Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
NT police attacked in remote community
One police officer has been injured and others were forced to flee after a mob of people attacked them with rocks in the remote community of Wadeye overnight.
December 9, 2022
Northern Territory police officers have been attacked by a mob of people in a troubled remote Indigenous community, with one officer suffering a head injury.
Police were called to an incident in Wadeye, 400km southwest of Darwin on Thursday evening after a man was allegedly assaulted with an edged weapon.
A group of people allegedly threw rocks at the officers at the site, injuring a policewoman, who was struck in the forehead and suffered a 2cm cut.
The officers were forced to flee from the area but returned a short time later with more police, who helped disperse the mob.
The man, who had allegedly been assaulted was found at the site.
He suffered a cut to his leg and was taken to the local medical clinic for treatment, along with the injured officer.
Commander Kylie Anderson said police have been working “extraordinarily hard” to keep Wadeye residents safe.
“The fact that one of those residents chose to deliberately harm an officer is completely reprehensible and police are currently working to identify all those involved,” she said.
Wadeye is one of the largest Aboriginal communities in the NT, and home to about 3000 people from 22 clans and seven language groups.
It is also situated in one of the most disadvantaged regions in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and regularly suffers from violent unrest that requires significant police intervention.