A man has been arrested and charged for refusing to wear a mask on day one of WA's five-day lockdown.
Police allege the 41-year-old Ellenbrook man man was not wearing a mask outside a shopping centre on Great Eastern Highway in Midland and refused to when directed by officers.
Officers offered the man a mask but he refused and was subsequently arrested. It will be further alleged the man refused to provide police with his full name and identifying information.
A WA Police spokesman said police initially made sure he was aware of the legal requirement to wear a face mask in public.
"When it was established he did not have a face mask, he was offered one for free by the officers to assist him comply with the legal requirement," he said.
"At that stage there was no intention to arrest or charge the man. However, once it was confirmed the man was aware of the legal requirement, had the ability to now comply with that legal requirement, and that he continued to fail to comply the direction, the officers acted in the best interest of the community and arrested him."
The Ellenbrook man was charged with failure to comply with a direction and failure to comply with request to give police personal details.
He appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday and was refused bail. He will next appear in the Midland Magistrates Court on February 19.
Daniela Cooper
Daniela has returned to her first love after a decade of working in local, state and federal governments, non-profits and the corporate world. She has a passion for injustice; to be a voice for those who don't have one; to hold power to account; and to bring readers the news without fear. She loves to explore new places and unfamiliar topics (both in her professional and private life) but her go-to loves are travel, health, social justice, foreign affairs and the outdoors. Email daniela.cooper@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Daniela has returned to her first love after a decade of working in local, state and federal governments, non-profits and the corporate world. She has a passion for injustice; to be a voice for those who don't have one; to hold power to account; and to bring readers the news without fear. She loves to explore new places and unfamiliar topics (both in her professional and private life) but her go-to loves are travel, health, social justice, foreign affairs and the outdoors. Email daniela.cooper@austcommunitymedia.com.au
