Arrernte Community Patrol: leaders for change

It’s a cool night in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) as Arrernte men and women gather at the office of the Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation. Dressed in bright orange shirts, the Lhere Artepe logo front and centre, they come together as the Traditional Owner Community Patrol ready for another night patrol on the streets of Mparntwe. 

‘We want a safe community for everyone,’ says Graeme Smith, the CEO of the Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation, ‘we also want opportunity for Arrernte to be part of the solutions to our issues, our problems.'

'If you want to look at how to fix things, you just go back to the people who are caught up in the problem to give understanding on how to go about addressing it. That’s why we set up the Traditional Owner Community Patrol,’ He explained.

After 25 years working with NT Police, highly respected Arrernte leader Phillip Alice says the idea for an Arrernte community patrol came a while back and the Alice Springs Town Council previously funded a trial period. 

‘On the back of that trial we spoke with the national government and today, I am proud that we can employ local Arrernte people to help keep our community safe,' he said.

With funding through the Australian Government’s landmark plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia, Lhere Artepe can employ up to 40 casual community patrollers who are respected Elders, leaders and role models with cultural authority. Through being present on the streets, the community patrol aims to reduce youth crime and to be the first point of contact rather than police. 

Arrernte Community Patroller Bianca Turner says: ‘It’s important we get people home safely, you know we do a peace deal with them. So we're trying to get them back home early before it gets late.' 

'I'm doing this because I'm trying to help the community, trying to help the town, trying to help through our patrols,’ she said.

Graeme Smith says the goal is to change the behaviour, to create a change in attitude and through the community patrol team’s cultural authority, Graeme hopes to build understanding and respect when one enter someone else’s country. 

Phillip Alice says what this means is patrollers can identify the kids on the streets and then talk to the parents, to their community so maybe they get taught by their Elders of their community about their country and responsibility.

‘We're able to speak language, to understand better and to connect with who they are, it just diffuses the situation,’ said Graeme Smith.

‘If you can connect on cultural bounds first, and that's through language and where you're from, you can deal with it better. You can calm the situation.’ 

As a former police officer, Phillip Alice knows it is important to work with other existing patrols and the NT Police, though he has always believed to find solutions to problems in the community, the Arrernte people must take the lead.

‘I remember talking to my father and my uncles. They said the Elders always come together and have always spoken about their problems. And then they have a solution,' he said.

'And we have done that. I feel very proud, a proud Arrernte man, we have come together with the patrol, Lhere Artepe, and other services to look after the community that I love.’