Council Manhunt Over Chamber ‘Assault’

FREO CEO Philip St John has called on staff to identify a man who allegedly hit a council officer as he left the rowdy chamber meeting last night.

In a confidential email circulated to staff and elected members this afternoon, Mr St John said he had not seen the incident, “but it has been reported to me and corroborated”.

Freo StreetWise did not see the altercation following a controversial vote to refer the renaming of Kings Square to wider community consultation.

Mr St John said the cameras were not of a high enough resolution or at the right angle to clearly identify what happened.

He said the ‘hit’ did not appear to be done with a high level of force or aggression, “but it was certainly enough to give (the officer) quite a shock. (She) is not injured but is understandably quite upset over the incident”.

StreetWise decided to publish the confidential email because it is in the public interest. Assault against anyone is unacceptable.

Mr St John said the chamber is a workplace for a number of City staff and he had clear legal obligations with respect to their safety at work.

“We will have a look at the chamber layout to see whether we can make improvements to avoid the possibility of this happening again,” he said.