Tasmania Police Museum
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A Brief History
As far as police forces were concerned, Tasmania was unique in Australia with the number of small forces which existed until the passage of the Police Regulation Act 1898. The attached article appeared in the Tasmania Police Journal in March 1979, celebrating 175 years of policing in Tasmania.
Women in Policing
Mrs Kate Evelyn Campbell was the first woman appointed as a policewoman to the Tasmania Police Force as it was then known, on the 15th of October 1917 at Hobart. She was discharged in January 1918. Mrs Maud Hughes (Hobart) and Miss Maud Cross (Launceston) were added to police staff in 1918 with the particular duty ....
Commissioners
From early colonial days, police in Tasmania were under the control of the Chief Police Magistrate. Later, an Inspector of Police had control of police. Upon centralisation in 1898, the first Commissioner of Police was appointed. The first twelve Commissioners are described in this extract from Centenary Annual Report 1998-99.
Police Service Research
A limited facility exists for the Historical Group members to conduct research into the service history of former members of Tasmania Police and colonial police prior to 1900. While we will provide whatever assistance we can, we may not always be able to fulfill your request due to a lack of historical records.