‘After discovery of gold in 1854, a number of bad characters took to the bush who were satisfied to rob without offering violence, unless they were resisted. This class of a highway robber soon found sympathisers, for there was something romantic about boldly sticking up coaches and gold escorts, and fighting the police.’[1]

The story of a brave bushranger is a common trope in many Australian colonial narratives. Bushrangers are ascribed ‘some of the sturdy Republicanism of the modern Australians’.[2] One of these legendary bushrangers roving the Eastern colonies was Frank Gardiner. Gardiner gained notoriety for gentlemanly behavior during robberies, gifts to the poor and ‘humane’ approach to bushranging. As a result, he had numerous sympathisers and supporters among the small settler community, which made it difficult for the police to arrest him.

Gardiner, also Frank Christie or Clarke, was likely born in the colony in 1832, after his parents migrated to New South Wales from Argyle, Scotland.[3] The Story of the Australian Bushrangers (1899) traces his birth to Boro Creek, near Tarago.[4] In the 1850s, he went to the ‘diggings’ in Victoria. He was arrested in Ballarat for horse stealing, but little is known about his life before then. Following prison sentences in Geelong and later Cockatoo Island, Gardiner was released on a ticket-of-leave, a form of parole, in 1858. Two years later, he was arrested again on a warrant for cattle stealing in the Burrangong area. He did not remain in custody for long and on 14 May, Gardiner absconded from bail and took to bushranging.

New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930. State Archives NSW; Roll: 5098

Gardiner spent three years in the bush. He was eventually arrested in Apin Creek near Rockhampton, where he lived with his partner Catherine (Kitty) Brown.[5] The tally of his bushranging was estimated to £21,000. After his arrest, Gardiner was escorted to Sydney and tried for unlawfully wounding with intent to murder and kill policemen John Middleton and William Hosie back in July 1861. The trial lasted over a few months. Initially, the prosecution failed to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt the intent to kill Middleton, and the jury returned the verdict of not guilty which was met with ‘perfect yell of delight, accompanied by clapping of hands’ in the courtroom.[6] Gardiner was further tried for ‘feloniously, unlawfully and maliciously wounding William Hosie with intent to thereby kill and murder him’ on the first count, and with intent to do grievous bodily harm, on the second.[7]

A Nominal Return of All Prisoners. Court of Criminal Jurisdiction: NSW returns of prisoners convicted 1866–69; Reel: 2429

Gardiner was found guilty on the first count and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour with first two years in irons. He was also sentenced to 10 years with hard labour for armed robbery of Horsington, and an added 7 for robbery of Hewett, totalling 32 years in prison. He was 32 years old at the time. Some thought the sentence was too harsh and ‘deprived a man of all hope.’[8]

F Clarke New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930, SA NSW roll 860

Gardiner’s popularity did not wane even after 10 years’ imprisonment. In 1874, a petition was submitted to the NSW Parliament urging for Gardiner’s release citing his exemplary conduct and complete rehabilitation.[9]

However, Sydney Punch disagreed[10]:

In July of the same year, Gardiner was released conditionally from prison and a week later left for San Francisco, California. His celebrity status followed him to America[11]:

The years after Gardiner’s departure are filled with fantastical stories. In 1879, Evening News reported that he posted a letter to a person in Burrangong saying he has married ‘a wealthy American widow, and has comfortably located himself in Nevada.’[12] However, a few years later, Newcastle Morning Herald informed its readers that for years Gardiner kept a saloon or a bar in Pacific-street, San Francisco. The same newspaper also reported that he took to the roads instead and was ‘sticking up’ emigrant trains in the West, ‘though nothing authentic was known.’[13]

In 1888, Warwick Argus cited a Melbourne paper that ‘just been told by a Californian paper [that] before his capture he had been intimate with a young girl, fresh from England, who bore him a daughter’ and died before Gardiner’s release.[14] The gallant bushranger then left for America but only after he made suitable provisions for his daughter. In America, he set up a saloon on Kearney-street near Broadway in San Francisco, it ‘being the resort of seafaring men, especially those plying between that port and the colonies.’[15]

The Brisbane Courier added to the story by claiming that during all the time that Gardiner remained in San Francisco his conduct was good, ‘and the police never once had to complain of him or his saloon.’[16]

[1] ‘Rockhampton. In the Early Days. The First Decade. By Fitzroy’, The Capricornia, 16 Aug 1902, p. 9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68869647
[2]Boxall, GE (1899). The Story of the Australian Bushrangers, Swann Sonnenschein & Co, London, p. 193.
[3] New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930, SA NSW roll 860.
[4] Boxall, p. 193.
[5] NSWPG, 1864, p. 84.
[6] ‘Trial and Acquittal of Frank Gardiner’, Queanbeyan Age and General Advertiser, 26 May 1864, p. 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30634745
[7] ‘Trial and Conviction of Gardiner’, Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, 19 Jul 1864, p. 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article123606318
[8] Boxall, p. 256.
[9]‘Petitions for Gardiner’s Release’, Australian Town and Country Journal, 16 May 1874, p. 10. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70474506
[10] Sydney Punch, 22 May 1874, p. 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article253225820
[11] ‘Interviewing Gardiner’, Glenn Innes Examiner and General Advertiser, 14 Apr 1875, p. 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217834136
[12] ‘Frank Gardiner’, Evening News, 1 December 1879, p. 3.
[13] ‘Frank Gardiner’, Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners’ Advocate, 11 May 1887, p. 3.
[14] ‘Gardiner, The Bushranger’, Warwick Argus, 16 Oct 1888, p. 3.
[15] Ibid.
[16] ‘Sequel to a Bushranging Story’, Brisbane Courier, 10 Oct 1888, p. 6.

The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum is currently closed due to COVID19, with staff working remotely by email and phone.  When reopened, hours of operation will be 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – Frank Gardiner, A Gentleman of Bad Character’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the Irish police organisations were viewed as exemplary across the British colonies, their members were actively recruited by Canadian, Indian, Egyptian, New Zealand and Australian forces. Many officers from the colonies and dominions travelled to the Royal Irish Constabulary Depot in Phoenix Park, Dublin, for ‘professional development’.

Between late the 1860s and 1921, Ireland had two police forces with parallel jurisdictions. The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), a largely rural state paramilitary force, and the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP), an urban civilian force. As Ireland struggled with economic and political crises, many men and women left the country for the colonies, including Queensland, seeking employment and stability. In the 1880s, 61% of all recruits to the Queensland Police Force listed Ireland as their country of birth.[1]

Royal Irish Constabulary evict T. Birmingham from his house in Moyasta on the Vandeleur Estate in County Clare, July 1888 during the Plan of Campaign.

The Royal Irish Constabulary provided the highest number of recruits for the Queensland Police. The Land Wars of the 1880s facilitated the largest influx of ex-Irish policemen in the second half of the nineteenth century. The sectarian and nationalist violence, land clearing, evictions, and protection of the land owners during these years fell under the responsibility of the RIC. Many of the RIC men resented these duties and subsequently left the service. Queensland statistics illustrates that approximately 2,000 Irishmen migrated into the colony in 1880 alone.

Image: Phoenix Park Murders, May 1882: the assassination of chief secretary Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish and permanent Irish under secretary Thomas Henry Burke in Phoenix Park by a republican group; from Le Monde Illustre in 1882. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1882 was an especially hard year for Ireland, both economically and politically. A range of key industries, such as shipbuilding, were in decline, the Dublin Police went on strike, and all with a backdrop of daily tenants’ evictions and assaults on authorities by the extrmist nationalist group the Invincibles. In May, its members assassinated the Chief Secretary for Ireland Lord Cavendish and Under Secretary Burke in Phoenix Park. Dublin was panic stricken by weekly attacks on authority figures.[2] The rural police, RIC, were among the top targets.

Overall, throughout the 1880s and 1890s, 780 out of 1591, or half of all men sworn in to the Queensland Police, were immigrants from Ireland. Ten per cent of the Irish-born recruits identified as ‘policemen’, ‘Dublin Police’, or ‘Royal Irish Constabulary’.[3]

Patrick Nolan’s QP Application, 1890. QSA File No 3433

Patrick Nolan was 27 years old when he applied to join the Queensland force in 1890. He was born in Newtown, County Kilkenny. In 1882, he briefly served with the Royal Irish Constabulary but resigned after four months ‘owing to [his] brother leaving for America’.[4] Patrick arrived in Queensland in 1889 and worked for FW Galloway, an immigration agent in Kangaroo Point, for a year before applying to join the local police.

P Nolan Reg No 107, 360 Swearing In Certificate, QPM Collection

In Queensland, Constable Nolan went on to have a 30-year-long career in the police with numerous commendations. In 1914, Sergeant Nolan received an unusual commendation for his assistance in locating and capturing a parrot.

Parrot rescue, QSA File No 3433

The parrot was a pet of Andrew Lang Petrie, Member of Queensland Legislative Assembly for Toombul, a well-known stonemason, and the eldest son of John Petrie, the first mayor of Brisbane.

Sketch of Andrew L Petrie, JOL 167296; Advertisement for the manufacturer of stone memorials JOL 62255; John Petrie, JOL 17153.

