Before motorcars or the motorcycles were in general use, police officers employed other means of getting from A to B.
Walking the beat was part of a Police Officer’s rostered duty. The 1869 Rules and Regulations for the Guidance of the Queensland Police Force outlines what was expected of a Constable out on his beat. “It is indispensably necessary that he should make himself perfectly acquainted with all the parts of his beat or section, with streets, thoroughfares, courts and houses” and goes on to say “He will pay particular attention to all public-houses within his beat, reporting the hour at which each is closed, and whether they appear to be conducted in an orderly manner”. The 1876 Manual of Police Regulations was even more specific and instructed police to remove pieces of orange peel whenever they were seen on the pavement because of the frequent accidents which occurred when people slipped on the offending peel!
A police officer walking his beat crosses Queen Street, Brisbane, c1900. Image No. PM0396 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
In 1886 camels were introduced as an excellent transport option for stations such as Birdsville and Bedourie. They continued to be used into the 1930s.
Constable Vincent Rafter on a police camel at Bedourie, 1930. Image No. PM1570 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
In 1896 Police Commissioner Parry-Okeden introduced the bicycle as a legitimate means of police transport. Bicycles were most useful in regional towns which were too busy for horses but which were too large for walking to be the most efficient way of getting around. Although we are not exactly sure of the first used, later manufacturers were Massey Harris, B.S.A and Allday & Onions. Bicycles as a means of transport went out of favour in the late 1940s.
Bicycles were first introduced to the Queensland Police in 1896. In this 1896 studio shot, Constable Patrick Duffy sits astride his police bicycle. Image No. PM0128 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Horses remained as a popular transport choice in the smaller and more remote country areas well into the 1960s.
Constable Charles Taylor and troop horse “Hawthorn” in front of the Gatton police station, March 17, 1934. Image No. PM0115 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
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This information was researched by Curator Lisa Jones and sourced from the best Queensland Police Museum 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. Email: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT – Foot, Hoof and Wheel” 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