Transporting police
through time
It is 1886 and a police officer
working in the tiny outback
town of Birdsville mounts
his camel to cross the lonely
desert plains of south-western
Queensland on a government
mission to gather statistical
information.
After travelling hundreds of
kilometres, the exhausted
officer is covered in a thick
layer of dust and his trusty
camel is ready to fill its
reserves at the nearest
waterhole.
In 2009, the Officer-inCharge of Birdsville Station
is called out on two separate
occasions to rescue an injured
motorcyclist in the middle of
the Simpson Desert. Unable
to reach them in his airconditioned four-wheel-drive,
he manages—both times—
to hitch a ride on a visiting
helicopter. At the end of long
trips, he fills the four-wheeldrive’s tank with diesel.
Since the mid-1800s,
bicycles, horses, camels,
mules, motorbikes,
ex-military vehicles
from World War II and
automobiles have
been used to transport
Queensland Police
Service (QPS) officers
around the state.
City police officers
in 1883 walked ‘the
1863
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rest outside the Birdsville Police lock up in 1925. &DPHOVZHUH
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t
were a common mode of transport from 1890 to the 1920s.
beat’ to uphold the law until
bicycles were introduced
1896. Pedal power proved to
be an effective way of getting
around—except for the
occasional flat tyre—but the
advent of motorised transport
in the 1920s took policing to a
whole new level of efficiency.
The first police motorcycles—
Harley Davidsons with side
carriages—were purchased
in 1925. Criminals were using
top-of-the-range motorcars
and in order to keep up to
speed with them, the police
force purchased Ford V8
motor vehicles in 1933.
Mobile communication
became a necessity, and in
1935, vehicles were fitted with
an AWA mobile HF receiver
installed in the car boot, which
meant officers could receive
messages but not transmit
them.
Ian Gordon has worked
for the QPS in the Fleet
Management Branch (FMB)
since 1965—then called the
Police Garage—and has
seen numerous advances in
police transport. The FMB is
a constant mass-production
facility for the design,
evaluation, servicing, buying
and selling of vehicles.
Mr Gordon said fleet cars in
the 1960s included the Mini
Minor, Ford Cortina, Ford
Falcon, Ford Fairlane, Holden
Kingswood, Willys Jeep,
Rambler Classic, and the
Studebaker.
“These were very basic
vehicles with a column gear
shift and no air-conditioning
or heating,” Mr Gordon said.
“District inspectors were
the only police who had the
luxury of driving vehicles with
automatic transmission. I can
remember Commissioner
Frank Bischoff driving a black
1964 compact Ford Fairlane.
In 1938, there were 28 cars,
one van, five utility trucks and
33 motorcycles being used
around the state.
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option in the country and were still being used into the 1950s.
1863
1886
1896
Police walked
‘the beat’.
Six camels arrive in Birdsville
from India. Camels were in use
until 1925.
Bicycles are
introduced.
PoliceBulletin342
13
“In the late 1960s, two-way radios were the size of a small briefcase
fixed to the centre console. Police cars had a 12-volt electric siren
and a single rotating blue light fitted to a bar on the roof, which
operated for a limited time without the engine running.
“Air-conditioning was scaled into the fleet in the 1980s. It was a
major feat to have the car at Stanthorpe Station fitted with a heater
in order to withstand the below zero temperatures.”
Since the mid 1990s, all State Traffic Task Force vehicles have been
fitted with Mobile Integrated Data Access (MINDA)—owned by
Queensland Transport—allowing officers access to an operational
log containing real-time information about vehicle registration,
traffic offences and outstanding warrants.
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In 1960, 229 police centres
across the state were
equipped with motor vehicles.
The QPS fleet included 452
vehicles, 102 Ford motor cars,
119 utilities, 189 motorcycles,
97 horses and 99 bicycles.
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Mr Gordon said the MINDA system made policing more efficient
because it allowed information to be communicated on-the-spot
from a satellite to the vehicle’s laptop computer.
“In the past, officers could take up to 30 minutes to perform a
vehicle check because they had to phone a communications centre,
but now they can quickly identify if a vehicle is stolen without even
leaving their vehicle,” Mr Gordon said.
Highway patrol officers now ride powerful motorcycles, and traffic
and operational police have access to modern patrol cars, all
equipped with the latest in communication technology including
small digital two-way radios, CB radios, mobile phones, VHF radios,
and radar detection devices.
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nowhere.
These vehicles are fitted with loud, compact, battery-friendly
electronic sirens that can be used even when the vehicle is not
running. A bar of LED warning lights is fitted to the vehicle’s roof for
easy visibility. These Light Emitting Diode lights are brilliant blue
and red for easy visibility; the human eye can see a red light before
the traditional police blue light.
highly visible to other road users. With this high visibility, these
performance vehicles act as mobile billboards carrying road safety
messages such as ‘Drug drivers will be tested’, the ‘Fatal Four’
(speed, seat belts, drink driving and driving tired), and ‘Survive ‘09’
to coincide with government road safety campaigns.
In recent times, highway patrol vehicles have been fitted with
fluorescent stickers and blue and white decals making them
By Karen Downey,
Media and Public Affairs Branch
1909
1925
1933
1934
1950s
The police horse
breeding stud at
Rewan is proclaimed.
The first
motorcycles are
purchased.
The first police
vehicles are
purchased.
The Police Garage is built to service
the growing number of motor
vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles.
Horses, camels and mules
are replaced by four-wheel
drives in country areas.
14 PoliceBulletin342
Today, the QPS has
2,260 vehicles in its
fleet, including a range
of all-purpose sedans,
specialised vehicles,
prison vans, trucks, buses
and motorcycles.
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Kingswood in the Police Garage at Petrie Terrace, circa 1970.
Country policing
Horses were the main transport option in the country
and were still being used into the 1950s. Camels
were first used in Birdsville, where it was becoming
increasingly difficult to keep horses fed and watered
sufficiently. The occasional mule was used to carry
supplies.
Bicycles proved an effective and popular means
of getting to places in the country. No saddling or
feeding was required, although a flat tyre was always a
possibility.
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patrol car used by the QPS in 1982.
Today, hoofed animals have been replaced by fourwheel-drives and other motorised forms of transport.
The Birdsville station is a one-officer operation
equipped with a Toyota Landcruiser 4x4, for example.
In July 2009, Ford Falcon XR6 high-visibility performance vehicles in red, green, blue and purple were introduced to South East Queensland. The cars have a high performance,
270 kilowatt turbo engine; an automatic transmission gearbox with a limited slip differential; and a full electronic stability program for on-road safety. LED light bars on the roof are
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1975
1982
2008
2009
The Police Air
Wing is formed.
The first highway
patrol vehicle is
introduced.
Mobile Police
Facility vans are
introduced.
‘Fatal Four’ high
visibility performance
vehicles are released.
16 PoliceBulletin342
2009