Three juveniles charged over Broome cop ramming which injured two officers

Three Broome juveniles, all 13-years-old or younger, have been charged after allegedly ramming a police vehicle in the Kimberley town on Friday morning. It will be alleged shortly before 2am on Friday, officers were attending to an unrelated matter in Broome, when they observed a stolen Toyota Fortuna driving in an erratic manner. It will be further alleged the Fortuna rammed the police vehicle, resulting in the police car crashing near the intersection of Roberts and Dora Street. The officers in the vehicle, believed to be flown up from Perth to help combat escalating crime, suffered minor injuries and have since been released from hospital. On Saturday, Police said in statement three juveniles, all 13-years-old or younger, had been charged over the incident. A 13-year-old girl from Broome was charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and commit, two counts of stealing, one count of steal motor vehicle, one count of criminal damage and one count of possessing drug paraphernalia. An 11-year-old boy was charged with similar offences, both will appear in Broome Children’s Court on February 18. A 12-year-old boy was also charged, and will appear in Perth Children’s Court on February 5. It’s the latest in a series of police cars being rammed in the crime plagued Kimberley, with the region’s top cop in September warning it was “only a matter of time” before an officer was seriously injured. In a statement, WA Police Union president Mick Kelly said the stolen vehicle was taunting police and chasing them down several streets before the ramming. “The union understands that while the damaged police vehicle was being recovered, the stolen motor vehicle was sighted by police in the distance revving its engine and flashing high beams, further taunting police,” he said. “This follows a similar incident in September when a juvenile offender in an allegedly stolen vehicle rammed a police car in Fitzroy Crossing seriously injuring one of our members. “Our members are locating and apprehending offenders relating to recent high-volume crimes in Broome, but are calling on other government agencies to, upon conviction, apply appropriate sentencing to deter these juveniles from committing these serious offences.” The Fortuna was believed to have been stolen from the Broome Lions Eye Clinic. WA Police commissioner Chris Dawson said policing efforts had already been increased in the district in response to recent crime issues and further operational plans were being developed to support local police and the community. “Police will be conducting further targeted operations to tackle these crime issues head-on,” Mr Dawson said. “Further to this, I have already briefed Ministers for Police, Communities and Justice, and myself and other senior police will be working with other government agencies to address this current crime escalation. “Officers in the Kimberley District have my full support, as does the local community, and we will tackle this issue together.” The incident came just a day before a community crime forum hosted by Mining and Pastoral MLC Neil Thomson and North West Central MLA Vince Catania takes place.