Constable Gerard Hurst, the first Queensland Police officer to serve with the Papuan Police Constabulary, May 31, 1911.
THE ROYAL PAPUAN CONSTABULARY (RPC)
The Queensland Police have had a long association with the policing of Papua New Guinea. In February 1911 Constable Gerard Hurst resigned from the Queensland Police and joined the Royal Papuan Constabulary where he stayed until May 1912, after which he re-joined the Queensland Police.
The Royal Papuan Constabulary (RPC), initially established by the Australian colonial administration as part of setting up Papua in the late 19th century, and the New Guinea Police Force (NGPF) which covered the former German New Guinea and British New Guinea also set up by Australia, initially during World War I and formalized as part of the League of Nations mandate of 1920.
In July 1912 Constable Charles Perrin resigned in response to a call by the Commissioner of Police, for a Constable with special qualifications to serve in the Royal Papuan Constabulary. By May 1913 he had found the conditions of service in Papua unsatisfactory and re-joined the Queensland Police.
The RPC played a significant role resisting the Japanese occupation of New Guinea during World War II. The two colonial territories were gradually amalgamated during and after World War II leading to the merger of the RPC and NGPF into the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary.
THE ROYAL PAPUA AND NEW GUINEA CONSTABULARY (RPNGC)
Constable Charles Perrin was the second Queensland Police officer to transfer into the Papuan Police Constabulary between 1912 & 1913.
Between the end of WW2, 1945, and Independence in 1975, just over 400 European officers were recruited worldwide to form the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary. A large number of Queensland Police officers resigned to serve with the RPNGC.
The structure served by the RPC and the NGPF) was retained after Papua New Guinea gained independence in 1975, although the name shifted from Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary to the present name with the removal of the “and” in 1972.
The RPNGC is part of the Law and Justice Sector of the government of Papua New Guinea. It is headquartered in Konedobu, a suburb of Port Moresby, the capital city, in the National Capital District.
Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary Annual Luncheon
August 4
12pm
Waterloo Bay Hotel
75 Berrima Street, Wynnum
Retired RPNGC officers, their families and anyone else who may be interested are welcome to attend. Retired Queensland Police Officer and RPNGC Officer Earl Sanders, is organising the function and is researching the history of the RPNGC. Please contact him for more information about the function or if you have any information about family members who may have served in Papua New Guinea – [email protected]
RPNGC officers outside the Port Moresby Police Station,1949. Officer in front: Jim Dutton. Standing L-R: Len Rahaley, Mick Gallen, Tom Gough, Dave Crawley, Murray McNaught, John Sweeney.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: [email protected]
“From the Vault: Policing Papua and New Guinea” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode
