The uniform worn by Queensland police officers after separation in 1859 was a dark blue jacket and top with a forage cap, supplied by the New South Wales police.[1]
1864
The
Queensland Police Force was established by the Queensland Government on 1 January 1864 with strength of 287 officers serving a population of 61,467. David Thompson Seymour appointed as Acting Commissioner and later as Commissioner.[1]
Transport in the settled areas was mainly by foot and in the unsettled areas by horse.[1]
The hulk Margaret Eliza was purchased for £3000. It was refitted and renamed the Proserpine. She was used as a floating water police office, prison, and later as a reformatory school.[1]
Correspondence with the Police Commissioner or between stations was by handwritten letter, moved by horse or Cobb and Costagecoach, or by telegram.[1]
Finding that no written instructions had ever been issued for the guidance of the police, Commissioner Seymour issues "Rules for the General Government and Discipline of members of the Police Force of Queensland" based upon the Victorian police model.[1]
On 1 December, the Detective Office was created with Sub-Inspector George Elliott in charge.[1]
At December 1864, in the first year of operation of the Queensland Police Force, there were 27 ordinary police stations with 151 foot and mounted officers, and 16 native police camps of 136 European officers and indigenous troopers. Twenty of the 'ordinary police force' stations averaged four officers each, the bigger stations like Brisbane, Ipswich, Rockhampton and Maryborough had larger staff numbers. Native police camps averaged between 7 and 17 men, large camps like Rockhampton could have up to 27 men of both officers and troopers.[2]
1865
Police Commissioner David Seymour described the lack of accommodation for police: "Many men are compelled to live in lodgings, and in the country districts constables live in public-houses some distance from the lock-up at times making them unavailable for sudden emergencies".[1]
Police Commissioner Seymour focussed on the crime of
bushranging and took active measures to hasten the capture of these criminals through the purchase of fresh police horses and the construction of securely fenced paddocks at every police station.[1]
Water police were stationed on board the hulk Proserpine at the mouth of the Brisbane River.[1]
Revolvers were supplied to every police station and 50
breech-loading carbines were delivered to the Department.[1]
1866
The
Government House in Brisbane. Hundreds of government officials were sworn in as special constables to assist police.[1]
The first uniform consisted of a Garibaldi jacket of dark blue, serge wool cloth, red facings, and shoulder knot; trousers of the same material, with red cord, and a high cap with French peak.[1]
1867
On 6 November 1867 Constable Patrick William Cahill and Constable John Francis Power were poisoned and shot in the head at the MacKenzie River Crossing while escorting a consignment of bank notes and bullion from Rockhampton to Clermont.[3] The first major test for the Detective Office was to solve their murders.[1]
Police Commissioner Seymour stated that "men at all stations are, when practicable, to be drilled once a week".[1]
1869
The publication of "Rules for the General Government and Discipline of members of the Police Force of Queensland" was approved, printed and distributed.[1]
Each constable required one pair of handcuffs as part of his equipment allotment.[1]
1870s
Navy blue helmets were introduced and proved to be a very hot choice of headwear; they were phased out in favour of white helmets in 1896.[1]
1870
A police barracks was established in George Street, Brisbane, on the site of the old convict hospital.[1]
Changes to rank insignia were implemented which among other things meant that an acting sergeant would be called a senior constable.[1]
1872
A general order was issued that the Chinese had as much right on the gold fields as Europeans, so long as they had a miners' permit. If a collision resulted in a riot which the police could not quell, they were to note the ring-leaders and apprehend them.[1]
1873
Sub-Inspector Robert Johnstone, officer in charge of native police, accompanied explorer George Dalrymple on the north-east coast expedition to explore the coastal lands as far as Cooktown.[1]
1875
The bulk of the Queensland Police force moved from the
Three movable houses and twelve large frame-tents were built in Brisbane and shipped to the
Palmer River gold-field. They were quickly erected by two constables and could house six officers.[1]
1876
The Police Manual instructed constables on beat duty to "possess such knowledge of the inhabitants of each house as to enable them to recognise their persons; and thus prevent mistakes, and be enabled to render assistance, when called upon, to the inhabitants".[1]
"Instructions for the Guidance of the Police" were published and a system of competitive examination for promotion was introduced, intended to increase police efficiency.[1]
1877
Laura Police Station opened in 1877 with Sub-Inspector 1/c Hervey Fitzgerald in charge. As at 2019, it was still a single officer station today and was staffed by a senior constable.[2]
1879
Roma Street Police Barracks were built and provided accommodation for about forty-five men, room for an Officer-in-Charge and two cells.[1]
A contingent of trackers was sent to
Kelly Gang
.
