World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is recognised annually on June 15 to raise awareness of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

This year’s Queensland Government campaign “Trust your instinct” is aimed to encourage people to call the Elder Abuse Helpline for confidential advice and support if they are concerned that a friend, family member or neighbour is experiencing elder abuse.

Elder abuse is any act within a relationship of trust which results in harm to an older person. The most common forms of elder abuse include emotional abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse and neglect. Sadly, the majority of abusers are close family members, specifically adult sons or daughters, spouses and other close relations.

In Queensland, the most commonly reported forms of elder abuse are psychological and financial abuse, which can be difficult to recognise. Older people experiencing abuse might be reluctant to acknowledge this type of abuse because they are embarrassed or don’t want to appear ungenerous.

It’s important that elder abuse is recognised as a sometimes forgotten area of domestic and family violence. In responding to elder abuse incidents it is critical to remain vigilant in recognising non-physical abuse as elder abuse.

Remember, you don’t need to see it to believe it. Trust your instinct – call the Elder Abuse Helpline on 1300 651 192 for support and advice.

In an emergency, call Police on Triple Zero (000).

Elder Abuse Helpline, phone 1300 651 192 (Queensland only) or 07 3867 2525 (rest of Australia), Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

For further information on elder abuse visit www.qld.gov.au/trustyourinstinct.

In recent decades drug offences continued their upward trend. In 1993, the State’s Drug Squad has been expanded, improved technology was introduced to keep abreast of modern methods of criminal activity. Allocation of additional staff to the Drug Investigation Squad resulted in a series of successful seizures of illicit drugs – amphetamines, heroin, LSD, cocaine, cannabis, hashish and morphine – with an estimated street value of $39 million. (AR1993-4) The Illicit Laboratory Investigation Team (ILIT) was established within the State Drug Investigation Unit (SDUI) in the same year. The team was tasked with processing illicit laboratories, thus enabling police officers previously utilised for this purpose to be used to enhance the State Drug Investigation Group’s proactive investigation capabilities. The team headed by a Detective Senior Sergeant was staffed with 11 officers. ‘Each of these officers had undergone an intensive training course relating to the latest methods used in the manufacture of drugs such as speed, ecstasy, home-bake heroin and other drugs.’ (Sheldon, G. QPUJ Aug 1997, p. 15)

The Illicit Laboratory Investigation Task Force, Queensland Police Union Journal August 1997.

A critical part of the course was dedicated to safe handling of chemicals utilised in production of illicit drugs; dangerous acids, precursor chemicals, and drugs in liquid forms. The ‘clan labs’ were and are extremely volatile, and upon contact have the propensity to explode, catch fire, emit poisonous gases or can cause irritation to skin, eyes or throat.

A police officer from the Drug Squad during a training session. Protective clothing of this nature is worn to prevent officers becoming contaminated by, or contaminating, a crime scene.
Image PM2265 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Virtually all methods of drug manufacture involve use of a heating element to facilitate the reaction of the chemicals utilised in their production; a hazardous combination of open flame stove clamps and flammable solvents, such as acetone, create a vast potential for an explosion. The dangers to the immediate surroundings are enormous.

A drug lab, located on the floor of a residential garage.

The Queensland Police continuously tops in number of clandestine laboratories seizures all other states in Australia. As early as 1995, it was more likely than not for an operational officer to eventually come in contact with a ‘clan lab’ in the course of his usual duties. In 2006, the Drug Investigation Unit expanded further and the ILIT Processing Unit (IPU) was organised within the SDUI. In 2012, the Processing Unit was renamed to Drug Lab Processing Unit (DLPU) and expanded to include a Detective Sergeant in charge and five civilian processing staff. Between 2008 and 2009, a total of 148 clandestine laboratories were seized in Queensland. In 2010, 297 labs were detected, while in 2011 the number further increased to 333. From 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, 529 offenders were arrested on 1,840 charges, including 69 charges of drug trafficking, 151 charges of drug supply and 874 charges of drug production. Approximately $36.9 million worth of drugs and 340 clandestine drug laboratories have been seized state-wide, including 14 laboratories in Townsville and 29 Cairns only.(AR2013-14) Queensland’s Northern Region remains the scene of greatest drug related activities.

A drug lab, located in the laundry of a house.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – The Illicit Lab Investigation Task Force”  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

Scientific Section: Who We Are & What We Do

28 June 2015
11am – 12.30pm

 Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane  QLD  4000

FREE ENTRY

These Scenes of Crime officers are first response forensic officers. Their tasks include undertaking initial forensic examination at a crime scene where photographs, fingerprint examination and the collection of physical evidence including DNA are required.
Image No. PM3667 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Have you ever wanted to know how Major Crime Scene examination is conducted in Queensland?  Do you have an interest in becoming a crime scene examiner?

Forensic Scientist, Sergeant Natalie Gorman of the Gold Coast Scientific Section will present ‘The Scientific Section: Who We Are & What We Do’.  Sergeant Gorman will outline the role of forensic police officers in Queensland, and how they liaise with other forensic experts and investigators.  Learn what it takes to be a crime scene examiner with the Queensland Police Service.

This one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, June 28 and will be both informative and educational, however is only suitable for audiences over the age of 15 years.

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.

NOTE:  Out lectures are proving to be very popular, so please arrive on time.  The door to the conference room will be accessible from 10.45.  When all seats are taken we cannot allow anyone else into the room.

The Police Museum will open Sunday, June 28 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.  Please pass this information onto your family, friends and other networks.  We look forward to seeing you soon. 

Timber, stone, brick, louvered, picketed…so many building variations have been utilised by the Queensland Police.  Architectural differences are dependent on many factors including available materials, local needs and the weather.  Previously we have blogged about buildings used for Police HQ, here is a link to that article: Police Museum FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police Headquarters.  Today we inspect a few other police buildings, an eclectic mix but practical for the job of policing.

Warwick Police Station
Image No. PM1299 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

Built in 1901, the Warwick Police Station is still in use today as the town’s police station. An early Department of Works Annual Report reads “The buildings comprise barracks, offices, and senior-sergeant’s quarters in one building of two stories, lockup-keeper’s quarters one story, and lockup.  All the buildings are erected of local freestone, the quoins, chimneys, arches, and main dressings being clean chiselled, and the walling between of rock faced work.  The foundations are of concrete, strengthened with railway rails, on account of the uneven settlement usually found in Warwick buildings.”

