Roebourne Police Station is located at the corner of Carnarvon Terrace and Queen Street, Roebourne WA 6718. Phone: (08) 9182 1133. Fax: (08) 9182 1302. Public counter hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Roebourne — known by its Ngarluma name Ieramugadu — is a town in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, 35 kilometres from Karratha, 202 kilometres from Port Hedland, and 1,563 kilometres north of Perth. The station’s jurisdiction extends across a wide Pilbara catchment including Antonymyre, Balla Balla, Chichester, Cleaverville, Cooya Pooya, Cossack, Maitland, Millstream, Mount Anketell, Point Samson, Sherlock, Whim Creek, and Wickham.
Roebourne sits on the traditional country of the Ngarluma people, who have held native title over this land and maintained their culture, law, and language for tens of thousands of years. Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi people — represented through the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Ltd — make up a significant proportion of the Roebourne community. Many Banyjima people from surrounding country also live in and around the town.
The Station’s Role in a Complex Region
Roebourne Police Station operates in one of Australia’s most economically and culturally layered environments. The West Pilbara contains some of the highest-value resource extraction operations on earth — iron ore, liquid natural gas, and offshore hydrocarbons from the North West Shelf — while simultaneously being home to Aboriginal communities with deep continuing connections to country, and to a large, transient FIFO and DIDO workforce whose interaction with the local legal system has its own distinct character.
The station maintains the Roebourne Regional Prison nearby — a facility that has operated since 1984 with a predominantly Aboriginal inmate population. The prison has attracted significant public concern, including over conditions during extreme summer heat. That broader context shapes the relationship between the community and law enforcement in Roebourne in ways that make early, culturally informed legal assistance more important, not less.
What Court Handles Roebourne Matters?
Criminal and traffic matters arising from Roebourne Police Station progress through the court system depending on seriousness.
Karratha Magistrates Court at 28–30 Welcome Road, Karratha serves as the primary court for Roebourne area matters. Karratha is approximately 35 kilometres west of Roebourne. The court handles summary offences, traffic matters, restraining orders, and conducts committal hearings for more serious indictable offences. Phone: (08) 9144 1400. Roebourne is serviced as part of the Karratha court circuit — magistrates travel to and from Karratha on a scheduled basis, meaning the court list at Karratha can be substantial, with up to 120 people appearing on a single day. The Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) maintains a presence at the Karratha and Roebourne courts precisely because demand for legal representation in the Pilbara is among the highest in the state.
District Court of Western Australia maintains a registry at Karratha and conducts circuit sittings to serve the Pilbara region. Serious indictable offences — including armed robbery, serious assault causing grievous bodily harm, sexual offences, and major drug supply — are committed from the Karratha Magistrates Court to the District Court.
Supreme Court of Western Australia holds circuit sittings for the most serious matters, including murder and wilful murder, and conducts circuit hearings in South Hedland for matters arising from the broader Pilbara region.
Do You Have to Attend Roebourne Police Station?
If police contact you and ask you to attend Roebourne Police Station voluntarily, you are under no legal obligation to do so. A voluntary invitation carries no compulsory force, and refusing to attend is not an offence.
That said, declining does not resolve the underlying matter. If police have reasonable grounds to suspect you of an offence, they can arrest you at a time of their choosing. In a remote regional environment where police resources are concentrated and where there are fewer casual options for avoiding contact, a controlled voluntary attendance — with a lawyer arranged in advance — is often more protective than waiting for an arrest to occur.
The decision about whether to attend voluntarily, and under what conditions, requires legal advice specific to the circumstances of your matter. Contact a criminal defence lawyer before responding to any police request in the Roebourne area.
Your Rights at Roebourne Police Station — WA Law
Your rights in police custody in Western Australia are primarily set out in the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 (WA). These rights apply from the moment of arrest and continue throughout your time at Roebourne Police Station.
The right to be told the reason for your arrest. Police must inform you of the offence for which you are being arrested. An arrest without this information is unlawful.
The six-hour investigation period. Under section 115 of the Criminal Investigation Act 2006, police may detain you for up to six hours from the time of arrest for the purposes of investigation, after which they must charge you or release you. A senior officer can authorise an extension to 12 hours; a magistrate can extend this by a further eight hours in limited circumstances. Time spent accessing medical care, contacting a lawyer or support person, waiting for an interpreter, or being transported does not count toward this limit.