1880s
1880
At Birdsville, locally-available cane grass was used on police station walls for its insulation properties and longevity.[1]
Native Police camp accommodation was constructed using a variety of materials, such as saplings, logs, bark, canvas and shingles.[1]
1881
On 24 January Sub-Inspector George Dyas was found buried after being killed by being speared in the back by Aboriginals while he camped near the 40 Mile Waterhole near Normanton.[3]
On 24 September Sub-Inspector Henry Kaye died from being speared through the chest by Aboriginals at Woolgar gold fields (100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Richmond).[3]
1882
Sub-Inspector 1/c Alexander Douglas was sent to Herberton and with four troopers, two old gold diggers and five Chinese men; he blazed a trail from Herberton to Mourilyan. The party travelled without rations and in continuous rain for twenty days, living mainly on roots.[1]
On 24 January Cadet Sub-Inspector Mark Beresford died after being speared in the thigh and hit on the head by Aboriginals in the Selwyn Ranges to the south of Cloncurry.[3]
On 26 January Constable William Dwyer was struck on the head by a tomahawk and killed by
Cap badges consisting of a separate district letter and number were issued and remained in use until 1906.[1]
As policing reached across the State more and more stations were opened usually in small towns of less than 300 people or in places that were growing due to the building of train lines or the discovery of gold. By December 1884, twenty years after the inauguration of the Police Force, there were 155 stations with 657 police officers and 182 indigenous troopers and trackers. There was also a growth in the number of single officer stations. In 1884, 36 stations were operated by single police officers, of these 6 were assisted in their duties by an indigenous tracker.[2]
Running a police station with one officer was a daunting task. Often there was no station building and one had to be rented or moves made to purchase something suitable. Married officers were generally not sent to single officer stations as there was generally no accommodation for them in town. However, wives who did join their husbands, found themselves looking after the station and taking inquiries, while her husband was away. Her tasks could also involve feeding and cleaning up after prisoners in the lock-up.[2]
1886
The first six camels arrived in
Birdsville from India in poor condition and by July only four had survived. Despite these early setbacks camels proved useful, travelling hundreds of kilometres on duties such as collecting statistical returns.[1]
1887
The first honour given to any Queensland police officer was a Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal awarded to Constable James O"Brien for saving the life of a nine-year-old boy at Ipswich.[1]
During the Burketown cyclone on 5 March, Sergeant John Ferguson's wife kept a lamp burning in the window of the courthouse and her beacon drew many people to the refuge during the storm.[1]
1889
A
Royal Commission of Enquiry into the Police Force proposed sweeping changes including that the control of the section of Water Police known as River Police was given back to the Police Commissioner.[1]
The cost of buying ordinary clothing for plain clothes work was an extra burden that detectives had to meet out of their ordinary pay.[1]
There were eleven detectives on the pay-roll across the State. Seven in Brisbane, two in Townsville, and one each in Normanton and Rockhampton.[1]
On 27 October Senior Constable Alfred Wavell was shot and killed at Corinda (southwest of
Burketown) by a man who had escaped from the Normanton lock-up.[4]
1890s
1891
Senior Sergeant Martin Breene and Constable Joseph Waters displayed energy and perseverance during the shearer's strikes by following and preventing "fire gangs" from doing damage at Lammermoor pastoral station.[1]
Eromanga Police Station was first opened on 26 September 1891 in a two roomed cottage rented at a cost of five shillings per week, with Senior Constable Manuell in charge. At this time the township consisted of one large store owned by Mr W Paterson, two first class pubs built of brick, and a couple of "humpys". The resident population was about 20 and there was always a number of men from the opal mines and stations "knocking down their cheques" (spending their money) at Eromanga's pubs. Senior Constable Manuell remained in charge of Eromanga until he was instructed to close this station on 31 December 1891, and to proceed to Thargomindah. The station reopened in 1893. In 1894, the first police residence was built so the police officer have his wife live with him. As at 2019, it was still a single officer station and was staffed by a senior constable.[2]
1893
During the shearer's strike, police were given sole power to "preserve order and secure liberty to all alike".[1]
Acting Sergeant John Raphael Thompson was paid £10 extra to attend to photographic work which included
On 4 February Constable James Sangster, 25, drowned attempting a rescue of two members of the Jackson family during the 1893 flood of the Bremer River at North Ipswich.[4] He is commemorated by the James Sangster Memorial at North Ipswich, which was initiated by the Jackson family and funded by public subscription. The monument has a broken obelisk which symbolises a life cut short.[5]
MacKinlay (now McKinlay) Police Station was opened in 1893.[2]
1894
On 10 May Constable Benjamin Ebbitt died at South Brisbane having never recovered from an assault during an arrest on 9 November 1890 at Croydon.[4]
On 6 September Constable Edward Lanigan was killed by being shot in the chest while trying to prevent another policeman from being shot during an arrest at
On 30 June, Commissioner Seymour retired after 31 years in the job and was replaced by
William Edward Parry-Okeden on 1 July. Full control of the water police finally came under the jurisdiction of Police Commissioner.[1]
On 2 July Senior Constable William Conroy died after being stabbed several times trying to prevent a man from stabbing the man's wife on Thursday Island.[4]
