‘It’s the biggest problem we have right now’: Home-brew epidemic fuelling violence in Top End community
A REMOTE island community in the Top End is struggling with a home-brew epidemic, with local police now advocating to restrict resident’s access to yeast
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A REMOTE island community in the Top End is struggling with a home brew epidemic, with local police now advocating to restrict residents’ access to yeast.
Police stationed in Galiwinku on Elcho Island have seen a big spike in residents making and drinking home brew this year, with cops on the ground reporting grog has been related to almost half of the domestic incidents they responded to this month.
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The law strictly prohibits alcohol from being imported on the island, but Aboriginal liaison officer Alisha Gurruwiwi said residents were finding other ways to drink by importing yeast to make home brew.
She said home brew drinking in Galiwinku had worsened in recent months, leading to street violence.
“It’s the biggest problem we have right now,” she said.
“They’ll be drinking; next thing you know, they’ll be screaming on the street, blocking cars and fighting.
“We need to make it harder for people to make this stuff by restricting the sale of yeast behind shop counters, just like what we do with aerosols.”
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Police found about 90 litres of home brew while responding to a report of a sexual assault in Ramingining on December 30.
The investigation found a female was injured during the night, but no offences were identified.
An NT Police spokesman said police encouraged remote community residents to report instances of home brewing as soon as they became aware of them.
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