New limits to the amount of alcohol you carry in your car in Western Australian after cartons of beer were sold for up to $200 to dry Aboriginal communities
- The state government is restricting carry limits for alcohol in the WA’s Kimberley
- Police are trying to crack down on bootlegging in dry aboriginal communities
- Sly groggers have been slipping past bans to sell cases of beer for $200
The state government is imposing limits on the amount of alcohol allowed in cars to prevent bootleggers selling it to dry Aboriginal communities in Western Australia.
A new law is coming into place across the 42,000 square kilometre Kimberley region which would allow police to charge anyone with suspicious quantities of liquor in their cars.
The move follows ongoing issues around illegal sales which has resulted in cartons of beer being sold for up to $200 in areas like Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, reported The Australian.
The towns are home to more than 200 remote communities which have been alcohol free for the past decade, under the directive of indigenous leaders.
The state government is imposing limits on the amount of alcohol allowed in cars to prevent bootleggers selling it to dry Aboriginal communities in Western Australia
However last week sly groggers managed to slip past authorities and sneak alcohol into one of the dry communities.
Police were forced to intervene within 24 hours as community members became intoxicated and children stopped going to school.
The ruling follows a push by Western Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson for a blanket ban on full strength takeaway alcohol across the entire Kimberley region.
Changes to the sale of alcohol were proposed after an explosive investigation to the impacts of alcohol on aboriginal communities and their children in the Kimberley region.
Detectives were confronted with alcohol driven family violence, alcohol abuse and emergency departments overwhelmed with patients.
A new law is coming into place across the 42,000 square kilometre Kimberley region (pictured) which would allow police to charge anyone with suspicious quantities of liquor in their cars
The WA liquor licencing authorities are due to hand down their response to the investigation today, a year on from the findings being released.
At the time, suggestions were made for a major crackdown on the sale of alcohol in the region, including allowing bottle shops to sell nothing stronger than mid strength beer.
One of the changes to come out of the report is likely to involve restrictions on alcohol in cars, however the exact quantities are still unknown.
Police would be able to arrest anyone found with more than the allowed carry limit, but they’d have to prove the offender intended to sell the alcohol for a profit.
In the past bootleggers claimed they were buying up large quantities to give to friends who were planning to reimburse them.
Alcohol-related violence has dropped by 40 per cent in the Kimberley between March 1 and April 5, compared to the same time last year.
WA Police also restricted the sale of alcohol on March 25, limiting shoppers to only one carton of beer and three bottles of wine a day (stock image)
Authorities believe the drop is an unintended consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many indigenous communities left major towns to relocate to the smaller dry communities when the virus hit, restricting their access to alcohol.
WA Police also restricted the sale of alcohol on March 25, limiting shoppers to only one carton of beer and three bottles of wine a day.