…Adventures and Hardships of a Convict Copper
Constables have trudged and patrolled across this land long before it was called Queensland as part of the Moreton Bay penal settlement. A significant historical event for policing in Moreton Bay was the appointment of the first Chief Constable, John McIntosh, in 1828. McIntosh was a Scotsman, a convict, and sentenced to transportation for life, hardly what we would consider an ideal police candidate today. He would prove to be a man of endurance and grit. His policing career started with the brave decision of volunteering to relocate from Sydney to one of the harshest places on the continent, the Moreton Bay Penal establishment[1].
Moreton Bay Penal Settlement Plan 1830 – 1893.
Digital Image ID 5213 courtesy of Queensland State Archives.
In 1826 McIntosh was recorded by the infamous Moreton Bay penal settlement commandant, Captain Patrick Logan, as the Principal Overseer of convicts and put in charge of the Agriculture Department. Records show McIntosh was to receive a gratuity for his work. This appointment gives a hint to the character and ability of McIntosh in being able to position himself into a relatively privileged position under a notoriously strict commandant in the unforgiving environment of a penal establishment.
In June 1827, McIntosh was already demonstrating the policing knack of sniffing out a possible offence when he provided an eyewitness account regarding an incident where a ship’s carpenter and convict, John Cunningham was found in the possession of alleged smuggled alcohol. Historical records indicated the alcohol may have been smuggled into the settlement by the Master of the “Mary Elizabeth” demonstrating that even the severe reputation of the penal settlement was no deterrent to criminal activity.
In July 1827 McIntosh received support from Logan to be discharged from his duty as the Principal Overseer and in August 1827 letters indicated McIntosh was to be returned to Sydney. Intriguingly this move was to be short lived with records indicating his successor being removed and McIntosh being reinstated, and then shortly after becoming the first Chief Constable in 1828. McIntosh was obviously considered to be of value to the settlement by Logan.
McIntosh service from 1828 to 1830 is not well recorded, however he must have continued to be well thought of receiving a recommendation of an increase in salary from Logan in August 1830.
As all police know you are not performing your duty effectively without attending court and this was the same for McIntosh. McIntosh was recorded in a letter from the Attorney General’s office in Sydney in November 1831 requesting him and two other convicts as witnesses for the prosecution at the trial of George Byford, but there was a twist to this court case. Byford was charged with the intent to murder McIntosh. Indeed, his policing career had its challenges and its dangers.
Early policing challenges reached a level maybe not appreciated or experienced by todays police. Part of these challenges was the duty for McIntosh and his constables to travel up and down the coast by foot and whale boat apprehending escapees from the penal settlement. In November 1832 one of these challenges reached life threatening proportions when both McIntosh and the convict James Turner, whilst searching for escapees, were severely injured by indigenous tribes near Cabbage Tree Creek estuary. Historical records indicate they were only saved by the arrival of a larger party of colonists[2].
Colour Sketch of Moreton Bay Penal Establishment c1831.
Image courtesy of Queensland State Archives.
In December 1832, McIntosh was returning by ship from Port Macquarie with his constables, after apprehending Moreton Bay escapees, the group was attacked on a beach south of Amity Point, Stradbroke Island. McIntosh was wounded again and two other men, a convict constable and an escapee, were killed by the Nunukul clan[3].
McIntosh must have now realised his policing duties had put him in the middle of what historians described as one of the most intense periods of conflict with the indigenous nations for the penal settlement. Ordered by the settlement commandant, Captain James Clunie, McIntosh, reinforced by constables and soldiers, set out to find the Nunukul, clashing again with a number of injuries and deaths being recorded[4]. Politics and policing were an awkward mix even at the foundations of Queensland policing, just as it can be today.
This would have been a turbulent time for the Chief Constable, but it is interesting to note that McIntosh was also given hope during this time with his Ticket of Leave being granted in the same month, December 1832 by the Resident Magistrate, Benjamin Sullivan at Port Macquarie. Maybe this was a reward for these arduous duties and events.
Just as policing can have its effect on members today, it seems McIntosh may have had his fill of policing in Moreton Bay. In October 1833, Commandant Clunie’s notes in a letter that Chief Constable McIntosh has requested a return to Sydney. Clunie recommended the transfer and requested a replacement for McIntosh. Records indicate McIntosh did not give up on policing in the colonies but transferred to work in the local constabulary at Goulburn. McIntosh was replaced by another convict, Richard Bottington, in late 1833. Of historical note, in 1836 the first non-convict police officer, William Whyte, was appointed Chief Constable at Moreton Bay [5]. It is somewhat ironic that policing in Queensland was foundered on the fortitude and endurance of convicted criminals such as McIntosh.
[1] https://digitalcolonialbrisbane.com/police/
[2] Fighting Words Writing about Race, Raymond Evans, University of Qld Press, 1998
[3] Fighting Words Writing about Race, Raymond Evans, University of Qld Press, 1998
[4] Brisbane : The Aboriginal presence 1824-1860, Brisbane History Group Papers No.11 1992
[5] https://policingcolonialbrisbane.com/police/
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- Policing With An Edge” 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