The right to contact a lawyer. Section 137 of the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 gives every arrested person the right to communicate with a lawyer before any interview begins. Police must give you a reasonable opportunity to exercise this right. If you do not have a lawyer’s contact details, police must assist you in obtaining one. The interview cannot begin until you have had that opportunity.
The right to notify a support person. You may contact a relative or friend to inform them of your whereabouts. Police can restrict this in defined circumstances — where contact could alert an accomplice or compromise evidence — but not arbitrarily.
The right to an interpreter. If you cannot communicate adequately in English — or if Ngarluma, Yindjibarndi, or another language is your primary language — you are entitled to an interpreter before and during any interview. Police must facilitate this. An interview conducted without a required interpreter can render any admissions inadmissible in court.
Video recording of admissions. Under section 570D of the Criminal Code (WA), admissions made by a person in connection with a serious offence are generally inadmissible unless electronically recorded on video. Police will ordinarily conduct video-recorded interviews for indictable matters at Roebourne Police Station. You are entitled to a copy of that recording.
The right to silence. You are not required to answer police questions beyond providing your name, address, and date of birth when lawfully requested. Remaining silent during an interview cannot be used as evidence of guilt. Western Australia has not introduced an adverse inference provision equivalent to section 89A of the NSW Evidence Act 1995. In WA, your decision not to answer questions is clean and legally protected at trial.
The ALSWA Custody Notification Service — Mandatory for Aboriginal People
Since 2 October 2019, the Police Force Amendment Regulations 2019 (WA) have made it mandatory for WA Police to notify the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) whenever an Aboriginal person is detained in any WA police facility, regardless of the reason for detention. This applies at Roebourne Police Station in all circumstances — criminal arrest, protective custody under intoxication legislation, mental health detention, or outstanding warrants.
The ALSWA Custody Notification Service (CNS) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. It is staffed by solicitors and Aboriginal support workers who conduct a culturally appropriate welfare check and provide immediate legal advice. Police must give the detained person a reasonable opportunity to speak with CNS staff, and the responsible officer must then speak with CNS staff directly after that call.
Given Roebourne’s community demographics, the CNS is a particularly important safeguard in this jurisdiction. The service exists specifically to reduce deaths in police custody and protect the legal rights of Aboriginal people from the earliest point of detention.
If you are an Aboriginal person and police have not called the ALSWA CNS upon your detention at Roebourne Police Station, you or your family should raise this immediately. ALSWA Karratha: (08) 9144 3488. ALSWA 24-hour emergency: (08) 8113 3777. Freecall: 1800 019 900.
Bail at Roebourne Police Station
After processing, Roebourne police will either release you without charge, grant bail with conditions, or hold you for a court bail hearing.
Bail in Western Australia is governed by the Bail Act 1982 (WA). For most summary and lower-level indictable matters, a presumption in favour of bail applies and police can grant bail at the station. For serious matters — particularly where the person faces violent offence charges, has prior convictions, lacks a fixed local address, or where community safety concerns arise — police may refuse bail and the person will be held until the next available Karratha Magistrates Court sitting.
The remoteness of Roebourne from major legal services centres creates specific bail pressures. A person refused bail at Roebourne Police Station who cannot obtain legal representation quickly may spend days in custody before their first court appearance. Having a lawyer who can intervene — by telephone if necessary — from the moment of police contact is the most important practical step in any Roebourne matter. Police bail conditions should be realistic and achievable given the person’s actual living circumstances; inappropriate conditions can lead to technical breaches that result in further arrest.
The Impact on FIFO and Resource Sector Workers
A criminal charge arising from the Roebourne area carries specific consequences for workers in the resource sector that go beyond the standard criminal law penalties.
Major resource companies operating in the Pilbara — including through the North West Shelf, iron ore operations in the Chichester and Hamersley Ranges, and port facilities at Dampier — require workers to maintain security clearances and meet “fitness for work” standards as conditions of site access. A criminal charge — particularly for drug offences, drug driving, violence, or dishonesty — typically triggers an automatic review of those clearances and conditions.
