Kimberley youth night spaces heralded as 'blueprint' for WA

In short:

Youth night spaces in Western Australia's north have celebrated their two-year anniversaries.

Community leaders say the Broome and Fitzroy Crossing centres have helped significantly reduce youth crime.

What's next?

Advocates like the WA Children's Court president hope a similar turnaround will take place in the East Kimberley.

Isiah Brooking stands at a microphone on a characteristically warm evening in Western Australia's Kimberley.

"Night space come and play, it's a beautiful place you can come stay," he sings alongside a friend.

It is a performance that captures the hearts of those in the crowd in Fitzroy Crossing, about 2,600 kilometres north of Perth.

More than 100 attendees gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the town's Youth Night Space last month.

A similar milestone was marked 400km away in Broome, where an independent report has hailed its youth hub a success.

The Fitzroy Crossing hub was launched in 2024 by the Marra Warra Warra Aboriginal Corporation in response to calls from at-risk youth and their families in town.

It has since grown to house a basketball court, multiple rooms and a lawn for play.

Isiah Brooking said some of his favourite things to do at the hub included getting something to eat and playing cards.

More than 950 children have engaged with the space since opening, and staff have served over 55,000 meals.

Fostering trust

Fitzroy Crossing Police officer in charge Mark Howes attended the event.

"When I first got here three years ago, that was a problem … young people committing lots of crimes," he said.

"Now they're nowhere near as much."

Senior Sergeant Howes said the space helped build trust between young people and officers.

"Kids here wave to police," he said.

"Even when they're naughty and they come into the police station … we've got a good relationship and they tell the truth."

Program manager Rochelle Dolby said witnessing the centre's progress had been special.

"To know what started from an idea, just supporting the kids coming each night, to then see everyone come and celebrate that," she said.

"It's a very nice feeling, and I feel very proud to be part of it."

Community blueprint

Broome's night space has won high praise for its facilities and the work of its staff in a recent independent evaluation.

Ngurra Buru opened its doors in 2024 as a pilot response to community and police concerns over the high number of young people wandering the town's streets at night.

Since opening, there have been about 9,900 interactions with children and teenagers during its 10pm to 5am hours.

"Often the young people will just come in, sit and socialise with other peers and share a meal together and then are happy to be returned back home to their primary residence," manager Fiona Hart said.

The evaluation report, led by the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Research Alliance and the University of Melbourne, included 20 responses from night space participants.

All surveyed children said they felt safe, had someone to talk to, and were provided with food and transport.

Ms Hart said she was proud of the facility, which has been dubbed a "blueprint" for other Western Australian services.

"There was a real effort made to create a space that felt like a home away from home,"she said.

Crime rates down

In its first 13 months of operation, crime across three Broome suburbs significantly decreased, according to the report.

Ms Hart said a combined effort from the community and authorities was the driving force behind the downward trend.

While the space is currently open five nights a week, she said continued funding would allow it to operate every night.

"The future vision is we could hit that seven-nights-a-week service delivery and have a great pool of staff," Ms Hart said.

Hopes for the East Kimberley

While Broome and Fitzroy Crossing are celebrating two-year milestones, Kununurra launched a temporary night space for the first time in August.

WA Childrens Court president Hylton Quail in September said he hoped there would be a similar turnaround for the East Kimberley town.

"We're going to stop seeing burglaries and cars stolen at night because the kids are going to have somewhere to go," he said

"Some of them don't get fed otherwise."

A permanent facility in Kununurra is slated to open at the end of the year.