leading the way on attacks on police during 2014/15.

The region also continues to lead the way in breaches of domestic violence orders.

However, Acting Supt Straatemeier said there was a statewide increase in domestic violence reporting with more victims having the courage to come forward.

“We’re trying to get it out there,” ’he said

“We’re asking women and men who are the subject of domestic violence to report it and we’ll do something about it.”

Property offences, particularly home break-ins and car thefts, continue to rise.

Acting Chief Superintendent Brett Schafferius said it was further evidence that Far North property owners needed to be alert.

“We urge the community to use all available security options on their property to prevent opportunistic thefts as a result of unlocked or unsecured property,” he said.

However, more positively, there has been a decrease in armed robberies (7 per cent), fraud (5.3 per cent) and liquor offences (1.7 per cent).