His namesake, William Nolan, was also 27 when he applied to join the QPF. He grew up in Mullingar, County Westmeath and previously served with the Dublin Metropolitan Police for five years, resigning in late August 1900.[5]

W Nolan’s QP Application 1890, QSA File No 4118 with his photo, PM387, attached

Nolan arrived from Ireland on 14 October 1900 and submitted his application two days later. He was sworn in in March 1901.

Due to marriage restrictions in the first years of police service, Constable William Nolan resigned on 1 June 1903, a day before the wedding, to marry Margaret Murphy in 1903. He was re-appointed three days later. Like Patrick, William Nolan also went on to have a long and meritorious career within the QPF, retiring in 1933 as an Officer in Charge of Cairns Police Station.

[1] Dukova, A (2016). A History of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and Its Colonial Legacy. Palgrave Macmillan, London, p. 153.
[2] Ibid., pp. 123-130.
[3] Register of Members of the Police Force, 1859-1917 and 1879-1924. QPM.
[4] Patrick Nolan, QP Service History, QSA File No 3433.
[5] Nolan William, Numerical Register of the Officers and Men of all Ranks in the Dublin Metropolitan Police, 1836-1924.

The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum is currently closed due to COVID19, with staff working remotely by email and phone.  When reopened, hours of operation will be 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – ‘Irish Police Come to Queensland’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

A baton or a truncheon has been one of the standard issue police accoutrements across a variety of police forces over nearly 200 years. Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force, from 1869 indicates the baton is the weapon to which the constable should have recourse, but ‘the use of this should be avoided as much as possible, as good temper, with determination, will generally effect more than the use of violent measures.’[1] In 1876, it is listed as a standard issue equipment.

Manual of Police Regulations for the Guidance of the Constabulary of Queensland, 1876, p. 4.

The Queensland Police Museum (QPM), initially established in 27 November 1893 for the purpose of educating the police, now collects objects and photographs related to the history of the Queensland Police. The personnel files from the early 1900s, reflect the importance of the space for education of the newly sworn constables by specifying if a man completed the entry requirements and visited the Police Museum. Today, the Museum is a public space and has an extensive collection which traces Queensland Police history and contains 54 batons in its holdings. These date from the late 1800s to mid-20^th century,  and include standard issue, self-made and decorative versions. A few of them were used in historically significant events such as the 1886 Belfast riots and Brisbane 1912 General Strike.

Police Batons, Queensland Police Museum Collection

The baton once belonging to ‘J Graham’ of the Royal Irish Constabulary was donated to the QPM in 2005 by a family of police officer who was given the ‘spare’ baton in 1941. Royston Frederick Jones was newly recruited, and the department had exhausted their stocks of regulation batons.

‘J Graham’ Belfast Police Baton (RIC), 1886, QPM Collection

Belfast has a long history of processions and gatherings turning violent, suddenly and quickly. In fact, the 1864 riots led to disbandment of the city police force, commonly known as ‘the Bulkies’ for partisanship and inability to contain rioting. The Irish Constabulary took over the jurisdiction in 1865, resulting in police presence increase from 165 men to 450.[2] Despite this significant increase, Belfast police regularly turned to the military for support. In 1886, the city was overwhelmed by three waves of violent rioting, in June, July and August. Each wave had a sectarian trigger: in June it was three men arguing at the docks over Home Rule bill and Irish political independence; in July the Protestant Orange parade set off the second wave; and in August, Catholics attacked a Sunday school excursion while Protestants attacked a Catholic outing. Mid-August was usually charged due to the traditional Lady’s Day Catholic celebrations.

 

‘No other riot in nineteenth-century Belfast had a higher death toll.’[3]

The journalist Frankfort Moore, writing in 1914 about events he witnessed in the late nineteenth century, described the Belfast riots of 1886 as being ‘closely akin to actual warfare’.[4]

‘Waiting for the Islandmen, Belfast Riots 1886.’ National Museums Norther Ireland, BELUM.Y6918

The riots cost 32 lives and nearly £1M in damages. There were 371 policemen injured as well as countless numbers of civilians. In the mid-1880s, the regular Belfast police contingent stood around 570, an additional 400 men were brought in from the southern counties. Overall, about a third of these men were armed with batons and the rest with rifles. Although we know around 300-350 policemen carried batons during these riots, we have not been able to identify ‘J Graham’, whose baton the QPM now holds, and what role he played in the riots. How did the baton end up at the Police Academy in Oxley in the 1940s? This and other provenance questions remain unanswered.

Queensland Police Baton (silky oak) dating between 1890-1930. This baton was used in Brisbane 1912 General Strike. QP78, QPM Collection

[1] Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force, 1869, p. 47.
[2] Mark Radford (2007), ‘Cobbles and Confetti: Public Order Policing in Late Victorian Belfast’, Irish Studies Review, Vol 15, No 2, p. 199.
[3] Ibid., 206.
[4] ‘Closely Akin to Actual Warfare’, History Ireland Issue 4 (Winter 1999) Vol 7

The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum is currently closed due to COVID19, with staff working remotely by email and phone.  When reopened, hours of operation will be 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – ‘Police Accoutrements: Baton, or Truncheon’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned this article contains images of deceased persons which may cause sadness or distress.

From late January to May 1919, the Queensland and New South Wales border was closed to help stop or at least slow, the spread of the influenza virus, later identified as H1N1, into the state.[1] The Health Acts 1900 to 1917, authorised the Queensland Commissioner of Public Health to issue regulations for state intervention of a person’s civil rights such as mandatory examination, detention and isolation of anyone likely to have been infected or who had been in contact with anyone sick.  In 1919, regulations issued by John Moore, the Commissioner of Public Health, empowered Police Officers to use reasonable force required to prevent any breach, or to apprehend any person, who had committed or was suspected of committing a breach of the public health laws.

On 28 January 1919, Queensland Police Commissioner Urquhart issued instructions to stop all persons from crossing into Queensland from New South Wales. Inspectors at Toowoomba and the Depot were directed to provide necessary help to all border stations by means of extra men and horses.  Soon after, an additional officer was sent to the border towns of Coolangatta and Wallangarra.  Eventually, 11 more officers from the Depot were sent to Coolangatta, equipped with 2 Bell tents, 22 brown blankets and 11 x bush rugs, waterproof sheet, pillows and slips and bed covers, for their accommodation and use.[2]

Police encampment at Hungerford during influenza epidemic, ca February 1919.
PM3248

Initially Coolangatta, Wallangarra and Goondiwindi were the only towns with dedicated border crossing points under Pneumonic Influenza Regulations.[3] Though Wallangarra camp was located entirely within the territory of New South Wales, it was run by the Queensland government and health officials. The government’s decision to rigidly adhere to only three entry points resulted in significant number of applications for exemptions from the public.  In the face of such pressure, the government soon relented and established a medical screening process allowing bona fide Queenslanders to return to the state via Wompah, Hungerford, Wooroorooka, Adelaide Gate and Mungindi. Border patrols were also operating out of Killarney, Stanthorpe, Texas and Hebel among other locations.[4]

Penalties for breaching Pneumonic Influenza Regulations ranged from fines of £2-£20 to short-term imprisonment.[5] In one case, from 12 February 1919, a man travelled to Blackall from the southern border over 600 kilometres, before he was located. He was subsequently isolated for 7 days and then prosecuted for breaching the regulations.  The offender admitted to crossing the border at Mungindi, walking to Dirranbandi, then back to Thallon via Warwick, Toowoomba and Brisbane before being arrested at Blackall.[6]

‘Arrival at Quarantine Camp, Wallangarra. People arrive at the quarantine camp in Wallangarra during the influenza epidemic of 1919. The camp consists of tents and corrugated iron buildings, surrounded by bushland. People are waiting to be registered and admitted to the camp. They have their suitcases and other belongings with them.’ JOL 188018 Note: This was the last group that served the full 7 day quarantine period before the camp closed and the state re-opened.

All officers on border patrol had to keep an individual diary, while Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors were required to report to the Commissioner on a weekly basis. These notes revealed that Constable Gray stationed at Adelaide Gate, Charleville Police District was provided with three camels by Lucas Hughes, the manager of the Nockatunga Station. The camels were said to be the only means available to Gray for border patrolling through the Western Desert Country. He had to employ an Aboriginal man from the station to help handle the animals. One camel later died, and the owner was compensated £20 for the death.[7] Elsewhere in the Charleville district, border patrol officers had the use of three Howard brand bicycles.

Constable M. T. Gray to Sub-Inspector John Harlan, Charleville 7 June 1919. QSA Item No 18278.

In recognition of the arduous duties performed by the patrol policemen, every day for duration of the border closures, each officer’s pay was supplemented by 7/- per day.  The men were at the higher risk of infection due to likely exposure to infected persons. In late March 1919, Mungindi seems to have become a hot spot for Border Breakers, including women and children. In early May, the virus finally crossed into Queensland and soon after the government re-opened the borders, as the authorities were no longer able to justify the lock down despite the appeals to keep the borders shut. As a result, all border patrol officers were recalled back to their usual stations.

Roma Police Station, 1921. PM0360.

