Exclusive Analysis: Kimberley residents put on Banned Drinkers Register at double the rate of other regions

As Broome and Derby wait to see whether tougher alcohol restrictions will be placed on their towns The Kimberley Echo can reveal police are banning people from bottle shops in the north west at double the rate of any other region. The Kimberley Echo analysed data on the weekly number of people being placed on the Banned Drinkers Register since it was revamped in December with new laws that allowed police to put people on the list for alcohol-related offences. The BDR is running in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Carnarvon and Gascoyne Junction in response to high rates of alcohol-related crime and family violence. People placed on the BDR are prohibited from buying takeaway alcohol for three, six, or 12 months. Soon after police were given powers to put people on the BDR, it increased rapidly from 200 to almost 1000 over the first two months. Since then, the figures have plateaued to between 930 and 1015 people on the BDR each week, with about 46 percent of those from the Kimberley Region. In the Kimberley, the rate of people on the BDR is 13 in every 1000, which is more than double the rate in the Pilbara, Carnarvon and Gascoyne Junction where it is six in 1000 and two and half times more than the Goldfields rate of 5 in 1000. About 30 percent of the people on the BDR have received more than one Banned Drinkers Order from police. The BDR numbers reflects confidential police data leaked in December which showed the north west has the worst levels of alcohol-related crime in the WA being 18.6 times higher than the State rate in 2022. Meanwhile, alcohol-related family violence was 21.5 times higher. The leaked data was part of a police submission to the Director of Liquor Licensing requesting the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields and Mid-West Gascoyne region be put on tougher takeaway alcohol restrictions. Namely, police wanted the same liquor restrictions that had been placed on Carnarvon where bottle shops are shut on Sundays and Mondays and there are daily alcohol purchase limits. Since then, the Director of Liquor Licensing Lanie Chopping has announced she was considering further liquor restrictions for Broome and Derby. Licencees had until March to make submissions on the proposals. No date has been set for when the Ms Chopping will make her decision. Shire of Derby/West Kimberley president Peter McCumstie said the local government opposed the further liquor restrictions without more health services to support problem drinkers, saying it would just encourage sly-grogging. Mr McCumstie said the overrepresentation of Kimberley residents on the BDR showed more health services were needed to deal with the scourge of alcohol abuse in the community. “There are a lot of people afflicted with alcoholism, who need help. The BDR is one tool in the toolbox. It’s a good one, but it’s no good to anybody if there’s no backup programs to support people being put on the BDR.” A Police spokesperson said the Banned Drinkers Register is one of several tools available to police to respond to the issue of alcohol-related harm in Banned Drinker Areas. “While all police officers must follow the same guidelines and procedures when considering the use of the legislation, it is important to recognise that each community where the legislation applies is different and have unique factors that may impact on the application of the legislation, including their demographic mix, prevalence of alcohol-related crime, and the transient nature of community members. “The issuing of a Banned Drinker Order is assessed on a case-by-case basis, so while there may be a higher proportion of people in some communities subject of the orders, ultimately each order is specific to that individual’s circumstances and the need to protect that person, or others, from the risk of alcohol-related harm.”