The index of the gazette has started from the first gazette in December of 1853. It is ongoing and we hope to cover the first decade for the on-line database.

All names are indexed including deserters from ships, military and the police force. Also indexed are the names of victims and felons. The Victoria Police Gazette also had entries in it from the Crime reports and Gazettes of other states. Absconded convicts from Tasmania and New South Wales and a little later reports of serious crime from South Australia.

When a page is ordered it is printed out on A4 paper.

But be aware that a lot of items were repeated in the Gazette and that a name may be mentioned numerous times with the same information. It is best to read the comments on the earliest reference and then the latest reference to see if there is any change.

The Victoria Police Gazette started in December 1853. This was after the Legislative Council of Victoria passed an Act on the 8th of January, 1853, for the regulation of the police force. At the time there were 7 distinct police bodies in Victoria, each acting independently. These were the Melbourne & County of Bourke Police, the City of Geelong Police, the Goldfields Police, the Gold Escort, the Water Police, the Rural Bench Constabulary and the Mounted Police.

If you want information on a member of the Police force the Victoria Police Historical Unit is a free service for that information.

They can be contacted at :-
Police Historical Unit,
637 Flinders St., Melbourne, Vic. 3005
Phone (03) 9247 5213
P.O.Box 415, Melbourne, Vic. 3005.

The Victoria Police Historical Unit was set up in 1987 to look after the historical records and artefacts of the Victoria Police. It has a staff of three who are concerned with providing information to the public on police history, cataloguing the collection of material and preserving these records. The Unit has also set up a Police Museum, which is open to the public. The Historical Unit is able to supply information about former members of the Victoria Police to people doing genealogical research or students of police history. A written request should be sent by post.