On 1 June, Constable Hubert James Kelly, who was assigned to Mungindi Border Patrol from 2 February 1919, returned to Roma. Constable Kelly was severely asthmatic and a regular tippler which seemed to help him cope with his asthma. Kelly returned unwell and given his respiratory issues his condition deteriorated quickly. He was placed on sick leave on 6 June, but his health worsened again and rapidly. Kelly died four days later at the hospital, on 10 June 1919.[8]

Staff File, QSA 565852

The official cause of death was Influenza and heart failure. Kelly’s death devastated his family, wife Mary Bridget neé Maguire and two sons aged 5 and 6 years old, personally and financially. Kelly’s wife received a lump sum payment of £191/12/6 but as there was no widows’ pension fund to support families of the deceased officers, the family was soon in financial distress. In November 1921, Mary Kelly applied to be a female searcher at the Brisbane Watchhouse as she was advised there was a vacancy, however, she was misinformed.[9]

Tracker Corporal Sam Johnson was another Queensland Police Force casualty of the outbreak. Johnson was stationed in Longreach when he contracted the virus and died on 22 June 1919.

At Longreach. The influenza epidemic has got a great spread on, and it is safe to say nearly every home has at least one patient. The hotels and businesses are all hopelessly short handed, and in fact some places have been obliged to close. Thursday morning the Post Office closed its  doors until after the mail was got away, not having enough assistants left to attend to the counter business and dispatch the mail. For the week there have been three deaths. (‘At Longreach.—’, The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts, 14 June 1919, p. 7. )

Sam and Limerick Johnson. PM3985

Born about 1877 in Charleville in western Queensland, Sam was a member of the Bidjara people.  He was a highly respected horseman and tracker with a quiet and sincere disposition, well built, and fit.

He gained renown in 1902 following his role in the Kenniff brothers’ case and murders of Constables Doyle and Dahlke. The trial of the Kenniffs included significant and damning evidence by Sam Johnson.  Being the sole survivor of the police party that arrived at Lethbridges Pocket, Sam was subjected to intense cross examination attempting to discredit his testimony.  Johnson was survived by his wife, Limerick, who moved to the Rockhampton area later in 1919, where she died in 1921 and was interred at the Rockhampton Cemetery.

Headstone of Sam Johnson’s grave in Longreach.

[1] Oxford, JS (2000), ‘Influenza A pandemics of the 20^th century with special reference to 1918: virology, pathology and epidemiology’, Reviews in Medical Virology, Vol 10, pp. 120-21.
[2] Commissioner of Police to Inspector Carroll, Police Depot and Inspector O’Connor. Toowoomba, 28 February 1919. QSA Item No 18246.
[3] Commissioner of Public Health circular memorandum, 6 February 1919.  QSA Item No 18246.
[4] Chief Secretary’s Office 19/02167 and Commissioner of Public Health Memorandum, 6 March 1919. QSA Item No 862691.
[5] Queensland Police Gazette, January-December 1919.
[6] Commissioner of Police Correspondence Register 19/4914, 12 February 1919. QSA Item No 318614.
[7] Constable M. T. Gray to Sub-Inspector John Harlan, Charleville 20 February 1919 and 7 June 1919. QSA Item Nos 76483 and 18278.
[8] Staff File, QSA Item No 565852.
[9] Ibid.

The article was researched and written by Dr Patrick Hodgson and Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum is currently closed due to COVID19, with staff working remotely by email and phone.  When reopened, hours of operation will be 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – Queensland Border Policing During 1919 Influenza Outbreak’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Before centrally organised police in Ireland, the night watchmen, also known as “Charlies”, patrolled the streets between the hours of sunset and sunrise. The men received no preliminary training or much guidance on the execution of their duties. In Dublin and Belfast, there was is hardly a story or an article where a watchman was not criticised or abused for his ineptness, or simply for his overpowering love of sleep and drink, to which he only too readily succumbed.

Drunken Watchman Lying on the Ground by William Sadler. National Photographic Archive, Dublin (NPA, PD 3176 TX 44)

Between the 1830s and 1840s, the night watch was completely superseded by the ‘Day Police’ in both capitals, which took over night and day duties. These organised forces were progenitors of the colonial police.  By the latter half of the nineteenth century, police recruitment and training procedures became more standardised and averaged from one to three months. Across most of the Irish and later the Australian police forces, supernumeraries received nominal pay.

DMP and a Boy, 1863. Garda Museum.

Throughout the duration of their training, the recruits were stationed at the Dublin Metropolitan Police training depot, in Kevin Street, close to the city centre. Each man, at the end of the first week after joining, was provided with a standard set of articles[1]:

1 trunk, 2 shirts, 1 set of shoe brushes, 2 pairs of stockings, 1 razor, 2 towels, 1 rack-comb.

In addition to the pay, every man was supplied with the following articles of clothing and equipment when sworn in:

None of the issued equipment was considered a policeman’s property. All men were required to own ‘a respectable suit of plain clothes, two pairs of strong boots, three good shirts, and four pairs of stockings.’ On Sunday and Thursday, men were expected to change into a clean shirt and clean pair of stockings.

The day of the Dublin supernumerary was extremely regulated. The hours of rising varied between seasons:

Day began at 7 am in winter, and summer at 6 am

First class at 8 am, followed by breakfast at 9am.

Drill from 10 to 11am

Second class 11:15-12:15

Drill 12:15-1pm

Dinner at 2pm.

Classes 4-6pm

Supper at 7pm

Classes 8-9pm

Roll call at 9:30pm

As the final step before getting appointed to a division, every supernumerary was expected to purchase one pair of boots. By the end of the first month from his appointment, a constable must have had in his possession ‘two serviceable pairs at 16 shillings each’, or more than a week’s pay of a constable. The first-year constables were then expected to put enough money aside to afford a watch. Constables who had served twelve months from the date of their first promotion to the third rate and failed to provide themselves with a watch were placed under stoppages of 2s 6d by their superintendents until a sufficient sum has been collected for the purchase of one.[2]

The Queensland Police supernumeraries also received drill and service training during the probation period at the police depot. Initially, in the ten years between 1875 and 1885 the police were housed at the Victoria Army Barracks, while recruitment and training took place in Brisbane at the Police Depot at Petrie Terrace. In 1880, Roma Street Police Barracks building was completed and cost of £5000 and located at Turbot and Roma Streets in Brisbane. The Venetian-Italian style building included three floors. The first floor had two cells, a kitchen, bathroom, and offices. The second floor included a large parade hall, dining room, day room, and offices. The third floor contained two large dormitories, one for men on night duty, and the other for those on day duty, as well as several individual bedrooms.

Roma Street Barracks, 1960 (8 years before it was demolished) PM0323

The regular constables were issued the following equipment:

In case any of the articles were lost or damaged, the amount was charged to the constable who possessed them.

Handcuffs, QPM Collection

In the 1890s, a weekly class of instruction in general knowledge and police duties was established and held on Wednesday nights. The classes were attended by all the members of the police stationed at the Depot, as well as the recruits.

All recruits received training in drill, including squad and company, physical and dumb-bell, such fatigue work as was necessary. Each afternoon they were made to read aloud and were instructed in the various duties that they, as constables, would be called upon to perform. Those men deemed suitable were taught to ride the bicycle and care for it.

From 1894 onwards, the Police Museum was used for the purpose of instructing recruits in the various methods employed by criminals. And finally, a course of ten ambulance lectures on ‘First Aid to the Injured’ was given to the city and Moreton police by a medical doctor.

[1] ‘Rules to be Observed by Supernumeraries in Kevin-Street Metropolitan Police Depot’, Instruction Book for the Dublin Metropolitan Police Revised by Inspector John Ward. (Dublin: Printed by Alex. Thom, 87&88, Abbey-Street, 1865), p. 3
[2] ‘Supernumeraries. Rules to be Observed by Supernumeraries in Kevin-Street Metropolitan Police Depot’ (1876), 17.

The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum hours of operation are 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – Police Depot and Training’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

The Queensland Police Museum holds a comprehensive collection of uniforms, including this ceremonial dress tunic worn by Commissioner Cecil James Carroll (1934-1949), which is listed on the Australian Dress Register.

QPF Commissioner’s Dress Tunic, QP 182

In contrast to present-day practice, Cecil James Carroll did not rise through the ranks of the Queensland Police Force. Like his predecessors, such as David Thompson Seymour (1864-95), William Edward Parry-Okeden (1895-1905), and William Geoffrey Cahill (1905-16), Carroll was appointed from another government department. Between 1920 and 1934, he was employed by the Taxation Office and at the time of his transition served as the Chief Inspector of Taxation. Carroll was also an ANZAC, having enlisted in 1915. He fought on the Western Front and was wounded twice.  Captain Carroll was invalidated in 1918.

Left to Right: Sub Inspectors John Smith, Florence Michael O’Driscoll, Charles J. L. Perrin, and Commissioner Cecil J. Carroll outside Parliament House, Brisbane. PM3112

The pattern of wear on the tunic suggests it was worn mainly for ceremonial purposes. The damage is not as pronounced as the wear and tear normally seen on a daily used uniform. It is in a very good condition with only minor damage due to ageing.  Management, as well as infrequent wear, have preserved it well.