Blackbutt Police Station, 1912
Image No. PM0096 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

A police station was first established in Blackbutt in June 1910.  An inspection of the station in August 1912 described the barrack accommodation as follows “The Police are camped in two tents, which were erected by the Railway Department at a cost of £17 each.  They are very comfortable.  The land on which these tents was first erected is now portion of a hotel yard, and it is absolutely necessary that they be removed from there at once.”

Tully Police Station, 1980
Image No. PM0687c Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

In July 1973 an extension was completed at the Tully Police Station.  Works included enlargement of the general office area and updated toilet facilities for use by both men and women.  The request for a female cell block was held over until the 1974/75 financial year, but was not effected until 1976.

Brisbane Water Police Station, with vessel ‘D.G.Gordon II’ berthed alongside c1987
Image No. PM0508 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

Originally built in 1920 with steel reinforced concrete for the Howard Smith Shipping Company, the building was converted for the use of Water Police in 1963.  Nestled on the Howard Smith Wharves at Petrie Bight, alterations for police work incorporated a day room, general duties office, enquiry room, interview room, locker room and public space on the ground level.  Upstairs accommodation housed a meal room, offices for the sub-inspector, senior sergeant and clerk, toilets and lobby.  Water Police vacated these premises in 1998 in favour of a purpose built facility downstream at Whyte Island.

From a museum perspective, it would be nice to retain all old police stations.  Alas, with advancements in technology comes an expectation to deliver current services.  Some older buildings do not adjust easily to accommodate today’s technology, requiring extensive and expensive renovation.  Recognised as valuable real estate these are sold to fund the newest development for police and / or other government services.  We still hold many images of historic police buildings, and the memories of those who served in them, and perhaps those who were brought there unwillingly through criminal activity or unfortunately as victims of crime.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Police Museum Assistant Georgia Grier.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Various QP Buildings” 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

Picture a two man station in the 1950’s, policed by one cranky Sergeant and one busy Constable.  A letter written by Sergeant Gilbert Barwick, Officer in Charge of the New South Wales Mungindi Police Station, to his newly appointed Constable who only knew of the hustle and bustle of Darlinghurst, Sydney must have come as a surprise.  The Sergeant thoughtfully provided the following; “Allow me to congratulate you on your appointment to this ‘Garden City of the Never Never’, situated on the beautiful Barwon River adjacent to the lovely Darling Downs of Queensland, on the greatest black soil that sticks to you through all adversity, through hot summer nights, cold windy wet winters and at all times…”

Next the Sergeant provides 15 advantages of the country posting.  The first few give a thoughtful overview of the township, geography, fauna and flora.  From viewpoint 6 Sergeant Barwick describes flies, mosquitos, hornets, scorpions, stinging ants, snakes, tarantulas, and fever, the plague and cattle duffers.  His education continues; “Number 14. Police duties here are somewhat lighter than in the metropolitan area and you will only be required to work 17 hours a day seven days a week.  You will only be called out during the week the average number of times.  Last year we had 400 charges.  The Constable put in 397 and I managed to lock up the other three.  We have all types of offences from the lowest to the highest and have even had one man charged for deserting his ship.

Number 15. There are 400 unmarried girls without families in the district and some have even offered me a small sum of money for the first introduction.  There has never been a Constable come to Mungindi and leave single since the station was erected.  Those who didn’t die got married.  The Constable you are replacing came here as a single man and has now been transferred back to Sydney.  In his two years here, this particular Constable acquired a considerable amount of money, a brand new Austin car, an expensive wardrobe, was a member of the golf club, bowls club, football club and domino club, and he left with a very handsome woman and two children.”

Number 8 gave a solemn reminder of the inevitable; “Many young and brilliant Constables have been transferred to Mungindi in past decades and records reveal that three years is the longest any have survived.  Some of them are even buried in the police paddock, covered with autumn leaves of green and gold lying peacefully below with their thoughts of colleagues of the dim and distant past.”

Mungindi Police Station and Court House on the New South Wales side of the river, during the flood of 1921
Image No. PM1283 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

The town of Mungindi straddles the Queensland, New South Wales border, and police from both states shared law enforcement duties on their respective sides of Barwon River.  Next week’s FROM the VAULT will provide correspondence from the Queensland Police in Mungindi reporting on conditions in the town after the flood of 1921.  This letter, to the Queensland Police Commissioner, shows the close working relationship the police from both states shared.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  The letter was written by Sergeant Gilbert Barwick, OIC of N.S.W. Mungindi Police Station.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Mungindi, a Sergeant’s perspective” 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 1921 the border town of Mungindi on the Barwon River, which divides Queensland and New South Wales, was the scene of a flood.  Acting Sergeant Reynolds from Queensland’s Mungindi Police Station had already been rewarded for good work in the rescue of a miner entombed at Oaks Goldfield in 1910.  Reynolds was also recognised by the Royal Humane Society for saving 3 children from drowning in the Barwon River in 1920.  In line with his duties, A/Sergeant Reynolds wrote to Police Commissioner Patrick Short, via Roma’s Sub-Inspector, to report on the flooded conditions in Mungindi.

Group photograph of delegates to the Queensland Police Union Third Annual Conference, Brisbane 7-15 April 1919. Acting Sergeant B.J.Reynolds is standing in the second row, third from the right.
Image No. PM0281 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

Here is the letter in full, dated 18^th July 1921:

Sir,
I beg to report following my report No. 99/21 from heavy rain the Barwon River at Mungindi rose to a height of 24 feet on 24^th ultimo, this caused all the low lying country to be flooded and also flooded the streets of Mungindi and surrounded the houses by water.

On top of this it commenced to rain heavily, and on reports from other places higher up the river it was evident that a big second flood would ensue before the then conditions of the river had receded.  The river gradually commenced to fall and by the time the second flood waters of the Barwon River started to rise at Goondiwindi the Barwon River at Mungindi was just within its own banks and remained so for several days till the flood waters from Goondiwindi commenced to arrive.  Previous to this I warned all people along the river and also all people who owned low lying country to the effect that a record disastrous flood was inevitable.  I specially requested them to remove all stock to the highest ground they could find and advised them to procure plenty of rations and firewood while the roads were still in a condition to travel.

My requests and advice was obeyed in every instance with the result that there is not a single report of any stock being lost, or any distress amongst the people who had to only undergo some inconvenience.

Police quarters on the Queensland side of Barwon River, Mungindi, during the flood of 1921. Image taken from the bridge.
Image No. PM1281 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum

Previous to the second flood I got on the telephone to the clerk of the local council St George to see if I could be supplied with a boat but it was then getting too late to get a boat by Thallon and the only way of getting one appeared to be by river from Goondiwindi but Sergeant Bergin advised it would be unsafe to try it.

