Place of safety to open for intoxicated Aboriginal people in Geelong

A dedicated “place of safety” for intoxicated Indigenous people will open in Geelong, after public drunkenness was recently decriminalised in Victoria.

Public drunkenness has been decriminalised in Victoria.

A dedicated “place of safety” for intoxicated Indigenous people will open in the Geelong region in coming months following public drunkenness being decriminalised.

The reforms were introduced in Victoria in November, and Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative has been providing outreach services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Geelong region.

A state government spokeswoman said people who were drunk in public often needed no help at all.

“Places of safety are an option of last resort, and most people will be supported to travel home or into the care of family and friends,” she said.

Places of safety are culturally appropriate spaces for people to sober up in regional locations, and are based on demand.

Outreach staff will remain with the person for the duration of their stay at the place of safety, and actively monitor and support them.

The public intoxication reforms aim to reduce Aboriginal deaths in custody.

It’s understood the place of safety, which will service Aboriginal people, will be a room located within an existing community health service or similar facility and will be accessible to outreach teams on demand.

It’s understood a centralised service provides 24/7 intake, referral, and dispatch functions for public intoxication response services across Victoria, and support services for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

A sobering centre non-Aboriginal people can access has been set up in Collingwood.

It’s understood more than 900 Victorians had been supported by the new health-led response to public intoxication by mid December.

The vast majority of people supported were offered water, hot drinks or support to get home safely, while more than 130 people had been supported at a sobering centre.

Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Police continue to provide a response in instances of public intoxication where there are emergency health risks or community safety risks.

Victoria Police said if first on the scene, police would remain with drunk people requiring urgent ambulance assistance until paramedics arrived.

When a drunk person did not require urgent ambulance assistance but had the potential to be a risk to themselves, police could offer to place them into the care of family of friends, assist them to obtain public transport or refer them to a public intoxication support service overseen by the Department of Health, Victoria Police said.

“However, if they refuse assistance they will be left in situ as there is no longer a role for police in these circumstances,” the force’s statement said.

“When a drunk person is presenting a safety risk to others, police will attempt to de-escalate the situation and if unsuccessful, may be able to use move on and breach of the peace powers.

“If the person commits a criminal offence, they will be dealt with swiftly by police.”

Police said they worked closely with licensed venues to ensure they were aware of their obligations around responsible service of alcohol, including not serving intoxicated people.

Originally published as Place of safety to open for intoxicated Aboriginal people in Geelong