Broome Police Station operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week from 7 Frederick Street (corner of Hamersley Street), Broome WA 6725. Phone: (08) 9103 9000.
The station is the primary policing hub for the West Kimberley — one of Australia’s most geographically vast and culturally significant regions. Broome itself, known to the Yawuru people as Rubibi, recorded a population of 14,660 at the 2021 census and sits roughly 2,046 kilometres north of Perth. The station’s jurisdiction covers Bilingurr, Cable Beach, Djugun, Minyirr, Roebuck, and surrounding areas. In practice, its reach extends much further. Arrests made across remote Kimberley communities — from Bidyadanga on the coast to communities east toward the Tanami — frequently result in people being transported to Broome for processing, bail assessment, and initial court appearance.
The Kimberley’s population is over 40 percent Aboriginal. That demographic reality shapes every dimension of law enforcement and legal procedure in this region, and it requires a legal response that is informed, culturally competent, and immediate.
The Courts That Handle Broome Matters
Criminal and traffic matters from Broome Police Station progress through two courts, depending on seriousness.
Broome Magistrates Court sits in the heritage-listed courthouse on Frederick Street, one of the oldest functioning courthouses in Western Australia. The court handles summary criminal offences, traffic matters, family violence restraining orders, violence restraining orders, and bail applications. It also conducts committal hearings — the preliminary proceedings that determine whether a more serious indictable matter should proceed to the District Court.
The Magistrates Court also operates a circuit across the West Kimberley region, with the resident magistrate and lawyers travelling to Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, and other regional communities. As of April 2026, the Department of Justice has scheduled additional sitting weeks at Broome Magistrates Court with a second magistrate to address a significant backlog driven largely by family and domestic violence matters — a reflection of the court’s chronic capacity pressures.
Broome District Court sits as a circuit registry of the District Court of Western Australia, one of 12 country registries. The District Court hears serious indictable offences committed from the Magistrates Court — including serious assaults, sexual offences, major drug matters, grievous bodily harm, and armed robbery — and conducts jury trials. Matters too serious even for the District Court, including wilful murder, are tried in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, which also holds circuit sittings in Broome.
Your Legal Rights Under the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 (WA)
Whether you are arrested in Broome, transported from a remote community, or invited to attend the station voluntarily, the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 (WA) governs the process. Understanding these rights before police engagement is essential.
The right to be told the reason for your arrest. Police must inform you of the offence for which you are being arrested at the time of arrest.
The six-hour detention limit. Once arrested, police may hold you for up to six hours to investigate and then must charge you or release you. A senior officer can extend this by up to a further six hours. Beyond 12 hours, only a magistrate can authorise continued detention. Time spent accessing medical care, contacting a lawyer, waiting for an interpreter, or being transported does not count toward this limit.
The right to contact a lawyer before interview. Section 137 of the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 requires police to give every arrested person a reasonable opportunity to communicate with a lawyer before any interview begins. If you do not have a lawyer’s contact details, police must assist you in obtaining one. The interview must not commence until that opportunity has been provided.
The right to notify a support person. You may inform a relative or friend of your whereabouts. Police can restrict this in defined circumstances — such as where contact could alert an accomplice or compromise evidence — but cannot do so arbitrarily.
Interpreter assistance. If you cannot communicate adequately in English, you are entitled to interpreter assistance before and during any interview. This is not optional. In the Kimberley, where many communities speak Aboriginal languages and varieties of Kriol as first languages, this protection is practically vital. WA Police have worked with Aboriginal Interpreting Western Australia (AIWA) to develop tools to identify when an interpreter is needed, including an app that delivers rights information in Aboriginal languages. The failure to provide an interpreter where one is required can result in any admissions obtained during that interview being inadmissible in court.
The right to silence. A person suspected of any offence in Western Australia has the right to say nothing to police, except for providing their name, address, and date of birth when lawfully requested. The decision to remain silent cannot be used as evidence of guilt. Unlike in some other Australian jurisdictions, WA law does not contain a provision allowing courts to draw adverse inferences from silence in serious matters. The no-comment interview remains a clean and legally sound option in WA.
Video recording of admissions. For serious offences, admissions made at a police station are generally inadmissible in court unless electronically recorded on video under section 570D of the Criminal Code (WA). This means serious matter interviews at Broome Police Station are conducted on video. You are entitled to a copy of that recording.
The Custody Notification Service — A Mandatory Right for Aboriginal People
Since 2 October 2019, Western Australia has operated a Custody Notification Service (CNS) run by the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA). The CNS represents one of the most significant legal protections for Aboriginal people in police custody in the state’s history, established in direct response to the ongoing tragedy of Aboriginal deaths in custody.
Under the Police Force Amendment Regulations 2019 (WA), whenever an Aboriginal person is detained at any WA police facility — including Broome Police Station — for any reason whatsoever, police are legally required to phone the CNS. This applies to arrests for criminal offences, protective custody under the intoxication legislation, detention under mental health provisions, and outstanding warrants. The obligation is mandatory, not discretionary.
The CNS operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is staffed by lawyers and Aboriginal support workers who conduct a culturally competent welfare check and provide immediate legal advice. The CNS also explores bail options, identifies ongoing health and welfare needs, and makes referrals to appropriate community services.
Once the CNS is notified, the responsible police officer must give the detained person a reasonable opportunity to speak with CNS staff. The officer must then speak with CNS staff themselves after that call, providing details including the reason for detention, whether bail is likely, and where the person will be taken.
If you are an Aboriginal person and you believe police have not called the CNS upon your detention at Broome Police Station, you or your family can raise this directly with the ALSWA Broome office. Phone: (08) 9192 1189. Freecall: 1800 019 900.
