The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland.In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve". The headquarters of the Queensland Police Service is located at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Queensland as a state, did not exist until June 6 1859. The area now called Queensland was known as North Eastern New South Wales. The colony would have been under the jurisdiction of the New South Wales Police force up until the state established its own police force.
The Queensland Police was established on 1 January 1864 and started operations with approximately 143 employees, including the first Commissioner of Police D.T. Seymour. The service had four divisions: Metropolitan Police, Rural Police, Water Police and Native Police. Bicycles were introduced in 1895. At the turn of the century there were 845 men and 135 Aboriginal trackers at 256 stations in Queensland.
The Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 came into force in July 2000, consolidating the majority of police powers into one Act. The Queensland Police contribute to the national CrimTrac system and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), established in 2000. The Crime and Misconduct Act 2001 commenced 1 January 2002 and redefined the responsibilities of the service and the Crime and Misconduct Commission with respect to the management of complaints.
As of 30 June 2002 there were 8,367 sworn staff (20.2% women) and 2,925 staff members at 321 Police Stations, 40 Police Beat shopfronts and 21 Neighbourhood Police Beats throughout the state.
As of June 30 2004, the Queensland Police Service had 9,003 sworn staff (21.8% women) and 2,994 staff members.
Queensland Police Service - Mission
To serve the people of Queensland by protecting life and property, preserving peace and safety, preventing crime and upholding law in a manner which has regard for the public good and rights of individuals.
Source: Wikipaedia.com