Sergeant Martin of N.S.W. was also trying to secure boats from N.S.W. and eventually succeeded in obtaining two Water Police and two boats from Newcastle.

The people of Mungindi then felt safe on both sides of the river, and they concluded if the worst came they could be removed by boats to a high ridge about six miles distant.

Previous to the Water Police arriving there was only one old boat on the N.S.W. side which was totally inadequate to meet an emergency.

On 8^th inst. When the Barwon flood was reaching its highest a most extraordinary thing happened which probably saved the town of Mungindi from being submerged.  The Weir River which heads somewhere in the vicinity of Dalby and empties into the Barwon River about fifteen miles above Mungindi.  The Weir was in record flood equal to the height it reached in the year 1890.  Its flood waters came down rapidly and were it empties into the Barwon there was low lying country on the N.S.W. side.  The Weir seemed to take an unusual course by going straight through the Barwon River it flooded N.S.W. for miles and eventually covered the N.S.W. railway line in one place to a depth of six feet it caused much damage to stock in N.S.W. it took a lot of the Barwon waters with it but had it kept the Barwon River course it is hard to say what would have been the fate of the town of Mungindi which practically escaped the Weir flood.

N.S.W. Railway Station, Mungindi, during the flood 1921.
Image No. PM1281b Courtesy of the Queensland Police Service

On 11^th inst. the flood reached its highest 24 feet, 9 inches, two inches higher than the flood of 1914.  There is no loss of stock on the Queensland side. Constable Willis and myself was daily patrolling in boats with the N.S.W. police everywhere round houses that were flooded to see that there was no distress and remove people who required removing.

I am attaching a clipping from the Sydney Daily Telegraph newspaper to show the condition of that part of N.S.W. which is bordering Queensland.  I am attaching for my Commissioners and Sub Inspectors information photos of the flood, the contents of each photograph is explained on [the] back.

The river is still in flood and falling slowly from all appearances a large portion of country will remain under water for some time, the only losses on Queensland side of the Barwon was about £300 worth of vegetables lost by a Chinaman named Ah Chee.  We had to patrol daily in a boat to these Chinese who were living on a raft to see they were all right.
B.J.Reynolds
Acting Sergeant 626

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  The letter was written by Acting Sergeant Bernard John Reynolds, Mungindi Police Station, Queensland.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Policing Mungindi during the flood of 1921” 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

Behind the Scenes of the Police Dog Squad

26 July 2015
11am – 12.30pm

 Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane  QLD  4000

FREE ENTRY

Did you know a dog’s natural hunting instinct can be modified by police so the dog can be used to locate people, drugs, bombs and even dead bodies? Police dogs are used and are effective in police work for their superior senses of both smell and hearing.

Find out how police dogs are used for tracking, searching and the apprehension of offenders, at the next Queensland Police Museum Sunday Lecture.

The presentation titled ‘Behind the Scenes of the Police Dog Squad’, will be addressed by Senior Constable Ash Purvey, who will speak about the work police dogs undertake and the methods used to train them to carry out general and other duties. During the presentation Senior Constable Purvey will also explain the police breeding program and the role of puppy foster care.

This one and a half hour presentation will start at 11am on Sunday, July 26 and will be both informative and educational, and is suitable for any audience.

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.

NOTE:  Out lectures are proving to be very popular, so please arrive on time.  The door to the conference room will be accessible from 10.45.  When all seats are taken we cannot allow anyone else into the room.

The Police Museum will open Sunday, July 26 from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.  Please pass this information onto your family, friends and other networks.  We look forward to seeing you soon. 

On Monday morning, 5 August, 1974, Detective Sergeant 1/c Kevin L. Dorris, Nambour Criminal Investigation Branch, received a tip from an anonymous male caller regarding a quantity of heroin concealed in a cupboard of an unoccupied house at 60 Sixth Avenue, Maroochydore. Later that day, Det. Dorris and another police officer went to inspect the house, property of Heinz Otto Gartner, but finding it locked, refrained from entry until further inquiries had been made.

At about 1.00pm on Wednesday, 7 August, 1974, Heinz Otto Garnter, Maroochydore, accompanied by his daughters, Merrilyn Ruth Gartner, 3 years and Lisa Michelle Gartner, 2 years, entered an unoccupied dwelling at 60 Sixth Avenue, Maroochydore for the purpose of investigating an open window.

The girls went to play in and explore the house. In the process Merrilyn opened the cupboard, this set off a large explosion which killed her instantly. The damage to the house indicated a high order detonation. A set of louvre windows and hardwood floorboards were broken out and shattered. The walls and the roof, being further away from the blast, had relatively lesser damage. Merrilyn’s body was recovered outside in the yard below. Lisa also received severe injuries during the blast but responded to treatment and was recovering well.

Investigating Detectives at the scene. Image courtesy of The Sunshine Coast Advertiser, 1974.

Forensics identified the bomb as a home-made device comprising of empty gallon paint tin, sticks of gelignite, an electric detonator attached by wiring to a 9 volt battery together with 2 inch fibro roofing screws and nails. It was estimated the cupboard was booby trapped on Sunday night for Detective Dorris to find the following morning.

On 15 August, Commissioner Whitrod issued a $20,000 reward for information that will lead to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Merrilyn Ruth Gartner. In addition, the Government was prepared to facilitate a free pardon to any accomplice, not being the person who actually committed the crime.  Following a swift and rigorous investigation by Detective Inspector Jack Sporran and a team of detectives from Brisbane Criminal Investigation Branch, two suspects were identified; Peter Vivian Wardrop (27) and Gary Thomas Taylor (24), both known to the police.

The trial began on 28 April, 1975, the accused, Peter Vivian Wardrop, a salesman, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having murdered Merrilyn Ruth Gartner. There was no doubt that Wardrop was involved in the local drug scene. The Crown alleged during the trial that Wardrop was obsessed with hatred for Det. Dorris, as he was losing thousands of dollars in cannabis sales. He had the motive to kill Detective Dorris, and the necessary knowledge. The bomb concerned was build following instructions printed in a magazine Wardrop had access to while he was an inmate at the Nambour Watch House. Following 39 trial days, testimonies of 76 witnesses from the Crown, the jury of six men and six women after over five hours of deliberation found the accused guilty. Wardrop took the verdict calmly. A year later, he filed an appeal but was convicted for a second time. In response to the life sentence, Mr. Gartner issued a statement to the press saying that Wardrop could have been jailed for 50 years, but it wouldn’t have brought our little girl back.

