In the 29 March 1876 Police Gazette, Edward Hall, a former convict, was reported as being apprehended for theft by PC Pridmore in York and sentenced to a 1 shilling fine or 1 month’s imprisonment.
On 5th January 1887, the Police Gazette reported that a warrant was issued for the arrest of Morebong, an Aboriginal man, accused of deserting the service of his employer in Ashburton.
In the Police Gazette issued on 20th July 1904, a Chinese man named Ah Sing was recorded as being apprehended for theft by Detective Pimblett in Perth.
These three brief examples from the Police Gazette of Western Australia were selected to illustrate the nature and impact of policing in this period. As Anderson and Killingray recognised, police officers played critical roles in historical empires as “the most visible public symbol of colonial rule, in daily contact with the population and enforcing the codes of law that upheld colonial authority.” However, there has been limited examination of how these polici...
