A Brief History of the Western Australia Police Force

The history of Policing in Western Australia began with the founding of the colony in 1829. Governor Stirling appointed fifteen unpaid volunteer constables to maintain public order on 4th December 1829.

A troop of Mounted Police was formed in 1834 and other types of police were added as the needs of the colony changed, particularly after the introduction of convicts. The colony's Legislative Council passed a Police Ordinance in 1849 that outlined police powers and responsibilities. The force was formally established in 1853, when a Chief of Police was appointed and a Code of Rules published outlining an administrative structure.

In 1861, a second and expanded Police Ordinance was passed to clarify the chain of command, the powers and responsibilities of members and the various offences they had to deal with. In that year, the force consisted of about 75 commissioned officers and men.

Since then over 12,000 men and women have served Western Australia as police officers - some for less than one month, others for periods exceeding thirty years.

Ford Anglia Sedans as used by the Western Australia Police Force

The Western Australia Police Force purchased two Ford Anglia 105E sedans in the very early 1960’s to be used for general “Patrol and Inquiry” duties at two suburban police stations,with one based at Victoria Park and the other at Mount Hawthorn, in the State’s capital, Perth.

One was based at the eastern suburb of Victoria Park and the other at the northern suburb of Mount Hawthorn. They were used primarily as a “test” and by 1964 most suburban stations were issued with Ford Cortina 220 sedans.

Prior to the introduction of sedans at suburban stations, motorcycles with or without sidecars were used for this purpose. The colour of the cars was dark blue with a white roof and had the then W.A. Police logo on both doors. The Anglia was something very unusual and was one of the first marked vehicles used by W.A. Police.

An illuminated “Police” sign was affixed to the roof however radios were not fitted.

13^th January 2017

Congratulations and welcome to the newest members of the WA Police family! Last night the ranks were boosted by 57 with the graduation of Blue and Gold Squads at the Police Academy. This diverse group has an average age of 28 years, and 22 of them were born overseas in countries like England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Singapore. The car featured as part of the ceremony was a Ford Anglia 105E sedan.