Patricia Harman, a long-time resident of Boulder, has made it a routine to carry tongs and an empty water bottle during her morning walks. She uses the tongs to pick up discarded syringes, often finding a dozen or more during her hour-long strolls. "My neighbor comes with me and she finds more than I do," Harman said. "It has become normal. They are everywhere. I can't just leave them there." Harman expressed her growing frustration, noting that witnessing drug deals and usage in public has become common. "I want to drop them [the water bottles containing needles] on the council's front desk," she added.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder, located 580 kilometers east of Perth, is Australia's largest outback city, with a population of 29,306 as of the 2021 Census. During a recent community safety forum, Mayor Glenn Wilson described the increase in discarded syringes as "frightening." The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder reported that its staff collected 1,138 needles in 2024. However, in just the first nine months of this year, that number has skyrocketed to over 5,323, averaging 19 needles collected daily.

The responsibility for safely disposing of these needles falls to the City's Safer Streets Patrol, established in 2018 to reduce anti-social behavior in the central business district. The patrol has grown to include 11 staff members and three vehicles, equipped with ranger-like powers under the Local Government Act. Mayor Wilson noted, "Our Safer Streets Patrol picked up between January and April this year the same amount of needles as what they did for all of 2024. That is a frightening statistic for our community to understand."

Mandy, a concerned mother, voiced her worries at the forum, stating, "The streets are littered with glass, they're littered with needles, they're littered with rubbish. Where is the accountability for the people who are offending? This is disgusting that the vulnerable people of our community are going to come undone when they land on a needle."

In response to the issue, the Department of Health has implemented needle and syringe dispensing machines at Kalgoorlie Health Campus, providing free sterile needles. Additionally, the WA Country Health Service operates a needle exchange program at its Goldfields Population Health site, and Kalgoorlie Pharmacy allows for the safe disposal of used needles.

Mayor Wilson acknowledged the city's limited powers to address the problem, stating, "We can issue infringements, and we have, but the problem we face is they never get paid. The large number of needles in the streets tells us there's an epidemic when it comes to the drug problem, so where's the support services?"

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has reported a significant rise in methylamphetamine use in regional Western Australia, although it did not comment specifically on Kalgoorlie-Boulder. A spokesperson noted that the consumption of methylamphetamine has been increasing since August 2021 and is at record levels. Kalgoorlie MLA Ali Kent has raised concerns with WA Health Minister Meredith Hammat, highlighting the dramatic increase in methamphetamine use. "Even if you have a mandatory needle exchange, it wouldn't stop what is happening," she said. "I believe 90 percent of people using drugs do use the needle exchange."

Goldfields-Esperance Police Superintendent Kate Collins stated that officers collaborate closely with the Safer Streets Patrol to combat anti-social behavior and gather intelligence. "We will search people when we have grounds; we do a lot of work behind the scenes that is not always publicized because it might be part of the bigger picture," she said. Collins added that officers are seizing drugs daily, primarily small amounts, and emphasized the need to address illegal substance use and abuse in the community.