Queensland Police Museum facts for kids
The Queensland Police Museum is a special place that collects and shows items about the Queensland Police Service. It tells the story of how policing has worked in Queensland, Australia, over many years. It first started in 1893, but back then, it was only for police officers to learn from. It didn't open to the public until May 20, 1979. Today, you can find it at the Queensland Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street in Brisbane.
Contents
History of the Museum
Starting the Collection
The museum's story began on November 27, 1893. A police officer named Mr. Finucane, working for Commissioner David Thompson Seymour, asked all police officers to send in interesting items they found while doing their jobs. These items were meant to help other officers learn about different types of crimes.
At first, this collection was not a public museum. It was just a small display, first in a glass cupboard, then in a small room. It was located at the Petrie Terrace Police Depot. Police officers had to see the display as part of their training.
Growing the Collection
By the 1930s, the collection was still at Petrie Terrace. In 1934, Police Commissioner Cecil James Carroll asked for more items to be added. Newspapers started writing about the collection. In May 1936, The Sunday Mail called it Queensland’s Black Museum. It described the collection as having Grim Relics of Early Crimes. These articles help us understand what the early collection was like, though many of those items are no longer there.
On July 13, 1949, Detective Constable Les Bardwell took charge of the collection. He worked in the Criminal Investigation Branch. He moved the items to a building on George Street. Bardwell was very keen to study and organize the items. He wanted them to be proper museum pieces. He also had a large collection of firearms that joined the display.
Opening to the Public
Bardwell wanted people to see the collection. In September 1949, he asked for display cases to show items at the annual Royal National Exhibition, also known as the Ekka. Police displays were set up at the Ekka every year. Many people still remember these displays as rooms "stuffed with unusual objects."
In February 1978, Commissioner Terry Lewis approved creating a museum committee. This group's job was to go through the collection and decide what to keep and display. On May 20, 1979, the "new" Police Museum officially opened. It was on the 7th floor of Forbes House. At first, it was not fully open to everyone, but groups could book visits.
In 1980, the museum started opening to the public on Wednesday afternoons. In 1981, Ross Chippindall became the part-time curator. Even though he wasn't trained in museum work, he loved finding new items for the collection and was very interested in firearms. By the end of 1982, about 4,000 people had visited the museum. Displays were also set up at school events and country shows.
In 1985, Sergeant Bob Good temporarily took over. He helped improve the museum displays and set up a system for looking after the items. In 1986, Gabrielle Flynn became the full-time curator. She had skills in history and education. The museum then started opening for five and a half hours each week.
A New Home
By the late 1980s, plans were made for a new Police Headquarters on Roma Street. This new building would include a special home for the museum. The new building and museum opened in August 1990. The museum's display area was divided into six sections, each with a different color theme. These sections covered topics like Heritage, Crime, Technology, and Developments. The museum's color scheme even won two awards!
The curator, Gabrielle Flynn, was very busy. She hosted school groups, designed photo displays, and answered questions about police history. The museum was now open every weekday.
Since 1997, the museum has grown even more. It now has five staff members. Its education programs are very popular. More than 13,000 visitors come to the museum every year. It also opens on the last Sunday of each month (from February to November). On these Sundays, talks are given about police history and modern policing.
In 2009, Commissioner Bob Atkinson suggested that the museum create a full list of all Queensland police officers. In 2014, this list was published as part of the celebration of 150 years of the Queensland Police Service. It had about 30,000 names and can be seen at the museum. Some parts of the list are also available online, but only for officers who started before 1975, to protect people's privacy.
See also
- History of the Queensland Police
