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Australian native police

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A Native Police Corps was first established in 1842 in the Port Phillip District of the Australian colony of New South Wales (now Victoria).[1] Other native police forces were also established in the colonies of Queensland in 1848[2], Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.

Victoria

Requests for the establishment of a Native Police Corp in the Port Phillip District of the Australian colony of New South Wales (now Victoria) were made from as early as 1837 when Captain William Lonsdale wrote to Governor Richard Bourke. The cost of Funding and supplying the police Corp was the issue that delayed formation until Superintendent Charles La Trobe indicated he was willing to underwrite the costs in 1842.[1]

Establishment

Henry EP Dana was selected to command the Corps, which would be a mounted command consisting of aboriginal troopers and European officers. The Command was initially established at the Aboriginal Protectorate Station at Narre Narre Warren, about 25km south east of Melbourne, but Dana moved the headquarters in March 1842 to the banks of the Merri Creek.[1]

The force made use of Aboriginal men from the Wurundjeri and Bunurong tribes as trackers. The Corp was made up of 60 members, three quarters of whom were "natives".[3] There were two goals in such a force: to make use of the indigenous people's tracking abilities, as well as to assimilate the aboriginal troopers into white society..[3] Both La Trobe and Aboriginal Protector William Thomas expected that the men would give up their ancestral way of life when exposed to the discipline of police work. To their disappointment troopers continued to participate in corroborees and in ritual fighting, although not in uniform.[1]

As senior Wurundjeri elder, Billibellary's cooperation for the proposal was important for its success, and after deliberation he backed the initiative and even proposed himself for enlistment. He donned the uniform and enjoyed the status of parading through the camp, but was careful to avoid active duty as a policeman to avoid a conflict of interest between his duties as a Wurundjeri ngurungaeta.[1]

After about a year Billibellary resigned from the Native Police Corps when he found that it was to be used to capture and even kill other natives. He did his best from then on to undermine the Corps and as a result many native troopers deserted and few remained longer than three or four years.[4]

Duties

The duties of the native police included searching for missing persons, carrying messages, and escorting dignataries through unfamiliar territory. During the goldrush era, they were also used to patrol goldfields and search for escaped prisoners.[5] They were provided with uniforms, firearms, food rations and a rather dubious salary. However, the lure of the goldfields, poor salary and Dana's eventual death in 1852 led to the official disintegration of his Native Police Corps in January 1853.[6]

Frontier Clashes

Native police were called upon to take part in massacres of other Aboriginal people in the Victorian Western District in 1843. Upon return to Melbourne one of the troopers boasted about an incident in which 17 Aboriginal men had been killed by the Corps. From reports it seems likely the troopers were called upon by their commander, Henry EP Dana, to shoot rather than try to make arrests:

"Captain say big one stupid catch them very good shoot them, you blackfellows, no shoot them me hand cuff you and send you to jail." One of the troopers is recorded by Thomas to have said.[7]

With reduced reports of attacks in the Western District following two years of policing, two new troopers were signed up from the Port Fairy area in 1845. [8]

There were also clashes between the Native Police Corp and Gunai people in 1846 in the Snowy River region.[9]

Queensland

The Native Police Force in Queensland (sometime referred to at the 'Native Mounted Police') came into effect on 17 August 1848 under the command of Frederick Walker, to be deployed beyond the settled districts.[10] By November Walker had recruited 14 native troopers from four different tribes and different language groups from the Murrumbidgee, Murray and Edwards Rivers areas and was making preparations for leaving the Murray River district for the Macintye country. His force travelled up the Darling river arriving on the Macintyre River on 10 May 1849 and were first deployed in that area and the Condamine to great effect in reducing aboriginal attacks and resistance against squatters.[11]

In Queensland, southern tribes were used in skirmishes involving northern language groups.[12]

South Australia

In 1853, Police Commissioner Alexander Tolmer formed the Native Police Force. This was used for tracking and policing in remote areas of South Australia during the 1800s.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp87-90 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days, Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  2. ^ L.E. Skinner, Police of the Pastoral Frontier. Native Police 1849-59, University of Queensland Press, 1975 ISBN 0702209775
  3. ^ a b Public Records Office Victoria, Dana's Native Police Corps (1842-1853) - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria), accessed November 2, 2008
  4. ^ Shirley W. Wiencke, When the Wattles Bloom Again: The Life and Times of William Barak, Last Chief of the Yarra Yarra Tribe, Published by S.W. Wiencke, 1984, ISBN 0959054901, ISBN 9780959054903
  5. ^ Public Records Office Victoria, Large Variety of Duties of the Native Police - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria), accessed November 2, 2008
  6. ^ Public Records Office Victoria, The disbanding of the Native Police - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria) Accessed November 2, 2008
  7. ^ Public Records Office Victoria, Western District Clashes - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria). Accessed November 2, 2008
  8. ^ Public Records Office Victoria, Western District Clashes Imposing Peace - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria). Accessed November 2, 2008
  9. ^ Public Records Office Victoria, Gippsland Clashes - Tracking the Native Police (Public Record Office Victoria). Accessed November 2, 2008
  10. ^ L.E. Skinner, pp27 Police of the Pastoral Frontier. Native Police 1849-59, University of Queensland Press, 1975 ISBN 0702209775
  11. ^ L.E. Skinner, pp28-33 Police of the Pastoral Frontier. Native Police 1849-59, University of Queensland Press, 1975 ISBN 0702209775
  12. ^ Colonial Queensland
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