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Policing in New
South Wales has expanded and developed according to the needs,
attitudes and knowledge of the day.
From its modest beginnings, the NSW Police Service has developed
into a large, modern and diverse organisation rich in heritage and
tradition; one that has now chosen to move forward by reviving some
of the community based principles of its past.
In the first year of the new colony of New South Wales (1788)
Royal Marines performed the policing function. They proved unwilling
and negligent in this duty. Thus, in August 1789, the Governor
appointed a Night Watch consisting of 12 well-behaved convicts. As
the colony expanded, so did the duties, organisation and supervision
of these early police.
In 1810, Governor Macquarie re-organised the police, creating a
basic system of districts and ranks. In following years, the colony
established independent police units to meet particular law
enforcement needs. Sections such as the Mounted Police (1825), Water
Police (1830), Sydney Police (1833), Border Police (1839) and Native
Police (1848), vigorously pursued their specific charters, but a
lack of communication, cooperation and central supervision resulted
in noticeable inefficiency.
Successive administrations attempted to improve policing
structure and finally, in March 1862, the Police Regulation Act
amalgamated all police into one cohesive body, the NSW Police Force.
Adopting the basic principles of Unity of Action, Centralisation of
Authority and Uniformity of System, the Inspector General of Police
assumed the administrative powers previously held by the Magistracy.
Police arms, communications and equipment were updated, the numbers
of men increased, and the conditions of work improved.
An opportunity to explore the history of policing in NSW is
available at the Justice and Police Museum, Phillip St. Circular
Quay. Its fascinating displays, historic buildings and artefacts
bring the justice history of NSW to life. Open to the public every
Sunday; booked tours and interactive school programs available Mon -
Fri. Inquiries (02) 9252 1144.
Chronology of early Policing in New South
Wales.
(1788 to 1862) Listing of events through the early years of Sydney
and New South Wales.
The New South Wales Police Force Chronology
of the First Hundred Years.
(1862 to 1962) Listing events that have changed the NSW Police
Force and it's path in history.
Police Commissioners Of NSW
Complete listing of all New South Wales Police Commissioners from
the first in 1851 to the present.
Police Training Centre Redfern
In 1904 the Government of the day purchased a four acre block of
land in Bourke Street, Redfern, for the erection of a new Police
Depot. In 1905 contracts and estimates were called for, to erect the
new stable block. In 1906 further contracts were entered into for
the erection of the major building. The building was completed in
May, 1907, and the Police Department occupied the premises in June
of that year.
Uniforms
of the NSW Police
There have been very few major changes to our police uniforms since
1862. The changes that did occur were done with one eye on tradition
and the other on practicality.
Communications
The NSW
Police Service has always been reliant on contemporary means
of communication and the expansion of the colonial telegraph
during the 1860's proved invaluable to the police.
Transport
Today the
NSW Police Service utilises many modes of transport. Yet
back in the late 1800's and the early 1900's the horse and
bicycle were the only means of transportation.
Motor
Vehicles Branch - 1912 - 1962
Until 1927 all Police vehicles were under the control of the
Superintendent of Traffic, but in that year, as the fleet of Police
motor vehicles had increased to 143, a new branch, the Motor
Vehicles Branch, was formed on the 12th December, 1927.
Motor
Traffic Branch - 1800's
It may come as a suprise to many that Sydney from its earliest
settlement days and long before the advent of the self-propelled
motor vehicle, had serious traffic problems upon its narrow and
winding streets.
Water
Police
In 1789,
a year after the then colony of New South Wales had been
founded, Governor Phillip established a "Row Boat
Guard" to "patrol the harbour and foreshores of
Sydney Cove, to detect smuggling and to prevent the passing
of letters between convicts and the crews of sailing ships
lying at anchor."
Women
Officers
On 1 July
1915, the NSW Police Service appointed Maude Rhodes and
Lillian Armfield, its first women officers.
Fingerprinting
The
fingerprint branch established in 1903, as part of the
Detective Branch, was instantaneously heralded as an
effective tool of criminal detection. Later, when
photographs were added to fingerprint information, this area
became the cornerstone of criminal investigative work.
The
Meaning of the Police Insignia
The insignia was designed and adopted in 1959. As the symbol
of the Police Service the insignia can been seen on every
police cap and hat. It consists of a crown, signifying Her
Majesty's Government, surmounting the segment containing the
New South Wales Crest and the Eagle carrying Nemesis,
representing Justice and Law.
Police
Chaplaincy
Chaplains
have been associated with the military for centuries and
were often referred to in historical records of famous
battles.
History of the Office of the
Sheriff
The Office of the New South Wales
Sheriff is the second oldest public position in English law. The only
public offices older than the Sheriff are the positions of King and
Queen.
The Office of Sheriff in
Australia today
In 1824, New South
Wales included the whole of the eastern half of Australia, as well as Van
Dieman's Land (now called Tasmania).
The Sheriff in
Australia
The Office of the
Sheriff was first established in Australia by the Charter of
Justice in
1824. Prior to this, the duties of the Sheriff were performed by the
Provost-Marshal of the Colony of New South Wales.
The Sheriffs of the Colony and
State of New South Wales
List of
the Sheriff's of New South Wales and the years during which they held
office.
The
Old Darlinghurst Gaol
Darlinghurst Gaol then remained the main Sydney penitentiary up until
1914, when it's unwilling inmates were transferred to the new "model
prison" at Long Bay.
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