Although this Police Commissioner’s tunic has no rank insignia attached, the circular cording (Bullet Hole braid) surrounding the Austrian Knots on the sleeves indicates the rank of the wearer. This can be seen in the group image of the Queensland Commissioned Police Officers above. The olivets or cylindrical toggles that would be used to decoratively fasten the front of the tunic are missing but can be seen on the Inspector’s tunic in the image below:

Inspector’s Dress Tunic, QP 183

‘Made in Brisbane’ – the dress tunic was made by Arthur J Longson, Ewing House in Adelaide St, Brisbane

Before retiring on 23 July 1949, Commissioner Carroll introduced many reforms including qualifying examinations for promotion and an improved training system for recruits. He became particularly known for establishing the Cadet system of admission. Commissioner Carroll also oversaw extensive renovation of police buildings, including opening of the Queensland Police Garage and the Police Welfare Club; establishment of a wireless radio station and installation of radio receivers in police cars; introduction of the ‘modus operandi’ recording system; the single fingerprint system, and finally the Scientific Section and the Traffic Squad.

Commissioner Carroll’s term coincided with the Second World War, when Brisbane became the epicentre of the Pacific War front and the first port of call for American troops. During those years, the population of Brisbane doubled, testing police resources and capabilities.

The article was researched by Assistant Curator Virginia Gordon and Rebecca Lush, and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova. The Queensland Police Museum hours of operation are 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au

‘FROM the VAULT – Police Commissioner’s Dress Tunic’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

By regularly reviewing the past, we are planning the future.  A look at the Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports 1906 to 1908 revealed a Circular Memorandum No. 427 of 11 January 1907 issued by the Commissioner of Police (CoP). In it, the CoP required a report to be prepared on the working of the Cloncurry District during 1906.  Information was gathered from the individual police stations within the Cloncurry Police District to provide a picture of events and societal changes that were either affecting individual stations, or the district as a whole, such as mining, the arrival of the railway, and population growth or decline. Selected items considered of importance from all the police districts were chosen to be included in the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Police, which was then presented to the Queensland Parliament.

The Annual District Report covered a variety of topics:

• Crime
• The State of Barracks
• Arms and Appointments
• Horses
• Bicycles
• Stores
• Duty of Men
• Missing Friends
• Missing Property
• Working of the Licensing Act and Sunday Trading
• Working of Infant Life Protection Act
• General Remarks

The following are some of the highlights that Sub-Inspector Third Class McGrath made in his report. There had been a slight increase in horse and cattle stealing, but when the cases were investigated it was found the stock had mostly strayed than been stolen, he reported that “crime during the coming year may be expected to increase as the population is increasing and with the approach of the Railway a number of undesirable characters are sure to come here.”

Cloncurry district had a total of 66 horses in the district, of which 50 were from 15 to 20 years old and only suitable for pack or escort duty. There were also two bicycles in the district, one at Cloncurry and the other at Hampden, and both out of order.

Sub-Inspector McGrath recommended that the Hampden bicycle be returned to Brisbane as it was of no use there, but he’d make an application for material to repair Cloncurry’s bicycle.

The last annual supply of stores had arrived in Cloncurry in bulk instead of going directly to each station. Sub-Inspector McGrath proposed arranging for camels to take them to the police stations at Betoota, Birdsville, Bedourie and Boulia.

“The duty performed is Town, Bush Patrol, Escort and Inquiry. There is a large amount of Bush Patrol done as the district extends from Betoota on the south to Kamilaroi on the north, 700 miles, and Cammoweal on west to Julia Creek on east, 350 miles. Patrols must be made over all this great area, and as will readily be understood good horses in numbers are a necessity. Around Cloncurry where the population is increasing there are more frequent calls on Police from outside mining places, and as a result it is not an unusual thing for four or five constables to be about at the one time.”

Sub-Inspector McGrath considered that another constable would be required at Gilliat, about October 1907 as the railway line would have reached there and one constable would be insufficient to handle the rowdy characters while the railway line was being built. He suggested it was also possible that Cloncurry would need about three more constables if the population continued to increase. He noted that the present strength of Cloncurry was one Sub-Inspector, one Acting Sergeant, six Constables and two Trackers.

The annual report included a request that new police barracks and cells be built at Boulia as they had been eaten away by white ants.

The cost of the construction could be less than £700. Another alternative was to convert two of the Courthouse offices into barracks while building a kitchen and cell at the back which would be about £50.

Cloncurry Police Station,  1907. PM0677

Inspector McGrath’s report of 1908 highlighted the increase in “stealing from the person and stock”, increased drunkenness and offences under the Vagrant Act, with the result that over 400 prisoners had passed through the cells, all largely because of an influx of population due to the extension of the railway line.

Cloncurry Police Station Plan with proposed additions 18.03.1908

There was comment on Cloncurry’s Arms and Appointments: “The arms are good of their class and in serviceable condition. The new patent handcuffs being suitable and safe for Escort Duties, and a marked improvement on the old ones. The Carbine rifle and ammunition being very heavy, and only one shot, are not as suitable for Bush duties as the Winchester. The Webley revolver is also much out of date when compared with the Mauser.”

Inspector McGrath also noted the satisfactory outcome for supplies to the stations in the Cloncurry district: “During 1907 each station supplies were forwarded from Government stores direct to each station, this has had the effect of supplies being promptly delivered by the nearest and cheapest route from Brisbane thus effecting a saving in time and money paid for carriage. The supplies received were generally sufficient.”

The combined effect of the railway reaching Cloncurry, with further extension to Mount Elliot and Hampden, and development of the mines with the resultant increase in population gave cause for Inspector McGrath to ask for more constables to be stationed in the Cloncurry district.

Accommodation was also inadequate for the men stationed at Cloncurry and a request for additions to the current building was offered. There were only two small cells measuring 12 x 7 feet each and at times 20 prisoners had been squeezed into them:

“The result is that half of them have to be chained up outside. The result is that there is little, or no rest obtained by constables at barracks owing to the noise made by drunken prisoners. I think were a cell about 20 x 20 feet put up, detached from the main building with small cooking galley detached so that prisoners could cook their food in would be a convenience.”

PM3191 Unidentified police officers and citizens outside the Boulia Police Station, c1908
JOL Image No: 11593

To be continued: A look at the Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports 1909-1959

The Queensland Police Museum conducts and facilitates research for the members of the Queensland Police Service, other organisations and the public. Family history research and the desire to know more about your great grandfather or grandfather/mother represents a large part of our work. Police officers serving in small towns and realising there is an upcoming anniversary are keen to contribute to the celebrations by presenting a display or information regarding the policing history of the town. We receive all sorts of questions regarding various aspects of Queensland Police history. Just as we think we have heard every possible question an unusual one will pop up, that will make us say, that’s different. We use a wide range of resources to answer all these queries, and the Police District Annual Reports is one of those.

The following are some excerpts from the Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports 1909-1959.

1911: “One serious crime took place during the year, that of a murder of an Afghan in the bush and subsequent burning of the body, for which a white man was arrested, convicted upon circumstantial evidence and sentenced to death, which was, however commuted to imprisonment for life”.

1912: “A return of criminal statistics is forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Branch, monthly, while fingerprints are sent to that Branch of offenders or in custody for any serious offence. The records of criminals are applied for and supplied by the Criminal Investigation Branch, which often enables the police to present the records of southern criminals committing  offences in the North”.

1913: New police Stations were opened at Quamby and MacGregor,

1917: “It is a practice of many stations in this District not to brand all their cattle till they are from eighteen months to two years old, this is an inducement to cattle thieves as when once such cattle are taken off their run they cannot be identified. Owing to the war stockmen in this District are very scarce and station owners cannot get them”.

1919: Two new police stations opened at Dajarra and Julia Creek.

1920: “The graziers and pastoralists of the Cloncurry district have formed an Association Camp with the idea of preventing cattle stealing and restoring stray cattle to their rightful owners. The Association is yet in its infancy and I cannot say that its inauguration will mean much towards really suppressing the class of offence which is its declared intention to suppress”.

1922: Three police stations from the Normanton District were added to the Cloncurry District on the 01.10.1921. They are Burketown, Gregory Downs and Turn-off Lagoon Stations.

1925: “Mount Isa Police Station was opened on the 07.05.1924, on a silver-lead field, 65 miles north-west of Duchess the nearest rail-head on the Camooweal Road. The population of Mount Isa is approximately 350 and promises to be a good Field”.

PM2221d Mr. E. A. Jones and an unknown Mount Isa police officer, 1924.

1927: “During the year a Motor Cycle and Side Car “Red Indian” was purchased and attached to Cloncurry Station, being used for general patrol work in cases of urgency”.

1929: “Martini-Henry Carbine Rifles are in use in this District, with the exception of Cloncurry, where 5 short L-E rifles are in use, and at Julia Creek and Duchess where 2 short L-E rifles, and 1 short L-E rifle, respectively, are in use. A number of the New Pattern Webley Pistols are also in use”.

“During the year the station at Mount Cuthbert was closed and the buildings thereat re-erected at Kajabbi, which was opened during the year”.

