The ACT's Chief Police Officer has advised Canberrans who are confronted and accosted by protesters in public places around the city to "walk away" and not to engage, acknowledging that public patience in the long-running protest activities around the national capital has been sorely tested.
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Protest numbers have been dwindling in recent weeks but trouble flared again on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said that a dedicated police intelligence unit set up to monitor the group expected protest activity would continue for "at least another week". Police had prepared for more protest numbers on Tuesday but these had not eventuated.
Four people were arrested on Tuesday after two separate incidents, one on Commonwealth Avenue and another at Federation Mall about 9pm.
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Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said the Parliament House melee reached a point where officers were required to use capsicum spray to disperse a highly agitated protest group. One police officer was allegedly assaulted.
It occurred shortly after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered his budget speech to Federal Parliament.
Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said the Canberra community "should be applauded for the restraint they've shown".
"We've seen very, very few interactions between the Canberran community and the protesters; there's been no agitation, there's been no vigilanteeism," he said.
"One of the reasons why we've been telling people in advance when we think there's going to be a big protest is so people can go about their business in another way.
"There has been a little bit of conflict at various locations but ... if people going about their business are being accosted by these groups, ring us on 131 444 and we'll get a [police] car there."
He said the best tactic for people was to "walk away, don't engage, give us a call and tell us what's happening; we will deal with it".
Police set up a random breath test station southbound on Commonwealth Avenue on Tuesday as a group of protesters, numbering around 600, marched without notification toward Parliament House.
A truck driver leading the convoy refused to be breath-tested and was arrested. Public safety also became an issue as police attempted to keep shouting, swearing protesters out of the moving traffic.
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Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said that feedback from the Canberra community acknowledged police were doing a good job and showing great restraint and professionalism as the various protests now dragged into their third consecutive month.
"The people that are protesting are not Canberrans," he said.
"They don't represent the people and community we [police] serve and we just have to tolerate these protesters until they leave."
The Australian Federal Police Association said the feedback it had received was that officers were "tired and fatigued" but determined to maintain their professionalism.
Association spokesman Troy Roberts said that diverting resources to dealing with these groups day after day also meant that caseloads were rising and "business as usual" policing had to be postponed.
The association intends to conduct its own survey to gain a better picture of how its members have managed their workload over the past three months to assess how the demands of the ongoing protests have affected their personal and professional lives.
