The following is a copy from the news report of the government inquiry into the conditions of the police services
in Australia in 1835.
This section of the report covers the district of Argyle.
Reports for the remaining districts (Van Diemens Land, Maitland,Paterson,Bathurst,Goulburn,Windsor, Wollongong,
Patricks Plains, Ivermien and Yass Plains) can be found at Genseek's Police History
The Committee (consisting of the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General,
Mr Berry, H.H.M'Arthur, and Mr Bell ) was appointed to "..enquire into and report upon the establishment
and strength of the Police Force and all it's branches, to what extent
it may be expedient to maintain it, and the expense it will occasion, and
to enquire into the capacity and condition of the Gaols in the colony,
and to report what additional buildings appear to be required, and
the probably expense of providing them.." .
presented by © J.Fawcett (Genseek) 2002 |
"Tuesday 2nd June 1835.
Robert Fuller, Esq, J.P brought in and examined:
"I have been nine years and upwards a Magistrate in Argyle.
For a greater part of that time I had the control of the Police in
Inverary. Until within the last twelve months I had charge of the
whole of the country south and east of Goulburn consisting of the
County of St Vincents, and the eastern part of the County of Murray.
The population in the immediate vicinity of Inverary,amounts
to between three hundre to four hundred persons, but the population
of the districts of Murray and St.Vincents,and the country beyond
them, is scattered over such an immense space, that it is impossible
to speak of it with any accuracy.
The present police force of Inverary (now called Bungonia)
consists of two constables at 2 shilling 3 pence per diem, one
scourger and one lock-up keeper at 2 shillings 9pence per diem.
The scourger and lock-up keeper are prisoners of the crown, one
constable is free, and the other a ticket of leave holder.
There are also generally a non-commisioned officer and
four privates of the mounted police stationed in the district, but
all of these frequently out at the same time in pursuit of bush-
rangers, so that I have been occasionally obliged to place a man
of my own in charge of their barracks.
There is a lock-up house at the old township of Inverary;
it is a stone building of three years standing, and contains two
rooms and one cell; one of the rooms is occupied by the keeper.
This house is not sufficiently large for the purpose intended,being
incapable of containing more than seven or eight prisoners,while I
have known as many as sixteen or eighteen prisoners for confinement
at the same time.On such occasions, we have been obliged to use the
solitary cell as a prison.
In addition to prisoners for trial before the Inverary Bench,
prisoners, passing under escort from the southern counties for trial
in Sydney, are confined here. This lock-up is two miles from the
new court-house, in the new township of Bungonia, and is therefore
exceedingly unsafe and inconvenient, as it occasions a division of
the police force, and causes the prisoners to be taken so far for
examination.I think that the materials of the present buuilding,
and the ground it stands upon, might be advantageously sold, so as
to meet the expense of erecting a new one in the township, near the
court-house.
The weekly average of cases at our Bench,is four or five;
with the exception of about one fifth they are all convict cases.
The dties of the Bench are considerably lessened by the recent
arrangement by which Captain McKellar, Mr Murray,of Lake George,
and Mr Campbell, of Wingelow, are enabled to hold police courts in
their own places, where a constable and scourger have been
respectively stationed. Previous to these appointments, I have
occasionly to sit in Court four days in one week.
With the addition of a chief or district constable,I should
think the present police force would be sufficient for the district
itself; the greater part of the duty of constables consists in
serving summons, subpoenas, and warrants from the Supreme Court and
the Court of Quarter Sessions; and also in escorting prisoners,on
which service they have frequently to trave a distance of forty-
five miles. To render the police efficien, I think these travelling
duties should be otherwise provided for.If no alteration is to take
place in this respect, we should require at least two additional
constables, besides the chief constable before mentioned.
I am also of opinion that the mounted police now in the
southern district should be augmented to double their number, to
enable them to discharge their duties efficiently.Great benefit
would no doubt be derived from extending the stations of this force
by which means a more rapid communication would be kept up between
the different detachments.Their efficieny would also be ensured by
the frequent inspection of their officers. The mounted police are
not now employed in serving processes from any civil court in my
district.
The usefulness of this important force must always depend
upon the knowledge they possess of the country in which they are
employed, and their experience in the various duties which must
devolve upon them. To accomplish these desirable objects, I should
beg to suggest that the mounted police be made a permanent colonial
corps. The various robberies recently committed on the southern
road evince the expediency of an early augmentation of the police
force.
Suitors,in cases when two magistrates are required to
adjudicate, have to travel a distance of sixty or seventy miles
to our Bench; but many persons who used to formerly to come to our
court, now prefer going to Goulburn, from the greater certainty
they have of always finding two magistrates there.
There is only one unpaid magistrate in the district, and
he very seldom attends the court. The clerk of the bench,at Inverary
has a salary of £70 a-year, he is also the deputy postmaster of the
district, from which office he derives an income of about five or
six pounds a year.
We find no difficulty in procuring proper men to fill the
situation of constable either free or ticket of leave holders,but
I conceive that no men can be procured at the present rates of
salary who will be found efficient,unless the supervision of a
chief or district constable,whose pay should be so good as to induce
a respectable man to hold the situation.
It is my opinion, that an absolute necessity exists for
extending Police Courts, and that two should be established to the
southward of Inverary; one of these should be at Limestone Plains,
and the other in the County of St Vincents; near Captain McKellars
or between that and Mt Elrington; the latter would,I think, be
preferable.
I consider it quite indispensable, that paid magistrates
should be appointed to these stations. "
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