The consequence can be immediate and severe: loss of site access while a matter is pending, potential termination, and significant impact on income from both the criminal process and the employment relationship. Drug convictions in particular carry consequences beyond the criminal penalty when site access and drug and alcohol policy compliance are conditions of employment.
These are not consequences that resolve themselves. They require legal advice on both the criminal matter and, separately, on the employment relationship. Early intervention — before a charge results in a conviction — gives the most options. A lawyer can assess the strength of the prosecution case, advise on how different outcomes (a plea, a dismissed charge, a diversion program) affect site access conditions, and manage the legal process in a way that minimises collateral damage to employment.
Common Matters at Roebourne Police Station
The nature of policing in the Roebourne area reflects its character as a community at the intersection of significant social disadvantage, high-value industry, and a transient resource workforce.
Drug offences. Drug possession, use, and supply matters arise regularly in the Pilbara across both the resident and FIFO population. Methamphetamine, cannabis, and prescription medication misuse are common subjects of investigation. Drug driving — where a prescribed illicit drug is detected in saliva or blood — is tested under the Road Traffic Act 1974 (WA) and has zero tolerance regardless of impairment.
Alcohol-related offences. Drink driving, public drunkenness, and alcohol-related assaults are frequent. The Pilbara operates under restricted alcohol access provisions in some areas through the Liquor Control Act 1988 (WA), including restrictions on certain communities and licence conditions on outlets.
Family and domestic violence. The Pilbara, like many remote WA regions, carries high rates of family violence. These matters are dealt with through the Karratha Magistrates Court and involve both criminal charges and Family Violence Restraining Order applications.
Traffic offences. The major highway corridors through the Roebourne area — the North West Coastal Highway and Karratha-Tom Price Road — generate significant traffic matter volume, including heavy vehicle compliance, licence matters, and speeding offences.
Serious offences. Assault causing grievous bodily harm, serious drug supply, and sexual offences arising in the Roebourne area are committed to the Karratha District Court circuit for trial or sentence.
Legal Services in the Roebourne Area
Aboriginal Legal Service of WA (ALSWA) — Karratha office. Provides free criminal law representation and advice for Aboriginal people, including at both the Karratha and Roebourne circuit courts. Phone: (08) 9144 3488. Emergency 24-hour: (08) 8113 3777. Freecall: 1800 019 900. ALSWA also operates the CNS and a Bail Support Service.
Legal Aid WA. Provides a phone advice service for people in police custody who are about to be interviewed, and a duty solicitor at the Karratha Magistrates Court. Legal Aid eligibility for funded representation depends on financial circumstances and the seriousness of the matter.
Private criminal defence lawyers. Perth-based and regional criminal defence practitioners appear in the Karratha Magistrates Court and District Court circuit. Most offer 24-hour advice lines for police station and custody matters. Given the distance from Perth, telephone legal advice before any interview at Roebourne Police Station is both achievable and essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nearest court to Roebourne Police Station?
The Karratha Magistrates Court at 28–30 Welcome Road, Karratha — approximately 35 kilometres west. Phone: (08) 9144 1400. For serious indictable matters, the District Court holds circuit sittings in Karratha as a registry.
If I am refused bail at Roebourne, where will I be held?
Roebourne Regional Prison is located nearby. Persons refused police bail are held until they can be brought before the Karratha Magistrates Court at the next available sitting. Having a lawyer arrange an urgent bail application is critical to minimise time in custody.
Can police search me at the station?
Yes. Police have the power to search an arrested person and their belongings upon arrest. Search powers are set out in the Criminal Investigation Act 2006 (WA).
What if I work on a mine site and get charged? Will I lose my job?
A criminal charge — particularly for drug, violence, or dishonesty matters — typically triggers an automatic security clearance and fitness for work review under site access conditions. Seek legal advice on both the criminal matter and the employment implications immediately. The earlier legal intervention occurs, the more options are available.
What if I am Aboriginal and police did not call ALSWA when I was detained?
If police have failed to notify ALSWA as required under the Police Force Amendment Regulations 2019, raise this immediately with ALSWA directly. Contact ALSWA on the 24-hour emergency line: (08) 8113 3777. Freecall: 1800 019 900. This is a legal obligation, not a discretionary practice.