1932: “One offender was arrested at Dobbyn for blowing up the railway line with explosives and committed for trial, but no true bill was filed, this and another case of intimidation, assaulting the Police and stealing a Police Service Revolver were in connection with the Dobbyn Strike”.

1933: “On the 30^th June 1933 there were 43 troophorses in the District. Some of these are very old and only fit for light work or short patrols. Additional horses are required. The Department has been negotiating for the purchase of 20 head of young horses from Mr. Carrington of Planet Downs and it is expected that the deal will be finalised within the next few weeks. Horses are frequently borrowed from Station owners to enable the Police to carry out long patrols and up to the present there has been no difficulty in obtaining the use of horses”.

1935: “One man stands committed for trial for stealing £878 in year 1930 at Cloncurry. He was arrested at Sydney, New South Wales, and subsequently remanded to Cloncurry”.

1938: During the year repairs were effected at Burketown and Duchess and the old Gilliat Police Station was removed to and re-erected at Cloncurry, where it is used as a residence for a married constable. New barracks are under construction at Mount Isa and plans and specifications have been drawn up for a new Sergeant’s residence at Camooweal”.

1940: “A Ford V8 motor utility is attached to this District Headquarters it Reg. No. being Q217-819. It was purchased in 1936 and on the 30^th June last had travelled 32,529 miles. It is not suited for work on the rough roads in this District and is frequently undergoing repairs and is no longer suitable for the work required of it here. I have recommended that it be transferred to Mount Isa, where it would be required only for town work and short country trips, and that a utility with better road clearance be sent there”.

1941: “On 26.06.41 a party of Mornington Island Natives, including one “Cripple Jack”, landed on Allen Island and were attacked by the Natives thereon. Cripple Jack subsequently died of spear wounds received. The matter has been investigated by the Cloncurry Police and two Allan Island male natives are at present under arrest and will eventually appear before the Police Court at Burketown”.

PM1505 Burketown Police Station, c1950.

“An International utility is attached to this District Headquarters, its registered number being Q338-783. It was purchased on 07.05.41 and arrived at Cloncurry on 20.05.41. It is suitable for the District and is giving good service. Ford V8 utility, No. Q217-819, formerly attached to Cloncurry was traded-in on the International on 20.05.41”.

1942: “At Mount Isa there are 3,500 American Negroes camped as well as Members of the A.I.F. and Militia. The strength of the Station has been increased by two men and a Detective has been applied for. Camooweal is a two man Station where the principal duty is stock work. It is on the main route from Mount Isa to the Northern Territory and is a stopping place for Military convoys, which renders it necessary for the two men to remain in the town at all times”.

PM0489 Constable Allen Blumke preparing police vehicle for Cloncurry District Inspection, c1947.

1949: “There are two motor vehicles in the District; Dodge Utility, Q412-775 at Cloncurry, and Ford Utility, Q361-156 at Mount Isa; both are in good condition”.

PM0518 Sub-Inspector William Gallagher spent the last few months of his career at Cloncurry before retiring on the 16.07.1949.

1952: “Work is on the increase throughout the District, particularly at Mount Isa, the population of which is growing steadily and is now estimated at 9000 persons. Mt. Isa Mines Ltd are expanding rapidly, consequently are employing more and more persons daily, many of whom are new Australians”.

1953: “There is one motor cycle in this District and this machine is attached to Mount Isa Station. It is a B.S.A. “Golden Flash” motor cycle, Regd. No. Q76-323… It is used mainly for Traffic and Inquiry duties”.

1955: “Mount Isa Mines Limited have just completed 800 new homes, and have now started to erect the first of another 800 dwellings along the Barkly Highway. This will give an idea how the town of Mount Isa is developing through the prosperity of the mining industry”.

1956: “In view of the rapid progress and development taking place at Mary Kathleen in tapping the enormous deposits of uranium ore there, it is considered that it is necessary to station a member of the Force at this town”.

1958: “The Flying Doctor Service operates in this District and is a great boon to all people concerned. Another most welcome innovation as far as this District is concerned is the forming of a Search and Rescue Organisation in close liaison with the officials of the Department of Civil Aviation, such Organisation to have its headquarters at Cloncurry. The organization is not yet operating, however, the groundwork in relation to the formation of same is at present in the process of being done”.

1959: “During the year under review a vehicle was replaced at Cloncurry, Mount Isa and Mary Kathleen by Holden Utilities and at Bedourie by a Willys Jeep”.

PM1503 Camooweal Police Station, c1950

The complete Cloncurry Police District Annual Reports are available for subscribers to view by emailing us at museum@police.qld.gov.au. There are four pdfs: 1906-1917 size is 11MB; 1918-1934 size is 12MB; 1935-1952 size is 13MB; 1953-1959 size is 8.5MB

This information has been written by Assistant Curator Virginia Gordon from the best Police Museum resources available.

The Police Museum is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT: Policing Cloncurry 1909-1959” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Boots are an essential part of a policeman’s uniform. In previous centuries as today, they were  mandatory but not standard issue, so each constable had to purchase their own boots. In the late 1880s, the cost of production went up and the prices were raised by a quarter. A typical pair of boots would cost up to 20 shillings, or half of an ordinary policeman’s weekly wage. In Queensland, between the 1870s and 1890s, a police constable’s pay started at £122 per annum, or roughly £2 10s per week.

Police Boots, late 1800s. QP74, boots numbered: 940 7 2 02

Queensland Police Museum has a pair of knee length black leather boots, which belonged to Inspector Patrick William Ferguson (AF3376, GA220).

Patrick William and Robert Ferguson (sitting, note his signature moustache), PM1567

The boots were donated to the collection in 2007, in good condition. These are made from stiff blackish (dirty) leather with 2 striped cotton pull tags attached inside top of both boots. The right boot has leather laces in a straight left to right pattern (broken at top and bottom) and the left boot has leather laces in a crisscross pattern (broken at top). The soles of both shoes are well worn; both boot heels are made up of 7 layers of hardened leather held together with a horseshoe shaped piece of metal and 17 iron nails each.

Before emigrating to the Australian colonies, Patrick William Ferguson served with the Royal Irish Constabulary  between 1879 and 1886. He was 17 years and 7 months old at the time of application and listed ‘shoemaker’ as his trade. Constable Ferguson was from Athlone, County Roscommon. It was a common practice for RIC men to be stationed away from their home counties, so for his first placement Ferguson was transferred to Cork, then Kilkenny in 1884, and finally Belfast in 1885. Ferguson resigned in February 1886 ‘to emigrate’, thus missing the most violent and deadly rioting of the century that was about to erupt in Belfast a few months later.

FERGUSON RIC Service Record, RIC HO184, NA UK

Ferguson joined the Queensland Police Force on 30 June 1886. He married Isabella Campbell Angus only six months later, which was unusual as policemen had to serve for two years before applying to the Commissioner of Police for permission to get married. The Royal Irish Constabulary had a much longer wait period of 10 years. Constable Ferguson’s first posting was Toowoomba in 1887. He proceeded to steadily move up through the ranks, retiring in 1921 as an Inspector First Class in charge of Brisbane District.

Patrick William Ferguson’s younger brother Robert Ferguson also emigrated from Ireland and joined the Queensland Police in March 1908. He spent most of his police career in Brisbane and retired in 1935, in the rank of an Inspector and an Officer in Charge of the Police Depot.

The article was researched and written by Dr Anastasia Dukova from the best resources available at the time of writing. The Queensland Police Museum hours of operation are 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month. QPM is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au | Subscribe: FROM the VAULT here

‘FROM the VAULT – Police Boots’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Sunday Lecture Series

To Preserve and Protect: Policing Colonial Brisbane

Sunday, 26 July 2020
11:00am to 12:30pm

Police HQ, 200 Roma Street,
Brisbane  QLD  4000

THE EVENT IS BOOKED OUT!

Early view of Queen Street, Brisbane, c1859. JOL 14386

The first chief constable of the local police, John McIntosh, arrived in Moreton Bay in 1828. McIntosh, a 24-year-old from Glasgow, had been transported to NSW in 1814, after being sentenced to penal servitude for life. Having been granted parole in 1826, he served as a superintendent of convicts in Liverpool but soon lost his ticket-of-leave after being found guilty of gross irregularities. In 1828, McIntosh earner another ‘ticket’ and was appointed head of police in the area today known as Brisbane.

Queensland Police Museum invites you to a talk delivered by Dr Anastasia Dukova, an historian and author of To Preserve and Protect: Policing Colonial Brisbane recently published by the University of Queensland Press.

Dr Dukova will explore the highlights of her research such as personal stories of the police and the policed: a ‘lifer’ from Dublin turned district constable, Queensland’s fist detective, as well as police court regulars Susan McGowan and Charles Durant, ‘a seasoned sinner’.

Anastasia Dukova holds a PhD in crime and policing history from the University of Dublin, Trinity College. She is a member of the Irish Association of Professional Historians and the Professional Historians Association Queensland, as well as Royal Historical Society UK. Her research on nineteenth-century Irish and Australian policing history and historical criminology has been published widely, and her doctoral and postdoctoral findings were published in 2016 as A History of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and its Colonial Legacy in Palgrave Macmillan’s World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence series. She has held fellowships with the State Library of Queensland and Griffith  Criminology Institute, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto and a postgraduate scholarship with the Irish Research Council. Anastasia is a partner investigator on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project that investigates the policing of migrant communities in Britain and Australia throughout the twentieth century (DP180102200). She also lends her historical crime and policing expertise to public and professional lectures, as well as popular history projects such as Century Ireland, RTÉ and Who Do You Think You Are? 

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday February 23 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

In 1949 Clive Henry Baker, a 19 year old housebreaker developed a most ingenious form of disguise for his vehicle & for himself. On February 28, 1949 at Coorparoo, a wireless set was stolen whilst the occupants of the house were asleep. On March 2, a Mayne residence was relieved of a quantity of kitchen cutlery. On March 4, an Ipswich house was entered late at night & personal property valued at £50 was stolen. Five days later at Toowoomba, a jeweler’s shop was entered about midnight where a fully-loaded revolver & stock valued at £180 was stolen. A month later on April 9 a dwelling at Annerley was robbed of £117 in clothing & other personal property.

Detective Sergeant 2/c Roy Stower whose house was burgled by Baker on the night of April 16, 1949

On the April 16, Baker made an error of judgment that was to lead to his downfall. He broke into & entered the Ashgrove home of Detective 2/c Roy Stower of the Brisbane CIB, whilst he & his family were at a picture theatre 200 hundred yards away. When the Stower family returned home the place was in disorder & property valued at £140 was missing. A search of the house & environs revealed no fingerprints, but some identifiable small car tyre tracks were found outside. Detective Stower & his CIB colleagues were now on the case in earnest. All the robberies had the same modus operandi & in some case a navy blue coloured car was seen in the locality of the crimes.

On April 23 another robbery was attempted at Camp Hill but the responding police officer frightened the robber away who left with £10 of jewellery via a navy blue touring car. A large quantity of clothing & personal effects was packed in suitcases ready for removal. The tire tracks outside the Camp Hill home matched those found at the home of Detective Stower. On April 28 Baker struck again in Morningside where he gained entry to a house by pulling a piece of lattice from a rear door & then stealing property worth £50. By this time there was active patrolling of Brisbane streets looking for the thief & his navy blue car.

Late at night on April 30, Detective Stower & another officer were patrolling the streets when they saw a small, navy blue English touring car & forced it to stop. The driver went for his fully loaded revolver but was held & relieved of the weapon. The back of the car was full of property just stolen from a house in Seven Hills. The two police officers noticed something peculiar about the appearance of the Triumph touring car & found that it was painted a cream colour, but had been disguised by covering the hood & body with navy-blue cloth.

By night, when carrying out robberies Baker drove the disguised car with the registration number Q.378-882 & by day he drove removed the cloth to reveal the cream car with number Q.436-708.

 Clive Henry Baker mug shot, 1949

Close examination of Baker’s face showed that his naturally blonde hair had been darkened with graphite, his face & forehead smeared with suntan cream. Had he been seen quite closely at night when his face & hair were disguised, it is almost certain that in Baker’s natural form he would not have been identified in a line-up.

Clive Henry Baker freely admitted to his crimes and to dispensing the stolen property in NSW. His downfall was a gambling habit & he was almost penniless when arrested. He was tried for 8 charges of breaking, entering & stealing at the Brisbane Supreme Court June 26, 1949.

Baker was sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour but was released under section 656 of the criminal code after serving 6 months and upon entering into a £50 good behaviour bond. He was discharged from prison on December 26, 1949.

Side view of disguised Triumph Tourer with its navy blue cloth covering, outside old CIB Headquarters, George Street, Brisbane. Image PM0373e courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

Rear view of disguised English Triumph Tourer complete with fake registration number, outside old CIB Headquarters, George Street, Brisbane, 1949

View of the Triumph Tourer, with its navy-blue cloth removed exposing the original cream paint work, outside old CIB Headquarters, George Street, Brisbane, 1949

Close up rear view of Triumph Tourer showing the fake registration plate (378-882) and genuine registration plate number (Q.436-708)

This article was written by Museum Curator Lisa Jones (originally posted in 2011) from the best resources available within the Police Museum collections.

The Police Museum is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb – Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au | Subscribe: FROM the VAULT here

‘FROM THE VAULT Revisited- An ingenious disguise, 1949’ by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

In 1863 the Publicans Act was introduced which reduced the licensing of public houses to publicans and packet licences:

Section 8 enacts that no Spirituous or fermented liquors shall be sold without a license, under a penalty of £30 for the first offence, and £30 to £50 for every subsequent offence. Exceptions are made in favour of venders of spirituous perfumes, chemists and druggists, and wholesale spirit dealers, provided not less than two gallons are disposed of at one time, importers who may sell in bond, and persons selling liquors in buildings exclusively occupied as a club. Section 4 provides for the issue of two kinds of license, vie., Publicans’ and Packet licenses. (As reported in the Maryborough Chronicle, 19 November 1863)

In 1885 the Licensing Act was introduced which defined the liquor use as 14 years or older for takeaway liquor and persons 18 years or older for drinking on premises, and outlined Sunday closing stipulations.

Licensing Act of 1885, Section 75: Liquor to be sold only within the following hours: — On the six business days of the week, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; on Good Friday and Christmas Day, between 6 and 9 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., and 8 to 10 p.m: and on the two latter days only for the sale of liquor not to be drunk or consumed on the premises. (2.) No licensed victualler or wine-seller to keep his house open for the sale of liquor on Sunday. (3) Any licensee offending; penalty, £5. And any person found drinking on licensed premises or leaving the same with liquor at prohibited hours; penalty, £2. (4.) This section not to apply to lodgers, travellers, or disabled persons.

James Arthur Bennett first applied to join the Queensland Police in 1901 when he was living in Pittsworth. In November, he was interviewed by Acting Sergeant Knox and in December the Acting Sergeant reported ‘I have known the applicant for the last few years, he comes to this district to work at harvesting. He is a steady, hardworking young fellow, very good tempered, quiet in manner and intelligent and in my opinion is suitable for the police force.’ At this meeting Bennett gave his age as 18 years, his height as 6 feet 1 inch tall and his chest was measured as 37 inches. His chest measurement was 2 inches less than the 38 inches required for entry into the Police Force and he had to press his case that the original measurement was in error. He passed his police entry examinations in August 1902 and then was out of the Colony until August 1904, on 10 November 1904 he was appointed as a police candidate on trial. Bennett was finally sworn in as Constable 469 on 7 March 1905 aged 22 years and 8 months. Two days later he was posted to the Roma Street Police Station.

In 1894 20 year old New Zealand born Alfred Bee, worked as a merchant seaman on the Lizzie Lee for three years. The Captain of the ship wrote that ‘Bee proved himself to be a useful, trustworthy and handy man thoroughly steady, honest and industrious.’ He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1897 and spent the next four years as a bobby on the streets of London. In 1902 Bee worked as a member of the Sea Merchant Service and in 1905 arrived in Sydney aboard the Sophoeles. From his Sydney base, 29 year and 8 month old Bee applied to the Queensland Police Force. He was listed as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a chest measurement of 38 + ½ inches. Bee was accepted and sworn in as Constable 274 on 8 June 1905 aged 30. Six weeks later he was also posted to Roma Street Police Station.

A portrait of Constable Alfred Bee of the Metropolitan Police in London where he served between 1897 and 1902. Image PM3243 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In July 1905, fairly soon after Bee’s arrival at Roma Street Police Station these two officers, amongst others, were tasked with enforcing the Liquor laws, specifically Sunday closing times. A fairly thankless task if the response by the public, the defense lawyers and the printed media is any indication. Since there is very little in the personnel files of these two officers concerning the licensing work, newspaper clippings give us a view of what was happening on the street in Brisbane. At this time Inspector Nethercote was in charge of licensing and was in court prosecuting while Bennett and Bee gave evidence.  On 5 July Constable Bennett and Bee were defending their accusation against Mary Doyle of the Ulster Motel who was charged with ‘keeping her premises open for the sale of liquor on Sunday.’ The case went to Police Court in front of Police Magistrate Robert A. Ranking. The Telegraph reported that during the cross-examination by Mr. O’Shea for the defense, he expressed the opinion that Constable Bennett had ‘shown himself to be an inveterate liar’ for which the Police Magistrate admonished O’Shea severely. The case was subsequently dismissed.

Inspector Nethercote spent a considerable amount of his time prosecuting cases under the Licensing Act of 1885, principally against those who illegally sold alcohol on a Sunday. Image PM1641 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Later Police Magistrate Ranking made a statement about Bennett:

he has recently given evidence before me upon several occasions and knowing him to be of very short service, I have more than once been struck by the aptitude displayed by him in the knowledge of his duties and by the intelligence and comparative boldness with which he has submitted to cross-examination almost vindictive in its rigour.

On 13 July Bennett and Constable Neilsen were back in court under Magistrate Ranking, this time against Theodore Lenneberg, licensee of the New Crown Hotel in George Street on the same sale of liquor on a Sunday charge. Mr. T.J. O’Shea was granted leave to cross-examine Bennett, whereupon he pressed strong doubts as to the witness’s veracity. An interesting conversation between O’Shea and Ranking then ensued:

Mr. Ranking, P.M.: “Do you think that everybody in the Government service is a liar?”

