Justice & Police Museum

Tour

Sin City: Sydney Crime Stories

Visit real crime scenes from the past and hear the stories behind the crimes

Sunday 28 March 10.30am–12.30pm

Groundbreaking crimes from the archives

Within the sandstone walls of the Justice & Police Museum are countless stories of crime, courage and justice – some famous, many forgotten

From Water Police Office to museum

The complex that now houses the Justice & Police Museum was once one of the colony’s busiest legal hubs, with a daily parade of offenders – and the odd goat. Additions and improvements mark the evolution of the site’s function as courts and police station

Flat out access: unfolding the parchment pardon of Samuel Henry Horne

The conservators at the Western Sydney Records Centre treat items from across Museums of History NSW collections. A recent example is the 1832 absolute pardon of convict Samuel Henry Horne

Sergeant Tracker Alexander ‘Alec’ Riley, standing in police uniform
Permanent display

Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker

The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum

Saturday 1 April

Women police in NSW: a history of firsts

A collection of photographs at the Justice & Police Museum document the hard-won firsts, beginning in 1915, that led to women attaining equal status within the NSW Police Force

Letter containing a statement of absolute pardon for Samuel Henry Horn (more often known as  Horne), dated 1830 and signed by Governor Richard Bourke in 1832

Convict turned constable

A recently donated letter, signed by the governor of NSW in 1832, offers a tangible connection to the story of Samuel Horne, a convict who rose to the rank of district chief constable in the NSW Police

Sergeant Tracker Alexander ‘Alec’ Riley wearing his police uniform
First Nations

Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker

The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum

Original glass plate negatives from the NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive arranged on a lightbox.

Glass-plate photography

The collection of glass-plate negatives held in the State Archives and Justice & Police Museum are endlessly fascinating and revealing