Justice Dept staffer assaulted over cigarette request in Broome, vile message left after Fitzroy break-in

A sickening attack over a cigarette which left a Broome woman needing stitches has prompted renewed calls for the State Government to intervene in the town’s spiralling antisocial issues. The woman, who works for the Department of Justice, went for a cigarette break outside the State Government department’s building at around 10am last Tuesday when she was approached by a young female who asked for a cigarette. After refusing to hand one over the female, who was not known to the victim, allegedly said “well I asked nicely, now you are going to get this” and punched her in the face. The victim suffered a broken nose and a deep laceration between her eyes, requiring stitches. It’s the latest in a long list of serious assaults on innocent victims that Shire of Broome President Harold Tracey said has spiralled out of control and is impacting the region’s ability to attract and maintain staff. In Fitzroy Crossing, the only dentist in town recently departed due to constant break-ins, while Wyndham Hospital reduced its evening opening hours due to repeated violent incidents against staff. “This is not an isolated incident and it is ruining the Kimberley’s reputation as a laidback place to raise a family,” Cr Tracey said. “It used to just be kids stealing cars or breaking into houses, now it’s kids stealing cars and ramming others or breaking into houses and assaulting people. “The smaller towns — Fitzroy, Derby, Halls Creek and Kununurra — have all been struggling to attract workers and it’s no wonder why, no one feels safe any more.” Cr Tracey said he, along with other Kimberley local government representatives, had been in close contact with various State Government Ministers and was hopeful of change. “I think we’ve got the right people in Ministerial positions to sort something out, but things need to change as soon as possible,” he said. The same day as the Broome assault, Fitzroy Crossing teacher Laima Ziedars returned from holiday to find her house had been trashed and a message left spray painted on an interior wall, which read “Welcome home mother f*****s”. It came just a week after the owners of the Fitzroy Department store Kimberley Country took to social media to vent over numerous assaults on staff during daylight hours. Member for Mining and Pastoral Neil Thomson said Kimberley residents had been left feeling anxious and unsafe. “The Government should stop the spin and acknowledge the increasingly blatant nature of crime is upsetting our community,” he said. He said people across the Kimberley had raised concerns the region could lose many of its essential staff as a result of the ongoing crime spiral. “We need to address this crisis with much greater focus before it’s too late,” he said. A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed a staff member had been assaulted and said she had been offered staff support services by the Department. Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said she was shocked to hear of the incident. “I have had many conversations with the State ministers and now the Government is really acknowledging the need to work together and collaborate to address these issues, including an audit of the services and programs that are already in place so we can get a better understanding of what is working and where we can better direct resources,” she said. “As I’ve said before – there is no overnight fix for this problem, but I am listening to all the voices in our region and getting action from the State Government.” Police Minister Paul Papalia said police acted decisively and arrested a suspect, who had been charged with aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm.