WA Police Review Use of Force After Officer Films 63yo Woman Being Pushed

Western Australian police are reviewing an incident in which an officer was filmed pushing a 63-year-old Indigenous woman to the ground in Karratha.

The altercation occurred outside a block of units on Tuesday morning and resulted in four people being charged, including the woman, Beverley Hubert.

Ms Hubert said she and other family members intervened after police arrived to arrest her 33-year-old nephew, an arrest she alleged was heavy-handed.

“We sort of got up and went towards them, rushing towards them, I was dawdling across because I didn’t have a walker, but I managed to walk across slowly,” she said. “That bloke walked up, telling me to back off. [He] pushed me over.”

Ms Hubert said she fell on her backside and her head hit the gravel.

The video also shows people being pepper sprayed, as well as another woman pushing the same police officer as Ms Hubert remains on the ground.

Swearing and verbal abuse directed at police can be heard, as well as a woman identifying herself as Ms Hubert’s daughter, saying her mother was a dialysis patient.

In a statement, police said they called an ambulance after Ms Hubert fell over, but she declined their assistance.

Police have charged Ms Hubert with assaulting a public officer, as well as two other women aged 31 and 56.

A police spokesperson said officers utilise “a range of less lethal tactical options to support officers in resolving incidents safely while minimising harm”.

“Police are trained to apply the minimum force necessary and to continually reassess and de-escalate where possible,” the spokesperson said.

“Any use of force must be justified, proportionate and necessary in the circumstances, and is subject to mandatory reporting and review.”

The 33-year-old man who was arrested was facing four charges and two additional charges were laid after the incident, including obstructing a police officer.