The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) has expressed outrage following a violent and unprovoked attack on three Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers at Perth Airport on Monday, 13 January 2025. The assault left one officer hospitalised with stab-related injuries.
AFPA President Alex Caruana condemned the attack, emphasising its severity and the risks police officers face in the line of duty.
WARNING: This media release contains images some people may find distressing.
“Firstly, our thoughts are with the injured officer, their family, and colleagues. The AFPA stands ready to support these members as needed,” said Mr. Caruana
“This incident is yet another example of police officers being assaulted while carrying out their duties. It could have ended tragically, with a police officer not returning home alive. Police officers and other first responders should not have to face violence and assault while serving the community. In this case, the officer was incredibly fortunate to avoid injuries that could have ended their career or life.
“To be clear, this individual attacked uniformed police officers, causing significant harm to one officer, who narrowly avoided permanent injury or loss of life. Such assaults have both physical and psychological repercussions for the victims and their colleagues,” Mr Caruana said.
With a federal election on the horizon, the AFPA will call on all sides of politics to introduce mandatory sentencing for offenders convicted of the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to Commonwealth public officials, with a focus on law enforcement appointees (Division 147 of the Criminal Code 1995) as part of its election campaign.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said there is little point in increasing maximum penalties when the judicial system won’t apply them.
“It doesn’t matter if the maximum penalty is two or 50 years. Courts hardly ever impose a maximum penalty for any sentence. To effect change and introduce a real and meaningful deterrence, amendments to Division 147 of the Criminal Code 1995 need to be introduced to set a minimum period a convicted offender sits inside a prison cell for assaulting a Commonwealth police officer.
“I hope the Western Australia judiciary takes this incident more seriously than the ACT judiciary. Recently, we had a female officer assaulted and sustained significant facial bruising and a mild traumatic brain injury due to the actions of the offender. The offender received only a 12-month good behaviour order, three months of probation, and no conviction recorded. Unsurprisingly, the Director of Public Prosecutions didn’t appeal this sentence and has let down police officers and other first responders in the ACT with this decision,” Mr Caruana said.
For comments:
AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) has expressed outrage following a violent and unprovoked attack on three Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers at Perth Airport on Monday, 13 January 2025. The assault left one officer hospitalised with stab-related injuries.
AFPA President Alex Caruana condemned the attack, emphasising its severity and the risks police officers face in the line of duty.
WARNING: This media release contains images some people may find distressing.
“Firstly, our thoughts are with the injured officer, their family, and colleagues. The AFPA stands ready to support these members as needed,” said Mr. Caruana
“This incident is yet another example of police officers being assaulted while carrying out their duties. It could have ended tragically, with a police officer not returning home alive. Police officers and other first responders should not have to face violence and assault while serving the community. In this case, the officer was incredibly fortunate to avoid injuries that could have ended their career or life.
“To be clear, this individual attacked uniformed police officers, causing significant harm to one officer, who narrowly avoided permanent injury or loss of life. Such assaults have both physical and psychological repercussions for the victims and their colleagues,” Mr Caruana said.
With a federal election on the horizon, the AFPA will call on all sides of politics to introduce mandatory sentencing for offenders convicted of the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to Commonwealth public officials, with a focus on law enforcement appointees (Division 147 of the Criminal Code 1995) as part of its election campaign.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said there is little point in increasing maximum penalties when the judicial system won’t apply them.
“It doesn’t matter if the maximum penalty is two or 50 years. Courts hardly ever impose a maximum penalty for any sentence. To effect change and introduce a real and meaningful deterrence, amendments to Division 147 of the Criminal Code 1995 need to be introduced to set a minimum period a convicted offender sits inside a prison cell for assaulting a Commonwealth police officer.
“I hope the Western Australia judiciary takes this incident more seriously than the ACT judiciary. Recently, we had a female officer assaulted and sustained significant facial bruising and a mild traumatic brain injury due to the actions of the offender. The offender received only a 12-month good behaviour order, three months of probation, and no conviction recorded. Unsurprisingly, the Director of Public Prosecutions didn’t appeal this sentence and has let down police officers and other first responders in the ACT with this decision,” Mr Caruana said.
For comments:
AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
