Victoria Police Gazettes

Police gazettes kept police throughout Victoria, Australia, informed about many things, such as regulations within the force and police employment opportunities. But they also contained information on all crimes. These make the gazettes a genealogy tool with broad use, as they reference both the criminals in great detail and, quite often, the victims.

The years covered in these police gazettes from Victoria are 1855, 1864-1865, 1868-1876, and 1885-1900.

These gazettes have a range of information about various police-related matters including

• Housebreaking and stealing

• Highway robbery

• Felonies, murder, and arson

• Horse and cattle stealing

• Larceny and embezzlement

• Missing persons - with detailed descriptions

• Property lost and found

• Desertions - from vessels, police force, and military

• Lists of those apprehended

• Escaped convicts - with descriptions (and including other colonies)

• Ticket of leave holders

• Escaped lunatics

• Police notices from other colonies

• Police promotions, reductions, and dismissals

• Miscellaneous information - which can include any information of police interest that does not fit into the regular categories of police notices

Searching through a PDF can be different from searching through other record sets.

• The search feature uses direct search. It will only search for the exact words you write in the search field. For example, if you search for John Smith the results will give you pages with John and Smith.

• All search results will bring you to the page on which your search word has been found and not to an individual transcript. You can then read through the page to find your result.

• To search for your ancestor by name, write it as it would appear in the gazette. For example, if your relative was known as Will it is likely that the name recorded in the gazette was William.

• If you are unable to find your relative on your first search you can try different name variations.