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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. 

Taka Nakajima 

Click to read the history of this revered judo instructor who trained many young police officers in the subtle art of self defence.

Early Police Museum attempts

This is information provided by Jim Byrne in email correspondence dated July 2021, explaining early attempts to collect together historical items of interest to create a rudimentary police museum in Hobart.

A COUNTRY COP
 

The Police Career of Superintendent Patrick Finnigan

by

Susanne (Finnigan) Martyn

June 2019

Notes Relating to

Hobart Town Police:

William, Charles & George Propsting:

by James Byrne - Propsting Family Profiles, May 2012

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