Mayor Mislov advised that on Friday 31 March 2023 Council was made aware of an incident that occurred in Port Lincoln on Thursday 23 March 2023 which involved a number of young females, including at least one school student in a violent attack.

"Council has been made aware of what can only be described as an appalling incident, which has been filmed and distributed via social media, involving young females in a violent attack on a female school student."

"This kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we are pleased to hear that the three alleged offenders have been arrested by South Australia Police."

"The location of this particular incident is a concern, given it was in proximity to the junior primary school, the youth hub in Tolmer Lane and the UniHub," said Mayor Mislov.

SA Police released a media statement about the event on via the SAPOL website which indicated that the youths involved were known to each other.

Mayor Mislov met with local member of state parliament, Sam Telfer MP and local Police Commander Paul Bahr late on Friday afternoon for a briefing on this situation.

"Local Police have done a great job in this instance to apprehend the offenders, but questions need to be asked to as whether there is adequate resourcing for police in regional areas such as Port Lincoln to address these sorts of incidents and to have a proactive approach to intervention."

"This week, Council representatives will be meeting with other community leaders from other government agencies and service providers to understand what further measures can be put in place to change this kind of anti-social behaviour, much of which seems to be fuelled by the infamy of social media."

"We encourage anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour or crime to contact SAPOL on 131 444 or to download the SAPOL mobile app which has a range of options for reporting crime including via CrimeStoppers."

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MEDIA CONTACT:

City of Port Lincoln Chief Executive Officer Matthew Morgan
Ph: 8621 2325 | Email: plcc@plcc.sa.gov.au