The second man charged with Merrilyn’s murder, Gary Thomas Taylor, was found hanged in his cell in the Brisbane Jail remand section on 13 December, 1974.

In 1989, the State Cabinet decided to release Wardrop from jail and deport him to his native New Zealand while barring him from returning to Queensland under threat of re-committal to jail. On 8 November, The Courier Mail quoted Merrilyn’s father, Mr. Heinz Gartner, saying it is better to string up these guys – it’s cheaper than keeping them in jail.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Bomb Outrage Shocks Sunshine Coast Community” 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 mobile office was first organised as an aid in a 1974 homicide investigation in Maroochydore. In August, 1974, a small Sunshine Coast community was shaken by the tragic news of a home-made bomb exploding in an unoccupied house killing the three year old daughter of the owner of the house, and severely wounding her younger sister. The girls were playing around the house while waiting for their father to finish with the repairs. The device manufactured from gelignite and nails with roofing screws for shrapnel, was concealed in a kitchen cupboard booby trapped to explode upon opening. The blast was so intense it killed the girl nearly instantly, the shrapnel pierced gaping holes in the walls of the room. Preliminary investigation showed Detective Sergeant Dorries was the intended target. The same morning he received a tip from a male anonymous caller about a quantity of heroin stored in a cupboard at that address.

The Sunshine Coast Advertiser, Vol. 11, No. 4 (14 Aug 1974)

Detective Inspector Jack “Jock” McSporran was placed in charge of the investigation. He and a squad of 20 experienced and competent hand-picked detectives travelled to Maroochydore to ‘hunt down’ the perpetrators. The detectives took to their task immediately, working round the clock from the Maroochydore Police Station, typing up reports, conducting interviews with witnesses and persons of interest. As the 4 person police station began to strain from over-use of the facilities, Commissioner Whitrod ordered the police garage and technical staff to equip a mobile police office to accommodate the additional police presence.

Shortly, a secondhand 6-metre long caravan was obtained in Brisbane. The van was promptly refurbished and fitted with typing office bench, a typewriter, swivel chairs, hot water urn, tea facilities and electric wall clock:

A section of the nearside van wall was cut out at workbench level and fitted with steel roller doors. A long metal flap opened outwards from the roller doors, hinged along the roofline so that when unlocked and pushed outwards, it formed a pushout canopy exposing the typing bench. Detectives, at the end of a particular inquiry, would come to the counter window and report their progress across the bench.

The van, affectionately known as the ‘chuckwagon’, was parked in the police station plot and furnished with an illuminated POLICE sign on its roof. The mobile unit was also equipped with communication lines, such as a telephone connection and a two-way radio. The telephone number was advertised in the newspapers to promote public assistance. Soon after, another anonymous telephone call was made, this time warning Detective Inspector McSporren that he was next on the list. The investigation continued for three months, culminating with two perpetrators being charged with murder of the little girl. Later, one of the men committed suicide while awaiting trial and the second was sentenced to life imprisonment but was paroled after 14 years and deported to New Zealand.

The Sunshine Coast Advertiser, Vol. 11, No. 4 (14 Aug 1974)

The mobile police post was extremely successful and went on to be used on many investigations. Today, ‘police stations on wheels’ include advanced communications capabilities such as satellite phone and radio systems; designated work area for a Police Forward Commander; two internal workstations fitted with interconnected computers, wirelessly connected to the QPS networks through encrypted software systems; storage for equipment necessary to establish and operate a Police Forward Command Post; and a trailer with a large capacity generator capable of powering a Police Forward Command Post making it a fully equipped mobile police office ready to be deployed on demand.

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This article has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The information was provided by retired Qld Police Detective John Kolence, and written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Our First Forward Command Post”  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

Prior to inauguration of the Queensland Police Force in 1864, Sub-Inspector William Harris with Constables Henry Harris, John Brophy and John Broderick policed Leyburn.  The policemen served from humble quarters; in 1862 the Leyburn lockup had cost £550 to build, with a further £227 spend approved for police buildings in 1885.

The Queensland Police Gazette of November 2 1864 announced Sub-Inspector Harris, Officer in Charge Leyburn Police, as rewarded with £30 for the apprehension of Alexander Ritchie for the murder of Mr Charles Alfred Owen.  Owen was a Magistrate, overseer and part owner of Yandilla Station on the Darling Downs.  Ritchie was later hanged for the crime.  Although homicide in the district was uncommon, other offences ranged from horse and cattle stealing, assault, absconding from service, breach of the peace, larceny and language offences.

Map of Leyburn, 1910.
Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Each year inspections were made of the police station, for the information of the Police Commissioner.  The condition of equipment, buildings, fencing, grounds, staff and uniforms were noted.  In November 1909 Inspector James F. Geraghty attended the Leyburn Police Station from Toowoomba to report on conditions there.  His general remarks noted “I found the station tidy and clean but the yards were in a filthy condition like an old cattle camp.  The Constable [Alfred Zendler] alleges that owing to the old fence which encloses the Reserve (which no doubt is in bad repair) cattle come in and camp on the reserve.  This Constable is milking two cows and I am of the opinion that these cows cause the nuisance.  I told the Constable that if I again found the place in such condition I would recommend his transfer.”  Constable Zendler was not transferred, and retired in 1910.

Leyburn Court House with police residence on right, c1910.
Image courtesy of the State Library Queensland.

Brisbane’s Courier Mail reported, on January 23 1936, a fire which raised the police station and destroyed contents owned by the Constable in residence, R.G. Turner.  The five room building could not be saved, however the main Leyburn Police office remained unaffected.  A new police station was erected later that year costing £1026 and Constable Turner’s family reported moving into the residence on September 7, 1936.

In recent years an original boundary marking, in the form of a large tree, blazed with an arrow and lettering was discovered when a land owner noticed these distinct features.  The symbol denoting a Government Police Reserve is etched into the cambium layer of an old Ironbark.  The significance of the tree as a boundary marker for the original Leyburn Police Reserve has not gone unnoticed.  As a way to protect its history, the tree has been relocated to the Leyburn Police Station.

