A 35-year-old Palmerston man has been charged with assaulting police following an incident in Gungahlin.

About 2.50pm on Thursday, Gungahlin officers on patrol observed two men scuffling at Gungahlin Place.

They separated the men, however shortly after one of them – the 35-year-old from Palmerston – began to repeatedly punch an officer in the face and head.

More police attended the scene and the man was arrested. As he was being placed in the caged vehicle, he again lashed out, kicking an officer in the chest and neck.

The man will face the ACT Magistrates court, charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault, two counts of assaulting a frontline community service provider, and obstructing a Territory Official.

The man will also face one charge for an act of indecency in relation to an earlier incident while travelling on the light rail.

The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) have said it’s appalled by the violent assault.

AFPA President Alex Caruana said attacks on police officers occur far too often and that the ACT government and ACT Attorney-General must start looking after first responders.

“These officers were just doing their job — no different to anyone else in the community — and have been viciously assaulted for their troubles,” said Caruana.

“All too often, the judiciary and the ACT government forget that police officers can be and often are victims. Police officers have the same human rights as private citizens — yet this is routinely overlooked. A few weeks ago, we had an officer mown down while trying to stop a car, and now we’ve had other officers hospitalised.”

“Every time my phone rings and I see that it’s ACT Policing calling, I’m worried that one of my members has been killed or seriously injured. We’ve already had members seriously injured regularly over the last several years; will it take a police officer being killed before the Attorney-General and ACT Government do something?

“Whoever forms government in 2024 must significantly invest in ACT Policing to ensure that it can continue to meet the demands placed on it by the community. Twenty-five new police officers per year over five years won’t replace those who retire or leave.

“If ACT Policing were to put police stations inside light-rail carriages, would they get the proper funding to support and protect the Canberra community?”