The bicycle, as a means of transport was introduced and a slow distribution occurred across the State. At about £13 a bicycle was more expensive than a horse.[1]
Detectives received no special training. Generally, "the smartest and most intelligent" people from among the plain clothes officers in the general police were selected and expected to learn from experience.[1]
The Pearl ferry capsized near the Victoria Bridge on the flooded Brisbane River on Valentine's Day. After the rescue of sixty survivors, police made every effort to recover and identify the bodies of the twenty-nine victims.[1]
A loose tunic was adopted in place of the existing jumper for police uniform. Mounted officers performing mounted duty, wore Bedford cord breeches and black napoleon boots.[1]
1897
The collection housed in the police museum running since 1893, was used to educate recruits about criminal methods.[1]
1899
On the trail of an escapee, Constable James Kenny and four indigenous troopers survived Cyclone Mahina at Bathurst Bay, by staying together after their camp was blown away.[1]
The recruit probation period was increased so that no man was sworn until three months' drill and instruction was completed at the Police Depot.[1]
At the turn of the century the Queensland Police Department had 845 police officers and 135 native trackers at 256 stations.[1]
1901
First-Class Constable George Pugh displayed discretion and bravery in the single-handed arrest of three men for the unlawful killing of cattle at the Jundah Opal Fields, and for taking them on foot, the 20 miles (32 km) to Jundah police station.[1]
On 30 March, Constable George Doyle was shot and killed while attempting to capture the
Kenniff brothers in Upper Warrego, who had a long history of stealing cattle and horses.[4]
1903
In May the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society was awarded to First-class Michael Becher, Inspector Percy Galbraith, Constables Charles Pinwill and William Ryan who risked their own lives to save the lives of others between 12 November 1889 and 15 January 1903.[1]
On 29 March Acting Sergeant David Johnston was killed by being hit on the head with an axe by a prisoner in the watchhouse at Mackay.[4]
1904
The Fingerprint Bureau was established. During the first year of operation 578 fingerprints were taken and 226 came from other states.[1]
On 16 September 1904, Constable First Class Charles O'Kearney was knocked down and killed by a horse being deliberately ridden towards him in retaliation for an arrest in Laidley.[6]
On 23 December Constable Albert Price was stabbed and killed while making an arrest at Mackay.[6]
1906
On 27 September 1906: Sergeant Thomas Heaney died at South Brisbane from head fractures sustained when he was hit multiple times over the head with a metal bar during an arrest on 7 June 1905 at Woolloongabba, Brisbane.[6]
On 4 October Police Commissioner Cahill announced the establishment of a Medal for Merit departmental award for police officers who displayed pre-eminent bravery on duty. The first two medals were awarded to Acting Sergeant John Hennessy and Constable Richard Runge on 12 October.[1]
Queensland police enforced the Infant Life Protection Act 1905 by checking the registration of births and the deaths of
The Patrol was the first motorised vessel used by the Brisbane Water Police. She was capable of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[1]
Constable Charles Watson and a tracker followed suspected murderer J. W. Patterson for 350 miles (560 km). They captured the fugitive but had very little food or water for the last 100 miles (160 km) of the chase.[1]
In 1907, Police Commissioner William Cahill and the Deputy Queensland Government Architect, designed the Queensland Police Station badge based on the police cap badge of the time. Prior to this time, there was no standard way to indicate a police station.[7]
1909
A very fine 78,000-acre (32,000 ha) reserve called Rewan was proclaimed as a stud farm for breeding
police horses. The Woodford mares and foals as well as two purchased stallions, "Libertine" and "Mack" populated the reserve.[1]
Very few police stations have a typewriter and some officers use their own to complete reports and correspondence.[1]
The King's Police Medal was instituted by King Edward VII on 7 July to be awarded to those officers of properly recognised police forces and fire brigades under the jurisdiction of the sovereign, who showed distinguished service and conspicuous devotion to duty, or who carried out heroic acts of courage. First awarded to Constable John Bourke on 29 August 1911.[1]
The good will of the community was necessary if an officer was to be able to carry out his duties effectively while in town and to then to be confident that nothing untoward would happen while he was away checking the rest of his beat by horse. Communities were often loath to let an officer go when he was transferred away and often took up petitions and wrote letters to the Police Commissioner begging for the officer to remain in town. Long standing officers were often presented with gifts and highly decorated letters of thanks from their community. When Sergeant Lawrence Clare was transferred in March 1909, the citizens of the Esk District expressed their thanks:[2]
To
Sergeant L. J. Clare
Together with a Purse of Forty Sovereigns
From his many friends in the Esk Police District
Dear Sir
We, the residents of Esk and District, desire to approach you with the purest sentiments of congratulation at the close of your most efficient service of Ten Years as Constable and Sergeant in charge of our large District. Those who have been associated with you will long cherish your courtesy and untiring zeal in carrying out at all times your official duties with credit to yourself and the Department in which you are engaged. In presenting you with the accompanying gift we are deeply sensible that it is in no sense an adequate measure of your excellent qualities and labours; nor do we wish you to regard it in the light of a recompense but ask you to accept it as a mark of our regard. In conclusion, we sincerely wish that both yourself and your family will in future have every happiness and prosperity.
