A spike in overseas travellers arriving home drunk and abusive has prompted Australian Border Force to issue warning for Aussies to behave.
ABF assistant commissioner Chris Waters said far too many officers had been abused and assaulted in the past eight months.
“Some people are really hammered, to be frank. Some people start taking their clothes off, and some get very aggressive, even punching holes in the wall.
“We’ve had some of our officers threatened to be ‘knocked out’. We’ve had phones thrown at our officers, assaults on them, and verbal abuse. It just won’t be tolerated.”
The rise in drunken and abusive behaviour has been attributed to a combination of travellers overindulging in alcohol before and during flights home.
The ABF has declared it has zero tolerance for aggression against its staff.
“There is no excuse. No matter how drunk or tired you are after your flight, we will act swiftly with our law enforcement partners if you behave this way,” Waters said.
Among the many incidents at airports in recent months, Waters said one recent example at Perth International Airport highlighted the problem.
On March 13, an Australian arrived home on a flight from Kuala Lumpur, appearing to be heavily intoxicated.
Border Force alleges the man became disruptive and swore repeatedly during a baggage search.
He then exposed himself by pulling his pants down on numerous occasions before throwing his mobile phone which hit an officer.
Australian Federal Police were called. They removed the man from the airport before charging him with common assault, disorderly behaviour in public and two counts of indecent acts in public.
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