Legal Services in Broome
Several legal services operate in the Broome and Kimberley region, each with a distinct focus.
Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) – Broome. ALSWA provides criminal law advice and representation for Aboriginal people across all matters including remands, bail applications, sentencing, pleas, jury trials, and appeals. It also provides family law, civil law, and human rights law services. Address: Unit 1, 41 Carnarvon Street, Broome WA 6725. Phone: (08) 9192 1189. Freecall: 1800 019 900.
Kimberley Community Legal Services (KCLS). An independent, not-for-profit community legal service providing free legal assistance, social support, and community legal education across the Kimberley. Operates outreach to remote communities throughout the region. Broome phone: (08) 9192 5177. Freecall: 1800 686 020.
Legal Aid WA. Provides a phone advice service for people in police custody about to be interviewed. Legal Aid also operates a duty lawyer service at the Broome Magistrates Court and assists with applications for legal representation. Contact Legal Aid’s Broome service through the national number.
Private criminal defence lawyers. Perth-based and regional private criminal defence practitioners regularly appear in Broome Magistrates Court and at District Court circuit sittings. Some have decades of experience on the Kimberley circuit. Most operate after-hours lines given the 24-hour nature of police and court work.
Bail at Broome Police Station
After arrest and processing, Broome police will either release you without charge, release you on bail with conditions, or hold you for a bail hearing before a magistrate. The Bail Act 1982 (WA) governs this process.
For most summary matters, a presumption in favour of bail applies and police can grant bail at the station. For more serious matters — particularly where the person is charged with a violent offence, where there is a prior record, or where the person has no fixed address in the Broome area — bail may be refused and the person held for a court appearance.
Because Broome Magistrates Court faces ongoing capacity pressures, people refused police bail can face delays before their matter is called. The practical effect is that a person who cannot secure legal representation to argue their bail application promptly may spend additional days in custody. For people transported from remote communities, this dynamic is more acute — they may have no local support, no local address to satisfy residence conditions, and no ready means to contact a lawyer without assistance.
Having a lawyer intervene at the earliest possible point — ideally before any interview, and certainly before any bail refusal becomes entrenched — is the single most consequential step in any Broome police matter.
Common Matters at Broome Police Station
The nature of policing in Broome reflects the region’s character: a remote northern tourism hub with a complex social environment, significant family and domestic violence pressures, and a large transient population.
Family and domestic violence. The Kimberley region carries some of the highest rates of family violence in Australia. Community leaders and legal services have consistently described the situation as a public health crisis. Domestic violence matters constitute a significant proportion of the Broome Magistrates Court caseload, and the pressure on court resources is such that additional sitting weeks were added in 2026 specifically to address the backlog. For both complainants and respondents, early legal advice is essential.
Drug and alcohol offences. Supply and possession matters, drug driving, and alcohol-related offences are processed through Broome Police Station in substantial numbers throughout the year, with peaks during tourist season between April and October.
Public order matters. With a hospitality and tourism economy concentrated in a relatively small townsite, public order offences are common throughout the Dry season.
Traffic matters. Drink driving under the Road Traffic Act 1974 (WA), drug driving, licence offences, and motor vehicle matters arising from the Broome highway corridors are heard in the Magistrates Court.
Serious offences. Assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, sexual offences, serious drug supply, and other matters attracting District Court or Supreme Court jurisdiction all begin their journey at Broome Police Station.
Why Early Legal Intervention Matters
The Broome legal system operates under genuine resource pressure. Court delays, limited legal services, vast geographic distances between communities and the courthouse, and the cultural complexity of the region all make the investigative stage — the period immediately after arrest — disproportionately important.
A lawyer involved from the moment of police contact can ensure that no interview proceeds without appropriate rights being observed and advice given, that an interpreter is arranged where required, that cultural considerations are communicated to police and the court, that bail conditions are realistic and achievable, and that the matter is framed appropriately from the outset.
For people in Broome who do not speak English as a first language, who come from remote communities, or who are unfamiliar with the Australian legal system, legal representation is not simply an advantage — it is a structural necessity for a fair process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I am arrested in a remote community and transported to Broome?
You retain the same legal rights throughout transportation as you have at the station. Police must not interview you about any offence until you have had a reasonable opportunity to contact a lawyer. If you are Aboriginal, police must notify the ALSWA Custody Notification Service from the point of your initial detention, regardless of where that occurs.
I don’t speak English well. Can police still interview me?
No. If you cannot communicate adequately in English, police must arrange an interpreter before any interview begins. An interview conducted without a required interpreter can render any admissions inadmissible. If you or someone you know was interviewed without an interpreter when one was needed, seek legal advice immediately.
Can I get legal help if I cannot afford a lawyer?
Yes. ALSWA provides free criminal law representation for Aboriginal people. Legal Aid WA provides a phone advice service for people in police custody and operates a duty lawyer service at the Broome Magistrates Court. Kimberley Community Legal Services provides free community legal assistance across the Kimberley. Private lawyers can also apply for Legal Aid funding on behalf of eligible clients.
What if I miss my court date because of transportation or community distances?
Failing to appear at a scheduled court date can result in a bench warrant being issued for your arrest. Contact your lawyer or the Broome Magistrates Court registry as soon as possible if attendance at a court date is at risk due to location, transport, or other genuine barriers. Courts in regional WA are generally aware of the practical difficulties faced by people from remote communities, but this must be raised proactively.
What is the Broome Police Station phone number for non-emergencies?
For general enquiries, call (08) 9103 9000. In an emergency, always call 000.