Film shoot sparks renewed calls for police presence in historic WA town

A recent film shoot in a historic Western Australian town has highlighted the community's long-held desire for a real police presence. For three days, locals in Boulder's main street caught a glimpse of what it would be like to have a police station back in town, but it was just a set for an upcoming crime series.

The heritage-listed courthouse had been transformed into a fictional police station for the Stan crime series Two Birds. While it was just set dressing, locals said the change on Burt Street was almost immediate. "Everything went dead quiet for about three days until they realised it wasn't a real police station," said Ronnie Maddocks, co-owner of the neighbouring Grand Hotel.

While the set has since been dismantled, locals want fiction to become fact, with calls growing for a permanent police presence to return. Home to shops and historic pubs, Boulder's main street has been a magnet for crime and antisocial behaviour. Just last weekend, a worker at one of the licensed premises was allegedly threatened with a hammer, after trying to stop someone stealing cash and alcohol.

Stephen Maddocks, co-owner of the Grand Hotel, said he once had a knife pulled on him while waiting with a customer for a taxi. He said customers at the Grand had also been attacked when leaving. The Maddocks have noticed more police vehicles and occasional foot patrols since the campaign for a permanent presence began. "When that's happening, everything goes a little bit quieter," Ms Maddocks said.

Their concerns are shared by more than 1,000 people who have signed a petition calling for a 24-hour shopfront police station on Burt Street. Boulder Newsagency owner Mike Saville said he has watched visitor numbers steadily decline over the past decade. "Police presence should be walking up and down the street," he said. "Not all day long every day, but up and down the street for an hour in the morning, an hour in the afternoon, so people see them."

WA Police say officers respond to calls across Kalgoorlie-Boulder 24 hours a day and regularly patrol Boulder. However, police would not disclose current staffing levels, saying resources were continually assessed and allocated based on operational demand and community safety needs.

WA Police data shows 1,742 offences were recorded in Boulder in 2025, up from 1,515 in 2024. Within the first six months of this year, 1,141 offences had already been recorded.

Dave Grills, a former Kalgoorlie-Boulder police officer, said a police presence was needed. "To have that presence down there is the thing that's needed, it's how the police will do it with the resources they have," he said. "Until you have a police officer there in a uniform working face-to-face with people, you won't fix the problem."

The petition to reopen the post, signed by 1,171 people, was tabled in WA Parliament on September 10 by Liberal MP Neil Thomson. Mr Thomson said retailers had raised concerns with him about theft, drug use and worker safety. "They share the immense frustration about crime and antisocial behaviour in the town retail precinct," he said. "The most troubling aspect is the constant fear of assault retail workers have, whether they be minor or major assaults."