The Roper Gulf Regional Council delivers a wide range of community services and programs to remote communities in the Northern Territory. In partnership with the Council and supported by the National Indigenous Australian Authority, the Bradford Institute of Advanced Education has delivered the Community Night Patrol program. The program aims to improve levels of community safety and promote culturally appropriate conflict dispute resolution in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

The bespoke and innovative vocational education and training program, developed in consultation with community to meet their individual safety priorities, was created to cater to specific cultural and language needs of the student group, some of whom were Aboriginal Elders.  

The program was highly contextualised to the environment and prior learning and knowledge was identified, collected, and respected. Where participants had existing knowledge, yarning circles were used to discuss required knowledge and then fill in the gaps. Diagrams and infographics were utilised to reinforce and validate the knowledge and experience of the participants, and the participants’ cultural preference for story telling enabled re-imagination of the training and assessment process. 

The Community Night Patrol program achieved a 100% completion rate, all participants receiving a Certificate III in Community Services. Participants will now have the option of completing the Certificate IV or Diploma in Community Services and supporting participants of future programs. One graduate has now applied for the NT Police Service.