Kularri Patrol Services

Kullarri Patrol commenced operation on the 1st of December 1992. The program was developed in response to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in custody finding handed down in 1990, where a high proportion of indigenous Australians were found incarcerated or held overnight for minor offences.

Kullarri patrols main objective of the program has always been to divert indigenous people for unnecessary contact with the criminal justice system by picking them up and taking them to a “safe place”. The program has primarily focused on the provision of the safe transportation for intoxicated people, including transport home or to a designated safe place.

The project manager Peter Matsumoto gathers and collates statistics on a daily basis. Which include the individuals name, the pickup address, and the destination of their safe place, do they have any children or teenagers with them and the most important question is the individual intoxicated.

The project manager estimates that around 85% of people that use this service aren’t Broome locals. Kullarri service is more used by individuals from communities such as Fitzroy Crossing, Balgo, Bidyadanga, Peninsular, Kalumburu and Derby.

Kullarri will only pick up individuals that are intoxicated and individuals with disabilities, who are however stranded and in need of assistance to a safe place.

The Kullarri mobile patrol plays a vital part of increasing community safety in Broome and has been regarded as crucial in complementing the police in relation with crime prevention and anti-social behaviour.  They patrol the streets within the target areas in Broome from China Town, Male Oval, Town Beach and other public areas frequented by indigenous people in order to:

Divert adult indigenous intoxicated individuals from potential overnight detention or police lock ups. Transport any reported or found intoxicated indigenous individuals to home, Sober up Centre, Refuge, or a safe place.

Our mobile patrol team is comprised of permanent and casual staff that operates both day and night patrols, seven days a week, including public holidays.

The Patrol is also a non-discriminatory service, but do not have the authority to enforce move on notices, have no powers of arrest or can order people to use the service. Use of the Kullarri Patrol service is based on peoples’ individual choice. Kullarri Patrol reserves the right to refuse entry on the bus to any person(s) who may be, disruptive, abusive, threatening, or for any reason, is deemed unfit to use our service.