This weekend (14^th to 16^th August 2015) marks the 20^th anniversary of the Historic Leyburn Motor Sprints.  The township normally populated by less than 500 is expected to increase to 20,000 people during the weekend event.  Police from neighbouring districts will be in attendance to assist Leyburn’s police contingent.  There may just be a shiny new police car on display, and images of some older police vehicles.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  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

“FROM the VAULT – Leyburn Police Station” 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

Sergeant Greg Clarke of Alderley was one of the 180 Queensland Policemen and Policewomen who got ‘cropped’ in a joint fundraising event with the Royal Children’s Hospital, Banksia Ward (Oncology). The ‘Crop-A-Cop’ campaign launched on 2 April 1997 with a set goal to raise $250,000 in the year’s event. Copper Bluey was adopted as a mascot for the campaign.

Copper Bluey badge, c1997

‘Fund-raising took the form of many raffles, sausage sizzles, dinners and some more unlikely initiatives such as the PSRT running a ‘Dunk a Cop’ tank at several local shows.’ (QPUJ Oct, 1997) Through individual and station-wide efforts Queensland Police Service members were able to reach and surpass the quarter of a million fund-raising goal. Special recognition went to the Innisfail officers, who raised over $20,000 and Frank Cage from the City Watchhouse, who raised over $10,000 alone! On 16 August, the main state shave took place in Queen Street Mall, which culminated with an ‘after-shave’ Baldies Bash.

The same year, the national head shave was also held at Hobart, where a group of QPS members along with approximately 800 police from around Australia raised $2.5 million. In Queensland the funds went towards vital cancer research in the Royal Children’s Hospital Oncology unit.

In 1998, the ‘Crop-A-Cop’ campaign was renamed to Bluey Day. The name was changed to include other emergency services throughout Queensland, Australia and overseas. Bluey Day shaves were also then held in San Francisco and Vancouver. Prior to the big ‘shave off’ at Conrad Jupiter’s Casino, each participant had to raise $1,000 to qualify. Inspector Tonya Carew raised over $10,000 for the privilege of having her head shaved.

Almost 200 police officers from Australia and overseas got cropped on 22 August, 1998. Four ‘Canadian Mounties’ (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) joined police from Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. ‘Other shaves were held in regional centres throughout Queensland with 125 QPS officers involved, who raised the total of $150,000 that year.

Bluey Day continues to be held nationally and internationally every August and involves emergency service personnel as well as police.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Crop-A-Cop”  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

Michael Low was sworn in as a Queensland Police Constable on May 14, 1980. He was stationed at Rockhampton, Cherbourg, Tewantin, Longreach and North Rockhampton.

At 6.17pm on February 29, 1984 Constable Michael Low and Constable Derek Pickless attended a domestic dispute in North Rockhampton.  At the residence a man, who had appeared at court earlier in the day for obscene telephone calls, was in possession of a shotgun and a rifle.

Constable M.L.Low. Killed at Rockhampton on February 29, 1984.
Image No. PM0067 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

After some difficulty in locating the exact address, Constables Low and Pickless arrived at the residence. Low exited the car first while Pickless advised Police Communications of their arrival.  Pickless then followed Low towards the house and when Low knocked on the front door a male resident fired a shotgun through the door hitting Low in the chest. Constable Michael Low fell backwards off the steps and Constable Pickless, without regard for his own safety, dragged his partner to cover.

Realising that Low needed urgent medical attention, Pickless twice broke cover to get to the police car radio to call for help. The shooter continued to trade fire with Pickless while he was caring for Low. Police backup arrived and then the man’s wife came out of the house to say her husband had taken his own life.

In 1986 Constable Derek Pickless was awarded the British (Imperial) George Medal, initiated by King George in 1940, for his act of great bravery.

Constable Michael Low died at the scene.  Constable Derek Pickless was awarded the George Medal for Bravery for his actions during this incident.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – The death of Senior Constable Michael Low” 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 typical country station showing an unknown Policeman with his wife, child and the resident Tracker, c1910.
Image No. PM0618 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Dads with their children.  It’s a homely picture and one we can share due to thoughtful photographers, amateur or otherwise, who took the following images of Queensland policemen with their children.  Prior to these images being taken however, married men were not accepted as candidates of the Queensland Police Force unless they had previous service with the military or police, and early editions of the Police Manual state “No man in the Police Force shall marry without the permission from the Commissioner.”  To effect a marriage the policeman made application to wed to the Police Commissioner, and once approved the union could take place.  Many historical personnel records confirm the arrival of children within one year, and occasionally before the expected nine month confinement date.

The Aboriginal community of Mossman, together with Constables Thomas Clines and Hermann Schnitzerling holding the hand of his child Basil, pictured outside the Mossman Police Station, 1915.
Image No. PM0197 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is proud to employ the children of many respected, veteran Police Officers.  All candidates must fulfil the requirements of the recruitment process with the QPS placing significant emphasis on physical and mental competency due to the high level of physical demands and necessary psychological characteristics required of operational police officers to satisfy inherent occupational situations.  A long serving police officer recently stated at the swearing in of his son at an Induction ceremony, “I feel like I’m passing on the baton”.

Constable Solomon John Richards with five of his six children possibly outside Bollon Police Station, c1915.
Image No. PM2550a courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

There are many more historic images of policemen in the Queensland Police Service pictorial “Policing Queensland 1864 – 2014”.  With Father’s Day this weekend, consider buying a copy.  The book commemorates 150 years of policing in Queensland and are available for a short time from the Police Museum; numbered hard cover versions cost $50, soft covers are $35.  Please have cash with you, as there are no electronic payment methods available.  Email museum@police.qld.gov.au for further information.

Senior Constable Douglas Gregory with his daughter Lynette, c1950. S/Constable Gregory served at the Dayboro Police Station from 1949 until his death in 1956.
Image No. PM2380 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available. The article was written by Police Museum Assistant Georgia Grier. 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.

“FROM the VAULT – Policemen with their children” 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

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Police parade at Petrie Terrace, 1867.
PM0159 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

Download the 

Brisbane’s policing history: Walking the Long Blue Line audio tour 

or the

Policing colonial Brisbane: The criminal underbelly audio tour

 to your own mobile device today!

Police Officers line up outside the South Brisbane Police Station, c1890.
PM0046 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

TO START:
1. Download the izi.TRAVEL app from the AppStore, Google Play or Windows Phone Store.

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3. Download the Brisbane’s policing history tour or  the  Policing colonial Brisbane  tour before setting out.

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Bicycles were introduced to the Queensland Police Force in 1896, when horses and bicycles were the main form of transport.  Bicycles allowed police officers increased mobility and speed in the field.  In a time before patrol cars and paddy-wagons, police patrolled Brisbane city on bicycle and by 1920 bicycles were the main means of transport used by police.  It was not without its problems however, with the main issue being the candle-powered lamp and keeping it alight during the night.  In 1926, plain clothed officers would patrol Brisbane suburbs on bicycles by night and during winter officers would wrap newspaper around their chests and wear two sets of trousers to protect themselves from the cold.

