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 Glebe 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).
This series consists of Charge books from the Glebe 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.
The inside cover of each volume has a list of the more important instructions that each station sergeant was required to follow when entering charges in the book. The instructions specified: completion of fingerprint information forms; the signature of the Constable searching the prisoner; special particulars required when juveniles are arrested; the duties of the Station Sergeant when a charge is refused; the classification of prisoners when placed in the cells; procedures to be followed when persons have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; cases in which conviction reports are prescribed; instructions as to how entries are to be set out; and procedures to follow on the arrest of foreign nationals.
From around 1950 annual single numbers began to be used for entries relating to charges although 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
The inside cover of each volume has a list of the more important instructions that each station sergeant was required to follow when entering charges in the book. The instructions specified: completion of fingerprint information forms; the signature of the Constable searching the prisoner; special particulars required when juveniles are arrested; the duties of the Station Sergeant when a charge is refused; the classification of prisoners when placed in the cells; procedures to be followed when persons have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; cases in which conviction reports are prescribed; instructions as to how entries are to be set out; and procedures to follow on the arrest of foreign nationals.
From around 1950 annual single numbers began to be used for entries relating to charges although 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.
Created: 1865-01-01 to 1997-02-23
Data time period: 1966-07-02 to 1997-02-23
Subjects
User Contributed Tags
Login to tag this record with meaningful keywords to make it easier to discover
Identifiers
