Man, 23, charged after allegedly bashing police officer to the head with a brick during arrest in Carnarvon

Senior police have condemned a “disgusting” violent attack on a young police officer who had only been on the beat for three weeks before he was allegedly bludgeoned over the head with a brick. Police say the officer was on duty in the Carnarvon suburb of Brockman and responding to a report that a person was trespassing when he was allegedly attacked about 4.10am on Saturday. It is alleged the 23-year-old accused was standing in a resident’s backyard with his hands behind his back before he hit the 19-year-old police officer in the head with a brick. Police allegedly had to taser the accused to restrain him during the arrest. The police officer had only graduated from the police academy and commenced work as a police officer three weeks ago. Carnarvon police officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Paul Tolan said it was the seventh assault on a police officer in the last month, with five of those caused by one person. “The people are fully aware of it,” he said. “It’s not an issue for the whole community, It’s just one or two individuals that we’ve got in town that have no respect for the law and no respect for police officers.” Sen. Sgt Tolan said the 19-year-old’s injuries could have been a lot worse and the “young and keen” officer had since returned to work. “It was a bit of a shock for him coming up from Perth and just going through the academy and then graduating and coming straight to Carnarvon and being assaulted with a brick, but he’s in pretty good spirits, considering what could have happened,” he said WA Police Union President Paul Gale said the branch was “disgusted” by the alleged incident. “As always, we are disgusted that Police doing their job are treated like this,” he said. “Assaulting a police officer trying to protect their community and enforce the law is unacceptable. “We implore the magistrate that resides over this offender’s actions to hand out a sentence that is appropriate and provides police the confidence that the judicial system will support them.” It comes after WA Police Union members rejected the Cook Government’s latest pay offer, labelling it “insulting” and that officers felt “ignored and overlooked” for the work they were doing, according to a survey of over 3000 Union members. The government’s latest offer included 5 per cent rise in the first year, followed by a 3.5 per cent increase the year after and a 3 per cent rise in the third year. However, the Union wants a two-year deal consisting of an 8.5 per cent rise in the first year, followed by a 5 per cent wage hike. The accused has been charged with assaulting a public officer. He has been remanded in custody to appear in Carnarvon Magistrates Court on October 21.