Policeman wearing the country uniform with his bicycle, c1900.
Image No. PM0617 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

An early police memo read “…As the use of bicycles is about to be introduced for police purposes I wish to know which men in your district can ride a bicycle…”  Later, police purchased three motorcycles with side cars, and by 1928 eight motorcycles were in use as motorised vehicles replaced horse driven vehicles. As the use of motor vehicles increased bicycle patrols were reduced.  After World War II bicycle patrols were phased out completely and motorised transport became the norm. It wasn’t until 1998 bicycle patrols were re-introduced. A three-month trial period was given, and due to the efficiency of the patrols the trial was extended indefinitely.

Constable James Patrick McErlane Dredge with bicycle and two of his children in Toowoomba, c1941.
Image PM3204c donated by Bradley Dredge, grandson of James Dredge.

Statistics showed the effectiveness of the bicycle patrols. During the three month trial period the squad rode 926 kilometres, conducted 121 field interrogations and made 35 arrests for 50 charges.  Interestingly, the Bicycle Squad also proved itself faster at responding to jobs than patrol cars.  During the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games bikes squads were used heavily throughout Australia, with a ten man bicycle squad escorting the Olympic Torch Relay. After the Olympics bicycle patrols were stopped due to budgetary restrictions.

Brisbane Central Bike Squad officer patrolling city streets, 2010.
Image No. PM3607 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In 2003 Brisbane reignited the Bicycle Squad which operated 24 hours a day, and in that year rode more than 13,000 kilometres, conducted 1,300 field interrogations, and made 90 arrests for 150 charges.  Bicycles are still in use today, continuing to provide an effective police presence 24 hours a day.

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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  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

“FROM the VAULT – Policing Queensland by Bicycle” 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 writing of this book, my primary objective is to present in readable form, a chronicle of the more interesting crime with which I was associated in my official capacity during my thirty five years with the Queensland Police Force.

                                                                     – Mick O’Driscoll, Notorious Crimes and Criminals

Mick O’Driscoll, baptised Florence Michael O’Driscoll, was born on 26 September 1866 in Bantry, co. Cork, at the head of Bantry Bay on the West Coast of Ireland. In 1912, O’Driscoll, aged 25, applied to join the Queensland Police Force. The day before he was sworn in, on 29 January, the general strike broke out in Brisbane.

The dispute initially arose out of the attempts by employees of the Brisbane Tramway Company to unionise, which were strongly opposed by the manager and owner of the General Electric Company, an American, Joseph Stillman Badger. In Melbourne and Adelaide tramway employees were facing similar opposition and were banned from wearing any sign of the union membership, such as badges. In January 1912, the badges arrived in Brisbane.  At the tram depot, Badgers met the workers with an ultimatum: no badge or no work. The majority chose to wear the badge. Between January and February, 1912, what started out as a tram strike had quickly escalated to a general strike involving tens of thousands of workers.

The first important fracas occurred at North Quay when a man was being arrested by the police who were attacked by a threatening crowd. The hardy band of shopkeepers who had elected to remain open were threatened in no uncertain manner and to good effect, whilst railwaymen who remained working were jeered at and referred to as “scabs”.

Shortly, 3000 special constables were sworn in as re-enforcements, almost every business house in Brisbane was represented in this little army.

1912 general strike – Special Constables gather behind Police Headquarters in Queen’s Park, corner George and Elizabeth Streets, Brisbane.
Image PM0789d courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

An application by the Strike Committee for a procession permit on 2 February 1912, was refused by Police Commissioner Patrick Cahill. Despite the refusal, by 10 o’clock in the morning over 25,000 people gathered outside the old Trades Hall in Turbot Street:

Police dispositions were made to nip the procession in the bud.  A line of mounted police and a double line of foot police armed with rifles and fixed bayonets was drawn up across Albert Street from the Methodist Church to the Roma Street Barracks. Behind these, several lines of foot police stretched across the square in correct formation, and the special constables were drawn up in reserve on the vacant land where the City Hall now stands. The main body of strikers held to their original purpose, and a solid phalanx of humanity surged down Albert Street right on to the human barricade which barred their way. The appearance of the special constables was like a red rag to a bull, and as the crowd swept into the Square missiles started to fly and women added to the pandemonium by screaming opprobrious epithets at the police. The demonstrators were determined and hostile and they looked really dangerous then.

Police massing in Brisbane for the 1912 general strike, King George Square.
Image PM1001b courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

As soon as the crowd was broken it formed again. When the footmen came into the fray dull blows descended in all directions. The procession of women was caught between the battling groups. Their attack was led by Mrs Miller ‘an aged little lady, who could almost be blown over by a puff of wind.’ (“Women Rushed Bayonets”, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Feb, 1912) Mrs Miller, a Labour stalwart, proved herself in battle and gained notoriety by using a hatpin on Commissioner Cahill’s horse which got him thrown off.

Printed postcard titled ‘The Great Strike in Brisbane, February 1912′. Collage of eight images: Butchers marching in procession; Mounted specials on parade; Mounted police in market square; Armed specials on parade; Told off for duty in botanical gardens; Specials going to unload boats; Forming procession in market square; Strikers dispersing after procession.
Image PM3435d courtesy of the Victoria Police Museum.

2 February 1912, became known as Black Baton Friday. Later, such terms as “police brutality” “oppression of workers”, “scabs” were used and the history of the struggle was emphasised and re-hashed for many years afterwards.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Black Baton Friday”  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 battle, a fierce and violent display of street fighting, was the highlight of a series of processions, meetings and riots held by left-wing militants and Russian Bolsheviks on the one hand and returned soldiers on the other. Being almost continuously on duty from 1 p.m. on Sunday 23^rd March until about 1 a.m. on Tuesday 25^th March the writer had a grandstand view of all the main incidents, and still retains a fairly vivid recollection of the rapid march of events.

