ATTACKED AS THEY WORK
Sickening rise in assaults on frontline council staff
ASSAULTS on frontline council staff such as parking officers, lifeguards and librarians have spiked 170 per cent in just five years, stunning city leaders.
The brazen attack on a parking inspector in Southport reported in last Thursday’s Bulletin was the 68th assault on council staff this year, already up on the 53 reported in 2013-14.
Assaults on parking inspectors alone has nearly doubled from 23 to 44, with two months still to run in the financial year. This compares with just 25 assaults in the 2010-2011 year.
Council chief executive Dale Dickson said the attacks were uncalled for.
“It is disappointing that a small minority within the community choose to act out against people undertaking their duties as City of Gold Coast employees,” he said.
“Many of our officers receive training in dealing with and recording confrontations and, if deemed necessary, incidents are reported to police.”
Among the measures city leaders have introduced are having parking inspectors patrol in pairs or groups, something which city hall says has been an “effective way of reducing incidents of verbal and physical abuse”.
It comes just three years after a 33 per cent lift in attacks on council officers be- tween 2011 and 2012 led city leaders to give council workers training in martial arts and self-defence.
Assaults and abuse of council officers also costs the city millions each year.
In 2012, the council spent nearly $27 million on risk management and $8.1 mil- lio lion on compensation costs.
Council Community Servi vices committee chairman Bo Bob La Castra condemned th the spate of attacks as “disgu gusting”.
“It is incredibly disapp pointing,” he said.
“These boofheads who do th this must understand that whether they like it or not, our staff are just normal people doing a job.”
The parking inspector att tacked on Wednesday was allegedly king-hit and then hit twice more after issuing a ticket.
A 19-year-old Southport man handed himself in to police on Thursday.
He was released watchhouse bail.
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