Signed for on behalf of the Subscribers.
Alex Smith, Chairman Esk Shire Council
1910s
1910
Inspector White reported that nearly every station within a five-mile radius of the centre of Brisbane was connected by telephone.[1]
Chief Inspector Urquhart favourably mentioned Constable Peter Hagarty of Finch Hatton: "he is an exceptional good man in a rough place among a very rough class of people. He made seventy-one arrests single handed this year and is most highly spoken of by the respectable portion of the community".[1]
1911
In 1911, 300 cast iron station badges, each weighing 17 pounds (7.7 kg) and costing £0/4/10, were manufactured for the Police Department by Harvey & Son, Globe Iron Works, Brisbane and distributed as identification badges to every police station in Queensland.[7]
The 1912 Brisbane general strike started as a tramway strike but gains momentum with 20,000 or more people withholding their labour and brings industry to a standstill. Mass rallies see police numbers bolstered by the swearing in of 3,000 special constables.[1]
1914
Police stations serve a variety of local community needs and police officers were expected to act in extraneous roles as representatives for the government.[1]World War I begins.
1915
Police Commissioner Cahill rejects the idea of employing women following an inquiry by the Acting Home Secretary.[1]
1916
The strength of the Force on 30 June, was 1037 general police, 30 Criminal Investigation Branch officers, 11 water police officers, 99 indigenous police, 27 recruits and 89 on leave with the
Commonwealth Military Forces on active service in World War I.[1]
At 13 July, four-year old Nicholas Frousheger wandered away from his home about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Charleville. The media reports that "the police, and a large party of civilians are trying hard to overtake him, but it is difficult owing to the stony ridges and the light imprint left by the little one".[1]
1917
Frederic Charles Urquhart becomes the fourth Police Commissioner on 1 January 1917.[1]
1918
World War I ends.
1919
On 24 March, 8,000 soldiers and conservatives march on the
Russian émigré headquarters at South Brisbane which leads to violent clashes between protestors and police. This uprising was known as the Red Flag Riots or Red Monday.[1]
1920s
1920
Bicycles, not cars, were the usual means of transportation used by police for the prevention and detection of crime. Police Commissioner Ryan establishes bicycle patrols so that plain clothes officers could keep the suburbs of Brisbane under surveillance at night time.[1]
1921
An explosion at Mount Mulligan Colliery entombs over seventy miners. Residents, men from a neighbouring mine assist Constable James O'Dwyer in efforts to recover deceased miners.[1]
Patrick Short became the fifth Police Commissioner on 16 January 1921.[1]
1922
Millaa Millaa police station opened in 1922. The first officer to be stationed at Millaa Millaa was Constable Daniel Dwyer. As at 2019, it was still a single officer station and was staffed by a senior constable.[2]
1924
The first thorough revision of "Rules for the general government and discipline of the members of the Police Force of Queensland" was completed.[1]
The first two motorised vehicles were Black Marias or prison vans, one of which utilised the body from a horse-drawn prison van on the back of a Bean truck chassis.[1]
1927
The Criminal Investigation Branch building in
Queen's Park was blown up by a criminal intent on destroying the evidence against him.[1]
Retired Sergeant 2/c William Lynam had the gruesome job of burying seventeen Ingham flood victims, men, women, and children of three Italian families "on the nearest patch of dry land I could find".[1]
Dustcoats and overalls were worn by members of the Criminal Investigation Branch when riding on motorcycles to prevent dust and oil from staining clothing.[1]
1928
There was only one detective available to handle criminal investigations between
Inspector Loch describec Cecil Plains as "a large pastoral and farming district with large areas of thickly timbered and pear infested ground that gives stock thieves excellent opportunity to carry out their work".[1]
1930s
1930
On 6 August 1930 Constable Ernest James Dawson was on traffic duty on the Yungaburra Road near
Brisbane General Hospital on 18 January 1931.[8] There was a huge funeral procession in his honour on 19 January 1931.[9]