On 23 March 1919, a group of Bolshevik sympathisers gathered for a march from the Trades Hall to the Domain, when a large flag was unfurled by Alexander Zuzenko. Simultaneously, around a dozen returned soldiers joined by members of the Socialists League, formed into a line carrying red flags on poles. As the War Precautions Act banned public display of the Red flag, the police moved in to seize them. The violent struggle ensued between 400 marchers and the small police party:

The Police detachment at the scene comprised two NCO’s and eight Constables with myself and Plain Clothes Constable Jim Corbett (later Senior Sergeant) in charge of Sub-Inspector N. Brosnan (afterwards Chief Inspector) and Sub-Inspector J. McNiell. As the procession moved off to the singing of “L Internationale”, Sub-Inspector seized hold of a Red flag carried by a Russian in the front line, and after a struggle, gained possession of it. But he was quickly surrounded and overpowered and the marchers regained the flag.

Cartoon depicting ‘Red Monday’, the battle of Merivale Street between anticommunist factions and police in Brisbane on 24 March 1919.
Cartoon extracted from the Queensland Police Union Journal, June 11 1919.

As the captured flags were repossessed by the defiant crowd, the procession kept going, and all efforts by the police to stop them were unavailing. But the trouble was only starting, when somebody shouted Let’s raid the Bolshevik Headquarters. The Diggers formed up and marched across Victoria Bridge to Merivale Street. When the mob reached the Russian Hall, a series of warning shots resounded from inside the Russian headquarters. Discouraged by the fire, the Diggers relunctantly dispersed.

The following day rumours began to circulate of a plan to set the Russian Hall on fire. In the evening up to 8,000 men, some armed, assembled on Merivale Street and within an hour, a fierce battle started between ex-soldiers and police, with Constable Mick O’Driscoll once again was in the thick of the onslaught:

At about 7pm a strong force of police, with rifles and fixed bayonets, marched into Merivale Street, and was disposed in two lines stretching across the street and about 100 yards apart. Drawn up in the rectangle behind their armed colleagues were hundreds of police armed with batons, whilst a strong detachment of mounted police were stationed in Russell Street, close by. Sounds of soldiers singing “keep the home fires burning” and “Australia will be there” reached us in the rectangle. The air was tense and electric as the 50 odd men in blue came to the “on guard” position facing the soldiers now advancing towards them at the double. The diggers came on purposely, pausing only when they came in contact with the cold steel. The pressure from the crowd behind steadily mounted and eventually a concerted rush forced their leaders on to the points of the bayonets. Meanwhile a section of the mob, armed with palings and scrap iron, tried to infiltrate around the front lines of police, but were repulsed by the police armed with batons. The men in the ranks were receiving frequent injuries and the police casualties were mounting. Excitement and feeling became intense throughout the fighting, and many policemen were noticed with blood flowing down their faces.

The battle raged for two hours. Commissioner Urquart was stabbed in the right shoulder with a bayonet, but returned to the scene after his wound was dressed at the Mater Hospital. Sub-Inspector McNeill was hit in the forehead with an iron bar, Sergeant Ferguson sustained a fracture to the skull, mounted Senior Constable Bell had a broken rib, Constables Bateman and Byrne received bullet wounds to the arm and body. Plain-clothes Constable O’Driscoll was struck in the knee with a bottle. A total of 22 policemen and two civilians were listed as injured in the struggle.

If the enrage returned soldiers had got through the police lines and had reached the Russian’s building, it would probably have resulted in death or other dire consequences to the 30 or 40 scared inmates.

____________________

This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Constable O’Driscoll and the Battle of Merivale Street”  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

From a mode of transport to a specialist policing branch

The horse has always played an important role of the policing of Queensland. Horses were a principle means of transport for police officers across the state from the beginning of the Queensland Police Force in 1864 and for the next almost 100 years until motorised transport became the more usual means of transport. Up until the early 1960s, individual police stations had their own stables and paddocks in which to keep their troop horses.

In 1870 the Queensland Police moved their headquarters from the Brisbane city up to the Victoria Barracks at Petrie Terrace. Between January and July 1875 a carriage house and stables were built on site by Alfred Doorey. The building contained stabling and loose boxes for 28 horses, forage stores, harness and saddle rooms and a large covered court under which horses could be washed and groomed. In 1883 the Queensland Police moved their headquarters into the old Brisbane Gaol buildings next door but kept using the stables until they were handed back to the Commonwealth in 1911.

At the turn of the century the Queensland Police obtained its horses by purchase. The average price for a horse in the 1897- 1898 year was £6 11s 4d and usually over 100 horses were purchased yearly. By 1904 Commissioner Parry-Okeden was urging that the Police Department should breed its own horses in a move designed to overcome the difficulty of obtaining suitable remounts, usually at very high prices. By 1907, a scarcity in the supply of horses was emerging, partly because foreign armies were buying remounts, while Queensland’s need for police horses remained high. In 1906 Commissioner Cahill considered that almost one-quarter, 227, of the 952 police horses, were too old (aged 15 or more) and he planned to sell them. But the problem of old horses was not to be solved easily and in 1908 over one-fifth of the horses were 15 years or older, and there was some feeling in the Department that all police horses should be disposed of after about 10 years.

The Stallion “Libertine” at the Rewan Horse Breeding Stud, 1910.
Image No. PM0831 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The attempt to breed horses came in 1904 with Commissioner Parry-Okeden’s decision to establish a stud farm at Woodford. An area of 8.6 km2, reserved as a police paddock, was used for police mares and for growing feed. Stallions were hired for £30 and between them sired 26 foals.  However, this small reserve was found to be both unsuitable and inadequate and so with the cost of buying horses ever rising, the Department looked elsewhere for a larger breeding establishment. Commissioner Cahill reported in 1909 that he had obtained a very fine reserve called ‘Rewan’ of 78 000 acres (318 km2), resumed from the Consuelo leasehold.

In 1912 a new stable building was completed at the Petrie Terrace Police Depot (old gaol area).  In 1920 a group of mounted officers was gathered to act as escort for the visit for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and in December 1934 another escort was gathered for the visit of His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester.

Queensland mounted police escort provided for His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester during December 1934.
Image No. PM0499 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

In 1933 after 24 years of varying success the Queensland Government closed the ‘Rewan’ horse stud, citing inaccessibility and the unsuitability of Rewan’s horses for the work in the north.  The Queensland Police returned to the practice of purchasing horses.  In June 1941 when the existing 16 troop horses (Winchester; Camera; Eidsvold; Hazak, Spearturn; Ink; Spitfire; Digger; Belvedere; Herculean; Frog; Hero; Enamel; Enfield; Flintlock and Webley) were transferred from the Petrie Terrace stables to those at the Oxley Police Station. The old stable became a garage to meet the growing needs of mechanised police transport.