Mr. O’Shea: “No, your worship, but I think this man is”

Mr. Ranking P.M.: “It is not right for you to say that Mr. O’Shea”

Mr. O’Shea: “He has made contradictory statements this morning”

Mr. Ranking P.M.: “A man may make contradictory statements in cross-examination, and not be a liar.”

Sadly Constables Bennett and Neilson did not win this case either.

The Truth newspaper completely went to town on Constable’s case against William Burke, licensee of the Exchange Hotel, charged with wilfully delaying admittance to a member of the police force on 23 July 1905. Truth, 27 August 1905, page 5.

Bennett and Bee were in court every week trying to win against Mr. T.J. O’Shea and other defence lawyers, and finally managed it on 19 July 1905 against James A. Hourston licensee of the Oriental Hotel (Albert Street).

…TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

This story was written by Curator Lisa Jones from the best resources available and information supplied by the Queensland Police Museum.  Thanks go to Jon Kehrer for bringing the story to our attention.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au | Subscribe: FROM the VAULT here

“FROM the VAULT: Bennett & Bee Part 1 – the sting of licensing laws” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

Last week left the story hanging, with Constables Bennett and Bee finally enjoying a long awaited win against Mr T.J. O’Shea on 19 July 1905 acting for James A. Hourston, licensee of the Oriental Hotel in Albert Street, Brisbane, on the sale of liquor on a Sunday.  The magistrate convicted Mr. Hourston and fined him £5 payable within three days. Mr. O’ Shea then gave formal notice of appeal. Unfortunately, the police had to pay costs in the majority of the licensing cases they lost. The difficulty in winning a licensing case seemed to stem from stipulations of the 1885 Licensing Act, which while stating that no liquor could be sold on a Sunday, it did not ‘apply to lodgers, travellers, or disabled persons‘. These exceptions were often the ones that swayed the Police Magistrate towards a dismissal of such cases.

On Wednesday 25 October, Constables Bennett and Jessop were in court giving evidence against Patrick Talty, licensee of the Royal Hotel, on a charge of keeping his premises open for the sale liquor on Sunday 1 October. It was a very involved case with poor Bennett again being verbally pushed and prodded by Mr. O’Shea, particularly in reference to his evidence about the existence of a bell at the rear of the Royal Hotel which signalled to those inside that someone wanted entry to drink. Following many adjournments of the case, Patrick Talty was eventually found guilty on 25 November and fined £5, including £2 2s. in costs. Two weeks before the case concluded,  Talty brought a charge of perjury against Constable Bennett for lying about the presence of a bell at the hotel. The Bennett perjury court case went before a bench of eight magistrates, including Police Magistrate Ranking.  On 2 December 1905, the Bench discharged the Constable by a majority of four,  and no charge was brought. Talty subsequently tried to have his conviction overturned and took the case to the full Supreme Court where his testimony was found to be erroneous and the case was thrown out.

On 30 December 1905, both Constables James Bennett and Alfred Bee were awarded £10 and £7 respectively (from the Police Reward Fund) by the Home Secretary Mr. Airey, for the loyal and fearless manner in which they carried out their duties in connection with the enforcement of Sunday closing clauses in the Licensing Acts. This event was also covered in the newspapers and not in a very nice way.

The awards to Constables James Bennett and Alfred Bee of £10 and £7 respectively from the Police Reward Fund on 30 December 1905, did not go down well with the printed media. Truth, 31 December 1905, page 2.

Between July 1905 and May 1906, Bennett, Bee and a number of other police officers, brought the licensees of no less than 18 hotels including the Albert, Brisbane Club, Burke, Commercial, Exchange, Exhibition, Grosvenor, King’s, Lennon’s, National, New Crown, Newmarket, Oriental, Pineapple, Royal, Ulster, Union and the York, to court charged with illegal Sunday trading.

The Warwick Examiner reported developments in the service of alcohol in response to tougher Sunday trading laws:

The more rigid administration of the law with respect to Sunday trading has produced a new development in the retail liquor business in the metropolis. The licensed victuallers are now supplying their customers with half-gallon bottles of special designs, in which beer purchased on Saturday night may be kept over Sunday, and surreptitious visits to hotels during prohibited hours are thereby rendered unnecessary. Over 4000 of these special bottles have been sold to Brisbane hotel-keepers during the past two months and some have gone to Ipswich. This new feature has enriched the slang vocabulary, a clear barrel-shaped bottle having been christened “Bennett,” while a dark-colored flask-shaped utensil is known to fame as “Bee.” Thus the names of two policemen who have been most actively engaged in the suppression of Sunday trading will be handed down to posterity very much in the same way as have been the names of Lord Spencer and Lord Sandwich, of whom it was said the former invented half a coat, and the latter half a dinner. (Warwick Examiner and Times, 2 May 1906, p. 2)

On 21 June 1906, James Bennett applied to resign from the Queensland Police sighting his desire to leave the colony. Why he chose to leave is not explained in his personnel file or in the newspapers, but perhaps his rather tumultuous career in the pursuit of illegal liquor dispensing just wore the poor man out.

Constable Bee continued on with career and between the time that Bennett resigned and October 1907, when he was transferred to Mount Morgan, his name appears in the newspapers another 34 times in most instances on the licensing front, but he also was in court giving evidence to back up his charges against a conductor for running an overcrowded tram where for once, the Truth newspaper said nice things about him.

The Truth newspaper with nice things to say about Constable Alfred Bee, 2 September 1906, page 4.

Although in October 1906, the Truth were still at Bee’s heals when he went for publicans and licensees over infringements so the Liquor Act.

The Truth takes a poetic stance on Constable Bee, 10 October 1906, page 5.

Bee branched out geographically, when he and Constable Buckley attempted to prosecute Mrs. Hannah O’Loughlin, licensee of the Osborne Hotel at Sandgate, for selling alcohol on a Sunday. In an unusual twist Mrs. O’Laughlin admitted to the charge.

Alfred Bee’s enjoyed 29 years of service, he certainly seemed to have very broad shoulders. From Mount Morgan he moved to Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cloncurry, Cairns before returning to Brisbane ending up in South Brisbane. He retired in August 1934 at the age of 60.

This story was written by Curator Lisa Jones from the best resources available and information supplied by the Queensland Police Museum.  Thanks go to Jon Kehrer for bringing the story to our attention.  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au | Subscribe: FROM the VAULT here

“FROM the VAULT: Bennett & Be, Part 2 – Broad Shoulders and Beer Bottles” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

‘Homefront Caldwell’ re-published with permission from the Australian Aeronautical Heritage website (5 August 2020)

Military aircraft crashes were not uncommon in wartime Queensland, local Police often the first responders.

By 1944 Queensland coastal communities had grown accustomed to the daily sight and sound of military aircraft transiting to and from forward bases in Papua New Guinea, and beyond. Monitoring the northbound progress of one such formation on the morning of Monday, 28 August 1944, was Caldwell resident Frank Jenkins, who stared fixedly, as something – which he took to be a flare – dropped from one of the planes…’ at the same time it was losing height…and [he] saw that it came down very low North of Caldwell over the sea.’ [1]

Soon afterwards another single-engine plane flew very low over the tiny seaside community and dropped a message requesting assistance for their colleague who had force-landed in the sea about three miles north.

Another newly delivered P-40N Kittyhawk photographed in Townsville a few months after Warrant Officer Guy’s crash, while enroute to Noemfoor in what was then called Netherlands New Guinea (Garbutt, 1944 (Heyer Collection, Townsville City Library, LC PHOTO 994.36 CARR).

Military aircraft crashes were not uncommon then, another RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) aircraft having plunged into the sea near Townsville a few weeks earlier. [2]

On duty at the local Police Station that morning was thirty-nine year old Sergeant Francis West (No.2753), who with his colleague Constable D Crowley, immediately set out in a motor launch owned by a local man George Watkins.

On arrival there it was seen that the Aeroplane which was a Kittyhawk (R.A.A.F.) machine No.A.29-190 had landed on a mud flat about 200 yards from the beach, there does not appear to have been any extensive damage done to the plane, the principal damage being bent propeller blades.

The Pilot of the Aeroplane Warrant Officer, John James Guy No.431581 of Ferry Flight R.A.A.F. Bankstown was at the Plane ad he was not injured. There was no other person in the plane at the time.

Twenty-two-year-old Guy explained that he had been flying from Mackay to Port Moresby (via Cairns) when obliged to force land owing to engine trouble. [3] What Frank Jenkins had taken to be a falling flare was in fact an external fuel tank, these ‘belly’ tanks always being jettisoned before emergency landings (so as to minimize the risks of fire and explosion). His Kittyhawk aircraft was then still new, having only been delivered to Australia (from the North American factory) a few weeks earlier.

Guy was delivered back to Caldwell by mid-afternoon, in time to board the 4pm south-bound train for Townsville.

The matter of guarding the plane was taken in hand by the local Volunteer Defence Corps under Corporal G E Moller, and RAAF Headquarters in Townsville were duly notified. By the following day Sergeant Cunneen had also completed a type-written incident report for the Police Inspector in Cairns. [4]

Unfortunately however, the aircraft was submerged four times by tidal waters before a salvage crew eventually arrived from No. 6 Crash Recovery Depot at Breddan, 300 kilometres away. Not surprisingly the month-old Kittyhawk was condemned.

