South Australian Police Historical Society and Museum

The SA Police Historical Society and Museum is located in old accommodation and mess facilities in the historical Thebarton Police Barracks which are accessed off Gaol Road.

The collection is maintained by retired police officers who are dedicated to the preservation of the police history of South Australia. The SA Police established in 1838 under Henry Inmann is one of the oldest police forces in the world.

All  requests for information will be subject to a search fee and consumable charges. The release of information may be subject to legal restrictions and applicants for records must state for what purpose the information is required.

Personal access is no longer welcomed (Jul 2009) and all communications for records has to be by mail. The best time to make contact is by telephone on a Thursday morning.

Tours of the museum (lower picture) are by appointment only. The collection features historical costumes and a wonderful collection of badges from across the world. It is possible to hire police costumes from the Society.

Items of special interest to family historians include:

• Police officer biographies
• Station journals
• Police artifacts