Rockingham homeless camp cleared, one arrested

A makeshift homeless camp that had built up along Memorial Drive in Rockingham has been cleared, with one person arrested after failing to leave the site by an agreed deadline.

Police and local authorities attended the site as crews moved in to dismantle tents, tarpaulins and other makeshift shelters that rough sleepers had erected along the reserve. Officers said most people camped there had already left ahead of the cut-off, taking their belongings with them, but one person who remained after time expired was taken into custody.

The Memorial Drive site had grown in recent weeks into one of the more visible rough-sleeping camps in Rockingham, drawing complaints from nearby residents and businesses about rubbish, safety and amenity. Authorities had reportedly given campers advance notice of the clearance, along with information about alternative accommodation and support services, before the deadline took effect.

Homelessness has become an increasingly visible issue across Perth's southern suburbs, with support agencies pointing to a shortage of crisis and social housing as a key driver. Outreach workers say camps like the one at Memorial Drive often re-form elsewhere once cleared, unless people are connected with stable, long-term accommodation rather than simply moved on.

Local government authorities have previously defended clearances of this kind as necessary for public safety and amenity, while acknowledging they do not resolve the underlying housing shortfall. Advocacy groups have called for clearances to be paired with guaranteed access to beds and case management, rather than relying on the threat of arrest to enforce deadlines.

Western Australia Police have not detailed the exact charge laid against the person arrested at the scene, though such matters typically relate to trespass or failing to comply with a move-on direction under local laws. No other arrests were reported, and the operation was described as orderly once underway.

The clearance follows a pattern seen in other Perth-area camps in recent years, where councils issue notice periods before sending in contractors and police to remove structures and belongings left on site. Items unclaimed after a clearance are typically stored for a period before disposal, giving former occupants a window to retrieve possessions.

Community and welfare groups operating in the Rockingham area say they will continue to check on people displaced by the clearance in coming days, aiming to connect them with emergency accommodation, health services and other support as the search continues for longer-term solutions to rough sleeping in the region.