Wild moment cop is allegedly violently assaulted in the middle of a press conference where police were promising to crack down on crime scourge
- Senior Sergeant Gary Hunter was addressing media
- As he did, another cop allegedly attacked off-camera
- The police officer suffered facial injuries in the random attack
A police officer has allegedly been assaulted in the middle of a press conference about Queensland‘s crime wave.
Queensland Police Senior Sergeant Gary Hunter was addressing media in Cairns, in the far north of the state, on Monday morning when the random attack occurred.
He was discussing a new police operation to tackle drug-fuelled violence in Cairns when shouts broke out.
Behind the watching media, another police officer was allegedly randomly attacked by a man as Sergeant Hunter watched on in shock.
Eventually, the man was tackled to the ground by five police officers and restrained
Five officers tackled the man to the ground, as shouts of ‘hands behind your back’ rang out.
The man, 68, refused to give a name as he was eventually restrained.
He was then taken away in a police paddy wagon, with one officer suffering facial injuries in the alleged assault.
The man has been charged with one count of seriously assaulting a police officer.
He is due to appear in Cairns Magistrates Court on March 16.
The press conference saw Senior Sergeant Hunter addressing alcohol-fuelled violence in the city.
The man was taken away in a police paddy wagon, with one officer suffering facial injuries in the alleged assault
The press conference saw Senior Sergeant Hunter addressing alcohol-fuelled violence in the city
‘Today, police are launching Operation Victor Craven, which primarily focuses on alcohol-fuelled violence,’ Hunter said.
‘We’ll be targeting the Cairns CBD and the Cairns Esplanade precinct.’
It comes after thousands of residents and community leaders across north Queensland called on the state government to introduce a banned drinker register (BDR) and other measures to curb alcohol-fuelled violence.
This month, Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill, Cairns Mayor Bob Manning, and Mount Isa Mayor Danielle Slade all wrote a letter on the issue to Deputy Premier Steven Miles.