History Card for Warrant Officer Guy’s aircraft (National Archives of Australia, NAA: A10297, BLOCK 221, page 23)

[1] Sergeant Francis West (Report 372-44), 29 August 1944, Cardwell District – 28 Aug 1944 – RAAF Kitty Hawk aeroplane – RAAF Warrant Officer GUY, John James 431581 (Queensland State Archives, ID 2177768)
[2] https://www.ozatwar.com/9aug45.htm
[3] National Archives of Australia, NAA: A9301, 413581.
[4] Ten months earlier Cunneen had attended another fatal plane crash (B-25 41-13091) west of Caldwell, involving eleven fatalities.

This story was written by a Guest Contributor Mark Clayton, it has been previously published on Australian Aeronautical Heritage website (5 August 2020).  The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Contact by email: museum@police.qld.gov.au | Subscribe: FROM the VAULT here

“FROM the VAULT: Homefront Caldwell” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode

This week is Queensland Road Safety Week and together with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) we’re committing to putting road safety first.

Road conditions can change due to a variety of factors from weather, animals, the environment, traffic and roadworks so it’s important to drive to the prevailing conditions.

This includes on our state’s rural roads, where there were 136 lives lost and 1,915 people seriously injured in 2019 – that’s more than 60% of total lives lost on our roads.

When driving on rural and remote roads, remember:

• Reduce your speed before nearing the edge of the road and prepare for surface change – the edge may drop off or have loose stones.
• If you’re driving towards the west, the afternoon sun can affect your vision. Consider this when planning your trip.
• Keep an eye out for livestock and wildlife on or at the side of the road, especially at night. Slow down and beep your horn if you see animals at the edge of the road about to cross.

Every hazard on our roads has an impact on how your car will behave. When the conditions outside the vehicle change, you need to adjust the way you drive.

Not driving to the conditions can have serious consequences for all road users, so pay attention to what’s happening on the roads, slow down and put road safety first, every trip, every time.

Plan ahead and stay safe

Familiarise yourself with different conditions that you may experience by visiting https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/road-safety/driving-safely/driving-conditions.

Before you head out on the road, check out the road conditions and be prepared: https://roadconditions.racq.com.au/

Queensland Road Safety Week is running from 24 – 28 August. Put road safety first and show your support by signing up for road safety:

1. Think of a road safety message you want to share, then put it on a sign or create one using a TMR template.
2. Take a photo of your sign, making sure we can read your road safety message.
3. Share your photo! Fill in this form to add your sign to the TMR gallery, or share it on your socials tagging @StreetSmarts QLD.

Sunday Lecture Series

The Discovery of a Missing WWII American Bomber, Lady Ann

Sunday, 30 August 2020
11:00am to 12:30pm

Police HQ, 200 Roma Street,
Brisbane  QLD  4000

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

This lecture is presented by Mark Clayton, a doctoral candidate at the CQ University.

The chance discovery of a wrecked American bomber on North Queensland’s Hinchinbrook Island, a year after it had disappeared in 1943, helped solve one of the State’s most deadly aerial mysteries.

Reporting his remarkable discovery to the local police should have earned forty-five year-old labourer Alexander Morgan at least some commendation. Instead, he was promptly charged, convicted and fined for having stolen U.S. Government property, his ordeal marking the beginning of lengthy police and U.S. military investigations that would eventually enmesh many other families from the local Lucinda and Halifax communities, and continue until late the following decade.

The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.

PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open Sunday February 23 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

This week is Queensland Road Safety Week and together with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) we’re committing to putting road safety first.

In 2019, 21 lives were lost, and 1,473 people were seriously injured on Queensland roads in crashes involving distracted drivers or riders.

If you’re travelling at 60km/h and take your eyes off the road for just two seconds, your vehicle will travel more than 33 metres. With the average person’s reaction time around 1.8 seconds, this means nearly four seconds can pass before a driver reacts to a hazard!

If you’re driving distracted, you are putting yourself and others at serious risk.

Distracted driving is caused by any activity that takes your attention off the road and could include taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the steering wheel. All types of distracted driving increase your risk of a car crash, major injury and even death.

Mobile phones are one of the biggest distractors for drivers. Texting while driving is as dangerous as drink driving and can have serious consequences.

The unexpected can happen at any time so eliminate distractions when you’re out on the roads.

Plan ahead and stay safe

Activate the ‘Do not disturb while driving’ feature on your smartphone before you get behind the wheel or on your motorcycle to help avoid using your phone.

For more information, visit https://streetsmarts.initiatives.qld.gov.au/driver-distraction/leave-your-phone-alone.

Queensland Road Safety Week is running from 24 – 28 August. Put road safety first and show your support by signing up for road safety:

1. Think of a road safety message you want to share, then put it on a sign or create one using a TMR template.
2. Take a photo of your sign, making sure we can read your road safety message.
3. Share your photo! Fill in this form to add your sign to the TMR gallery, or share it on your socials tagging @StreetSmarts QLD.

This week is Queensland Road Safety Week and together with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) we’re committing to putting road safety first.

According to RACQ, only 52 per cent of Queenslanders service their cars at six- or 12-month intervals. While it may be tempting not to spend your hard-earned cash on maintaining your vehicle, by keeping it in good condition, you’re protecting yourself and other road users.

Simple safety checks only take a few minutes to complete:

• Wipers – in the ‘Sunshine State’ it can be easy to forget, but it’s important to regularly check that the windscreen wipers and washers operate efficiently
• Tyres – make sure you check your tyre pressures, conditions, tread wear and depth
• Lights – make sure you’re visible on the road by checking your exterior lights are in good working condition
• Brakes – if you notice noisy brakes, a spongy brake pedal or your car pulling to the side while braking it’s a sign your brakes may need checking by an expert
• Servicing – following your service intervals can ensure any issues can be picked up by a mechanic as early as possible.

Not maintaining your vehicle can impact the safety of you, your passengers and other road users. It can also have implications if you are involved in a crash as defects in a vehicle can be evidence of criminal negligence.

Plan ahead and stay safe

Get to know what’s normal for your car. If you start to feel or hear anything different you may be at risk of a breakdown.

For more information, visit https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-driving/cars/owning-and-maintaining-a-car/car-maintenance/routine-maintenance.

Queensland Road Safety Week is running from 24 – 28 August. Put road safety first and show your support by signing up for road safety:

1. Think of a road safety message you want to share, then put it on a sign or create one using a TMR template.
2. Take a photo of your sign, making sure we can read your road safety message.
3. Share your photo! Fill in this form to add your sign to the TMR gallery, or share it on your socials tagging @StreetSmarts QLD.

This week is Queensland Road Safety Week and together with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) we’re committing to putting road safety first.

In 2019, 68 lives were lost, and 2,193 people were seriously injured in crashes involving young adult drivers or riders (aged 16 to 24 years) – that’s almost one third of the total lives lost on Queensland roads.

Young drivers are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviour which can significantly increase their chance of a crash.

Taking a risk on the road can be a deadly decision for you, your passengers and other road users.

First responders know all too well the impacts of fatal crashes and the devastating impacts on victims, their families and our community. The experience of attending these scenes never leaves them.

Plan ahead and stay safe

Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Your actions behind the wheel can impact your life and the lives of others, forever.

Don’t take risks on the road and avoid situations where you might be putting yourself, your passengers or others on the road at risk.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself or your mates.

Queensland Road Safety Week is running from 24 – 28 August. Put road safety first and show your support by signing up for road safety:

1. Think of a road safety message you want to share, then put it on a sign or create one using a TMR template.
2. Take a photo of your sign, making sure we can read your road safety message.
3. Share your photo! Fill in this form to add your sign to the TMR gallery, or share it on your socials tagging @StreetSmarts QLD.

This week is Queensland Road Safety Week and together with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) we’re committing to putting road safety first.

In 2019, more than 93 lives were lost, and 1,264 people were seriously injured in crashes involving drink or drug driving – that’s more than 40 per cent of total lives lost on our roads.

The casualty crash risk doubles when driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) just in excess of 0.05 and the risk of involvement in a fatal crash increases even more sharply.

How does alcohol/drugs affect the body?

Being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs affects both physical and mental functioning. It impairs judgement, memory, coordination and reaction time – all extremely important factors when you are driving.

Plan ahead and stay safe

• If you plan to drink, plan to get home safely.
  • Organise a lift – designate a driver, or catch a taxi, rideshare or public transport.
  • Stay at a mate’s place.
  • Remember, you can still be over the limit the next morning so avoid driving.
• Separate your drinking from your driving, and plan not to drink and drive

Queensland Road Safety Week is running from 24 – 28 August. Put road safety first and show your support by signing up for road safety:

1. Think of a road safety message you want to share, then put it on a sign or create one using a TMR template.
2. Take a photo of your sign, making sure we can read your road safety message.
3. Share your photo! Fill in this form to add your sign to the TMR gallery, or share it on your socials tagging @StreetSmarts QLD.