Today, 27th November 2018, is our 125th birthday!
The Queensland Police Museum has evolved from a grisly accumulation of weaponry used by criminals, to a balanced collection of historic policing memorabilia; medals, uniforms, accoutrements, as well as unique pieces of evidence, so unusual they have the capacity to transform a true crime story from interesting to utterly fascinating.
Detective Senior Sergeant Les Bardwell, pictured here in 1962, examines one of hundreds of handguns displayed in cabinets for reasons of security and safety.
PR Neg 1962 (SL945) courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
When the collection commenced in earnest, by Memorandum from the Police Commissioner’s Office date 27th November 1893, it was the preservation of articles connected with crime which were most sought after. We believe it was the efforts of Detective Constable Les Bardwell, a collector of firearms and veteran of the Criminal Investigation Branch, who extended the collection to include policing regalia and equipment. With a scientific mind and a detective spirit, Les set about acquiring secure glass cases to display the growing museum collection of crime and policing history, with the objects kept under lock and key for the eyes of police recruits only and a small selection brought out for public viewing each year at the Royal National Agricultural Show (The Ekka).
Mr Ross Chippindall, Curator of Queensland Police Museum between 1979 and 1985.
Image No. PM1159 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
The current collection continues to expand as specialist police equipment is introduced, used, replaced and finally offered to the museum for preservation and display; a process which can take decades. Crime evidence is retained by Forensic Services until well after a case is solved, objects only being accepted into the museum for their rarity, educational potential, and the intangible value placed upon those used in the commission of criminal acts. Photographic donations are sorted, digitised and catalogued before they can be enjoyed by forebears and used in social media circles.
We invite you to celebrate this big day by visiting us, following our Blog https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/museum/, and Tweeting to @QPSMuseum.
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This article was written by Museum Assistant Georgia Grier for the occasion of the Queensland Police Museum’s 125th birthday. 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.
Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT – Queensland Police Museum 125th Birthday” 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