NRS-17063 | Charge books [Coolamon Police Station]

Full description

Police Rules of 1862 introduced the obligation to keep Charge books to record charges against prisoners, the nature of the charges, the names of those charged as well as any prisoner's property. (1)

This series consists of Charge books from the Coolamon Police Station.

Details pertaining to the charge itself included: the charge number; the date and hour of both the apprehension and the recording of the charge in the Charge book; personal details of the person being charged including name, address, date and place of birth, height, calling/occupation, and nationality; a short summary of the nature of the offence; the full name and address of the informant (usually the constable); any property found on the prisoner and the prisoner's property book reference number; signatures of the watch house keeper / Station Sergeant and the searching Constable; name of apprehending officer; signature of prosecutor; if the prisoner was bailed (date and hour, by whose order, amount of cash or surety, and bail form receipt number); if not bailed, the date and time of discharge from cells; how the case was disposed of including date and name of magistrate; and any remarks (usually details of discharge or if sent to another prison).

In general entries became less detailed over time but the format of the entries and the type of information collected remained similar.

From around 1950 annual single numbers began to be used for entries relating to charges though the year may have been recorded either before or after the single number (eg. 42/ 1, 2/54 or 87/3). From around the 1980s charge books for each police station were given volume numbers from '1' onwards, in chronological order.

Hardcopy charge books were gradually replaced by online systems between approximately 1990 and 1994. The COPS system (Computerised Operational Policing System) was introduced in 1994, preceded by the Online Charging records system (1990-1995), an interim system used as a back-up for the implementation of COPS.

Endnote
1. Police Rules, Nos. 360-361 and 369, NSW Government Gazette No.49, 1 March 1862, pp.498-499.