A WOMAN allegedly assaulted a police officer outside Bayside Shopping Centre last week after being asked to put on a mask.
The maskless woman was confronted by police and asked to wear a face covering before a physical altercation occurred. The woman allegedly smashed the head of the 26-year-old policewoman into the concrete and pulled out clumps of her hair.
The alleged offender, a 38-year-old, was taken to the nearby police station and charged. She was bailed out.
The alleged incident took place on the evening of 3 August. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton shared the story the next day.
“That behaviour is just totally unacceptable. That’s someone who thinks they’re above the law,” Mr Patton said.
“They’re not wearing a mask. They’re approached and asked the reason why not and then to react like that is just completely over the top. It’s this type of irresponsible behaviour that we’re going to address.
“It shows how things can escalate from non-adherence. The message is clear from me and it’s simple. We want you to stay at home. We expect you to adhere to the Chief Health Officer guidelines. If you don’t, we will enforce those. We will issue infringements. We will arrest you. We will detain you where we have to.”