The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 31-year-old man in relation to an assault police incident that occurred in Wadeye last night.
Around 9.30pm, two local police officers were conducting proactive patrols in Wadeye when they were notified of an ongoing disturbance nearby.
Police attended and observed a disturbance in the street involving a group of up to 15 people, during which a 31-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 48-year-old woman by pushing her to the ground.
The officers attempted to arrest the offender, who actively resisted arrest and attempted to disarm one of the officers of their taser, resulting in it falling to the ground. The taser was subsequently secured and not deployed.
While police were attempting to arrest the offender, several people swarmed the officers, and an unknown person struck them to their backs and one officer to the head. The group proceeded to allegedly armed themselves with rocks and blunt objects and began threatening the officers.
The officers secured the offender and transported him to a nearby police vehicle, disengaging from the group. Upon reaching the vehicle, the offender began to actively resist arrest again, allegedly assaulting an officer by striking her to her chest, indecently touching her, and attempting to grab her firearm. Retention of the firearm was maintained.
After a brief struggle, the offender was secured in the police vehicle. The police members did not sustain any injuries during the incident.
The 31-year-old man remains in custody and is expected to be charged later today with multiple offences. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force Michael Murphy said, “The recent behaviour we have seen towards police has been disgraceful.
“This is the third attack on our Wadeye members in as many days, and it is absolutely unacceptable that police have been assaulted once again while executing their duties to serve and protect the community.
“I am thankful that no one was seriously hurt during this incident, and I commend the two members involved for their professionalism in the way they managed a very challenging situation.
“I will be arranging for further police resources to be sent to the area, including the Tactical Response Group, the Territory Safety Division, and the Dog Operations Unit.
“We will be calling a meeting as soon as possible on Monday with the Northern Land Council, alongside our Community Resilience and Engagement Command Executive Director Leanne Liddle, among other community stakeholders and leaders, to ensure appropriate measures are swiftly implemented to address these very concerning issues in the community.
“We cannot tolerate this behaviour further and will support the community and relevant stakeholders to ensure action is taken immediately. The solution is not solely a police issue, the community has responsibility.”
