Don't bite and punch a police officer and you won't go to jail.
Assault a police officer causing them bodily harm and you deserve to be behind bars.
It is pretty simple. Police officers are not punching bags.
Twenty-seven year old woman Daniell Staskos was recently sentenced to a mandatory six-month jail term for hitting and biting a female police officer.
Yet despite the jail term, the handling of this case left many in Perth angry and surprised not so much at the offender, but at the legal system.
Magistrate Steven Malley's statement that "it was a sad day" that he had to jail a woman for biting and punching a female police officer as his hands were tied, has angered many people and has pushed back the cause of people being responsible for their own actions and accepting the consequences of these actions.
"It is a sad day when you have to send someone to jail that is of good character," Magistrate Steven Malley said.
I would have thought it was a sad day that the injured police officer has spent three years of her life fighting to get justice for an unprovoked attack, when at the end of the day all the police officer was doing was trying to intervene in a domestic dispute between Daniell Staskos and her boyfriend.
Yes, someone who came to court armed with good character references from friends and colleagues, has ended up being sent to jail because the law is the law and no one is above it.
Let's face it, most of us could all get similar references if needed.
People of good character don't normally go around biting and punching people. Even if they are having a bad hair day, it is a matter of controlling yourself before it gets to this stage.
We should never lose sight of the fact that Senior Constable Kelly Robinson is the victim here, NOT Ms Staskos.
WA Police Union President George Tilbury says the judiciary has shown increasing reluctance to sentence people who assault police officers to imprisonment.
"This shows the unwillingness and unsupportive actions of magistrates who would rather let someone get away with assaulting police officers than send them to prison," Mr Tilbury said.
The WA Police Union has pushed for many years for mandatory sentencing to be introduced as it sees the safety of officers as the number one priority.
"Mandatory sentencing takes away any doubt that assaulting police officers is a serious offence and will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said.
The fact the 27-year-old former dental nurse had to be restrained by three officers shows the intensity of the incident.
Originally, when the case went to trial, Staskos was convicted but then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The WA Police Union had to lobby the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal, and finally got what it sees as the correct result after three long years - an automatic term of imprisonment.
Unfortunately, outside the court we saw the now-predictable outrage from Staskos's supporters who hurled abuse at the WA Police Union president. Not classy at all.
What would their reaction have been if the female police officer had bitten and punched Staskos instead?
To her credit, at least the 27-year-old had the decency in the end to illustrate precisely why mandatory sentencing for assaulting a public officer will discourage other offenders.
"I want people to be more aware about how easy it is for your life to change. With this law, do the right thing and if you get told by an officer to move along, move along," Ms Staskos told Channel Nine.
"I wasn't raised like that. I was raised in a good home with my parents. I wished that night never happened. I wish I never went out that night," she said.
I bet Senior Constable Kelly Robinson wishes that too.
So, even an offender agrees mandatory sentencing is a good deterrent.
Ms Staskos has now warned people to think twice about how they behave. Her mandatory six-month jail term has sent a strong message to the community and shown quite clearly that no one is above the law.
Hopefully Ms Staskos, despite now having a criminal record, will do her time and then move back into the community having learned a hard life lesson.
The opponents to mandatory sentencing are quick to always point out that no matter how strict our laws become they do not address the underlying reasons which cause people to commit crimes, such as poverty, unemployment, alcohol or drug abuse or childhood stresses.
However, if we are going to keep trotting out these excuses, we may as well all pack up our bats and balls and go home.
There would not be a person in the community who does not have a friend or family member who could fall into one or all of the above categories during their lifetime. Yet they don't all resort to crime, especially violence against police.
Condoning unlawful behaviour sends a very mixed message. People need to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for their own actions and behaviour.
Some parts of the legal fraternity and judiciary are opposed to mandatory sentencing because it does not take into account any mitigating factors for the offender.
However, it is not rocket science. If people choose to act in a certain way that is against the law then they deserve to face the consequences of their actions?
Yes, it is harsh. But, how harsh has it been for the police officer who has also been dragged through the courts for three years when all she was doing was her job?
With an increasing prevalence of violence due to drug and alcohol fuelled behaviour, mandatory sentencing will ensure that more people respect the police and think twice about assaulting a police officer because there could be life-changing consequences.
I always wonder that if those opposed to the whole concept of mandatory sentences became the victim of crime, would they change their tune or would they still come up with a mountain of excuses?
Mandatory sentencing laws for various offences are nothing new. They already exist in other states.
In Western Australia, tough new legislation passed six months ago in relation to home burglaries and home invasions.
Amnesty International Australia immediately jumped on the band wagon saying young people's lives will be irrevocably changed for the worse.
Sorry, but if offenders, the majority of whom are NOT first time offenders, have not worked it out by now then that is their problem. How many chances can you give?
The legislation sets a minimum jail term of 75 percent of the maximum sentence for an adult offender who commits a serious physical or sexual assault during a home burglary.
An offender who breaks into a house and rapes someone will face a minimum of 15 years jail.
An offender who breaks into a house and physically assaults someone causing serious harm will face a minimum of seven years, six months jail.
An offender who breaks into a house and indecently assaults someone will fact a minimum of five years and three months jail.
Offenders can no longer have all their offences bundled together as one strike.
Put simply, if someone commits three burglaries on three days, then that is three strikes and they go to jail.
Are these really the sort of people our community wants roaming our streets? Or is it better to simply get them locked away in the interim so at least the community is protected.
Amnesty International claims the state government has taken "the backward step of entrenching a harsh and punitive approach".
Well, if someone is committing their third crime, they evidently haven't learned from their first two and sadly, yes, the book needs to be thrown at them.
Opponents are forever trotting out figures and claiming the millions spent on people in jail would be better spent on other things.
But sometimes, enough is enough and you have to call a spade a spade.
Perhaps they should add up the costs of criminal behaviour on the rest of us. Why should law-abiding citizens be made to pay with loss of possessions, injury and sometimes even death?
There are some bad eggs out there and the sooner they are off the streets the better. Instead of working out their next move on the streets, they can work it out sitting in a jail cell.
Karalee Katsambanis is a mother-of-three and a journalist for more than 20 years. Listen to her on 6PR's PerthTonight with Chris Ilsley between 9pm-10pm on Mondays.