A ‘Mounted Unit’ existed at the Oxley Station and was managed by the Officer in Charge. Oxley police officers also rode patrols and looked after the horses along with their general duties. A co-ordinated mounted group was organised was as an escort for Queen Elizabeth during her 1954 tour of Brisbane. 22 horses were required for the escort and 26 were rigorously trained for Royal Escort Duty.

On 26 August 1974 the Queensland Mounted Police Unit (QMPU) was created. A Senior Sergeant was placed in charge of the QMPU and 2 Constables were transferred from Oxley Station to the QMPU. Other officers were called in for mounted work when required. The QMPU performed a mainly ceremonial role, such as escort work and tent pegging displays for the next 56 years.

Mounted Unit officers, L-R: Senior Constable Simon Shilton, Sergeant Teala Muller and Senior Constable Natalie Lewis-Grofski patrol Southbank Parklands, 2010.
Image No. PM3603 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The QMPU moved from Oxley to a brand new purpose built complex at Moggill in early 1997. The nine hectare complex included 18 stables, a covered training arena, an outdoor simulated training environment, an office and storage facilities.

Members of the QMPU perform a variety of duties from VIP escorts, leading parades, and Police funerals, to patrolling inner city areas, and parklands, and searching for missing persons and stolen property. The Unit currently maintains a string of 20 troop horses in various stages of training. The QMPU works predominantly in south east Queensland to provide a visible police presence at major events and in public spaces.

Today only the Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad and the Queensland Mounted Police rely on horses for the performance of their duty.

For current Queensland Police Museum E-Alert recipients, and in place of our usual Sunday Lecture Series, the invitation went out to join the Mounted Police Unit in Moggill for an open day last Sunday.  The event showcased how police troop horses are trained, including demonstrations in two key areas – sensory and environmental conditioning.  Information on the health, care and stabling of horses was also provided. To ensure you don’t miss out on future lectures and events, consider becoming a QPM E-Alert recipient; who knows where we’ll take you back in time next year?!

__________________

This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- Police and Horses” 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

Back by popular demand, more images from the Police Museum’s collection.  Here are four favourites chosen by our Museum Assistant, in chronological order.

A MOBILE PHONE
Sergeant Cecil Trower on his two-way radio equipped BSA motorcycle, c1956. This type of slow revving motorcycle was found to be most suitable for the rigors of motorcycle escorts.
Image No. PM0414 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

AT EASE ON THE WATER
Senior Constable Richard Bartley, Constable Patricia Garnaut and Senior Constable Eric Webster, on the deck of Vedette 3, 1974.
Image No. PM0304 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

A DOGS LIFE
Dog Squad Constable 1/c Terry Hawkins and Rex on a job, c1975.
Image No. PM1026 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

‘STOP, IT’S THE POLICE’
Constable Diana Hotchkis models the new female summer uniform consisting of a light blue safari jacket with dark blue pockets and bell bottom slacks, 1979. Note her matching blue eyeshadow.
Image No. PM3642 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

If you just can’t get enough of these great photos, we have plenty more in our pictorial ‘Policing Queensland 1864 – 2014, 150 Years’.  Books cost from $35 plus postage; this link will take you to the ordering process: www.police.qld.gov.au/QP150 Commemorative Book

__________________

This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.  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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT- More Real People” 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 April 1958, the State Government formally approved the formation of the Queensland Police Pipe Band, Australia’s third police pipe band after Victoria and New South Wales, and provided £2000 for the purchase of uniforms and equipment. Original uniforms consisted of Gordon Clan (modern) tartan kilt, plaids and hose. Pipers wore black tunics, black cross and waist belts, and drummers were clad in scarlet tunics, white cross and waist belts. All band members wore Glengarry type headdress with black cock feathers, white horse hair sporrans, plaid brooch, Glengarry cap badges and white spats. Gordon Clan tartan was chosen by a popular vote.

Queensland Police Pipe Band at a passing out parade at Petrie Terrace Depot, Brisbane c1962.
Image PM0042 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.

The band membership was on a part-time basis and restricted to serving members of the police and cadets. The inaugural members included 10 pipers, 6 drummers and a Drum Major. The Police Youth Welfare Association building in Lang Park was approved for practices on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm. Sessions were attended in department time and the first practice of the newly constituted Queensland Police Pipe Band was held on Thursday June 12, 1958.

The original repertoire included tunes like The Barren Rocks of Aden, The Green Hills of Tyrol, Bonnie Dundee, Scotland the Brave and The Nut Brown Maiden. Over the next decade, the band grew in skill and confidence and saw its repertoire expand to include tunes such as McNeill of Ugadale, The Men of Argyle and Sound of Sleat, to name but a few. In 1968, the tartan had been changed to Gordon Clan (ancient). The kilts were teamed with scarlet tunics. In 1975, the tartan was further updated to Gordon Red (weathered). The same year the band was invited to attend the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Queensland Police Constable Janet Makepeace, was the only woman among the 140 combined Australian police pipe band musicians at the Tattoo 1975. The band toured the United Kingdom for eight weeks attracting 9000 spectators at each performance.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo Programme 1975.

In 1982, the band saw yet another change of dress, which coincided with their participation at the Commonwealth Games. A decade later, Dress MacDonald (modern) tartan worn at the Games, was updated to MacDonnell of Glengarry (modern) tartan. Since then, the Queensland Police Pipes and Drums delivered numerous outstanding performances at the Brisbane International and Adelaide International Police Tattoos, and in 2006 was invited back to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The 24 performances attracted over 200,000 live spectators and a television audience of one million. The band’s most nerve wracking performance, however, was before HRH Queen Elizabeth II at the celebration of the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in the same year.

Pipe Major Roderick MacDonald meets HRH Queen Elizabeth II, 2006.
Image borrowed from ‘Qld Police Pipes & Drums Commemorating 50 years 1958-2008’.

The Queensland Police Pipes and Drums has been long celebrated as one of Australia’s finest pipe bands. It continues to perform at formal state functions, community group receptions and even rock concerts.

The Queensland Police Pipes and Drums at Brisbane ANZAC Day Parade, 2012. Image Courtesy of the Media and Public Affairs Branch.

Last year, as a part of QP 150 events, the band visited Torres Strait and northern peninsula where they received a warm welcome and a new spin on their uniforms!

QP 150 Torres Strait Tour, 2014. Image Courtesy of the Media and Public Affairs Branch.

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This information has been provided by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available.  The article was written by Museum Volunteer and Crime and Policing Historian Dr Anastasia Dukova.

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: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au

“FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police Pipes and Drums”  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.
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