An increasing amount of original archival or historical police records are being stored in hostile storage environments at police stations or being handed over to local interest groups without authorisation. Police records can be very interesting, and Queensland’s important historical events are traced through them. These records are in heavy demand at Queensland State Archives (QSA) and their care is tightly prescribed by legislation. Police records need proper care, as dictated by the State Archives, long after the Service has finished with them. Police records illustrate the many extraneous duties undertaken by police, social and cultural norms, and even political movements. For example, during the depression, police acting as School Attendance Officers described the extreme poverty affecting many families. Many children could not attend school as they did not have sufficient clothes on their backs or food to eat.
In 1924, police performed many other extraneous duties, including; Acting Clerk of Petty Sessions, District Registrar of Births and Deaths, Electoral Registrar, Protector of Aboriginals, Officer-in-charge of flood warning stations, and Collector of tobacco statistics for commonwealth government. Knowing exactly where police records are and how to access them is essential for the Police Museum to perform its key duties. Museum staff are frequently asked to conduct research in a number of different areas for internal and external clients, and for display material. A large volume of their research time is taken up with service records, station histories and general information on different aspects of police history. There are increasing numbers of enquiries about the Native Mounted Police and Indigenous Police Trackers.
Since 1988 there has been firm legislative requirements for the proper maintenance of police records, further enhanced by the introduction of the Public Records Act in July 2002. While the Act clearly makes the Police Commissioner responsible for all public records held or created by police service employees, all QPS personnel are responsible for ensuring the safe custody and preservation of records in their possession and special protection of public records older than 30 years. Disposal of records does not necessarily mean destruction; it can require the record’s transfer to QSA or other approved placements. Records lodged with the QSA are stored in an ideal environment. They are reviewed periodically and restored to their original condition when required. Records in a dilapidated condition can often be restored to a readable condition. They are then microfilmed and made available to researchers.
Interior photograph of the filing/sorting bays, Information Bureau, Roma Street Headquarters, 1992.
Image No. PM2885 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Archival records, that is all records created more than 25 years ago, or more recent records documenting events of historical significance, must be assessed for decisions on retention, disposal and archival location. If you have archival records, compile a list of the type of records held and their date range; then contact the Corporate Archivist to be advised on the record’s requirements. The Corporate Archivist will also arrange transfer of records to QSA as necessary.
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This article was written by Clare Hackett, retired Police Officer and Corporate Archivist, for the Queensland Police Bulletin, November 2002. The 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