education kit - the victoria police...

Education Kit

VPMVictoria Police Museum

Education KitVPM

Victoria Police Museum

Introduction Page How to use this resource 4

ThemesEarly Policing 5Bushranging 6-7The Goldfields 8The Beat: Policing the City 9-10Communication Technology 11Women in Policing 12Crime Detection 13-14

Learning MaterialIntroduction 15Primary 16-24Secondary 25-37Additional - Wanted Poster Template 38

Contents

Written and designed byKate Spinks Public Programs CuratorVictoria Police Museumemail: [email protected]: 637 Flinders Street, Docklands, VIC, 3008

Website: www.police.vic.gov.au/museum

Victoria Police Museum Education Kit© 2010 Victoria Police Museum and Historical Services

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IntroductionHow to use this resource

The following education kit has been designed to support teachers in planning a self-guided visit to the Victoria Police Museum. The first section contains detailed information on key themes relating to the museum’s collection and displays including: early policing, bushranging, policing the goldfields, policing the city streets, changing communication technology, women in policing and crime detection techniques.

This information can be used by teachers to gain an overview of the museum’s key themes and develop their own lesson plans or excursion material to suit the demands of the curriculum. It has also been designed to be printed out as a research hand-out for students. This section also contains images and snapshots of material from the museum’s collection to support the written information.

The second section of the education kit, is devoted to ready-made activity sheets, and key questions that can be used either in-class or during a visit to the museum.

The Victoria Police Museum welcomes feedback or queries from teachers. If you would like to get in contact with the museum, please send an email to: [email protected] or phone: 03 9247 5304.

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Early Policing

Victoria Police was officially established in 1853. Australian police forces were modelled on the British system of policing, so much so, that even the uniform was the same. This early photograph (Image 1.) of a Victorian policeman from the 1890s shows the Constable wearing a typical nineteenth century uniform: complete with the very distinctive “Bobby” style helmet. The uniform, which was made from thick material, was totally unsuitable for hot Australian summers. To make matters worse, Victorian police had to wear their uniforms everyday, even when they weren’t on duty! When a policeman was on duty he would wear a small striped armband over his jacket sleeve.

In the nineteenth century, police were issued with hand-cuffs, a sword, a rattle (which was initially used to attract the attention of other police during an incident) and a revolver. Police in Victoria were always provided with a gun as part of their equipment. However, in other parts of Australia such as in New South Wales, police were not issued guns for some years.

Victorian police were the lowest paid police force in Australia in the 1800s. They earned 6 Shillings and 6 Pence (6 s 6 p) a day. This is equivalent to earning 18 dollars a day today (well below the National Minimum Wage set by the Australian Government). Even in the 1800s, this was a very small amount of money to survive on. Shop assistants and tradesmen earned more money than policemen and it didn’t help that police also had to pay for their own uniforms out of their wages. Police also had to work seven days a week and were only allowed twelve days of leave per year.

Despite performing an important and sometimes dangerous job, there was no real training for police. Learning to become a police officer meant learning on the job. It wasn’t until the late 1880s that police were given a training manual.

As well as apprehending criminals, police work in the nineteenth century also involved a few strange tasks including: ensuring children were vaccinated; inspecting street lamps and collecting stray animals found in the streets.

Image 1. Flinders Street Railway Station, circa 1890

Notice the “on duty”striped armband on the policeman’s left sleeve

One of the more serious issues for police in the 1800s was the rise of bushranging. Bushranging initially began not long after convict transportation to Australia. Convicts who managed to escape from prisons had to resort to crimes such as stealing to survive. However, many also committed serious crimes such as armed robbery and murder.

Bushranging was not a constant problem in Australia and it was mostly confined to Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. However, between the 1850s and 70s there were a number of bushrangers in the south eastern states (or colonies as they were then), that were a particular problem for both locals and police.

With new settlements being established in isolated places (often due to the discovery of gold), many small communities were vulnerable to bushrangers who would rob farmers of their best horses, hold-up travellers and coaches carrying gold and hold people hostage in towns while they robbed local banks and businesses.

Although a bushranger was by definition a criminal, there were some that acquired a kind of celebrity status. The exploits of many bushrangers made exciting news for the newspapers of the day and many people keenly followed their stories. Some bushrangers also made the most of this popularity and gave themselves exciting names such as Captain Moonlight and Captain Thunderbolt!

The most famous (or infamous) bushranger in Australia’s history is Ned Kelly (Image 2.) and his gang, which consisted of his brother Dan and their two friends, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne. The Kelly Gang committed numerous crimes including bank robberies and murders. Despite this, Ned Kelly is often described as a hero: standing up for the rights of the poor and stealing from the rich. However, the Kelly Gang did not steal from the rich to give to the poor. They did rob banks, but they used the money to pay a network of supporters who helped the gang hide from police.

Ned Kelly often said that the police treated him and his family unfairly and claimed this was the reason he became a bushranger. However, Kelly had a long history of criminal behaviour. As a teenager, he spent time with another notorious bushranger, Harry Power, acting as his assistant and helping him commit robberies. He was also arrested several times for horse and cattle stealing in the 1870s. Numerous members of Ned Kelly’s immediate and extended family, including brothers Jim and Dan, were also involved in horse and cattle stealing

Bushranging

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Image 2. Edward (Ned) Kelly

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Constable Thomas McIntyre Sergeant Michael Kennedy Constable Michael Scanlan Constable Thomas Lonigan

In October, 1878, Ned Kelly and his gang attacked a camp of four police who were part of a search party sent out to arrest the Kelly brothers. During the attack, the gang shot dead Constables Lonigan and Scanlan and Sergeant Kennedy. Constable McIntyre was the only police officer to survive, escaping from the scene on horseback. Two years later, he was the key witness in Ned Kelly’s murder trial.

McIntyre wrote a book detailing the story of the Kelly Gang. In it, he provides a first-hand account of being held hostage by the gang and witnessing the murder his colleagues by Ned Kelly. You can download a copy of the book from www.police.vic.gov.au/museum (in the search option type: McIntyre Manuscript).

The above telegrams (2 of 4) record the discovery of Sergeant Kennedy’s body at Stringybark Creek by a party of police and volunteers.

“the body of Kennedy was found about half a mile north east of the camp... the body was face upwards with Kennedy’s cloak thrown over it. It presented a frightful spectacle. He had been shot through the side of the head... he appears to have been shot whilst running away in the direction taken by Constable McIntyre...”

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Image 3. Gold Escort

The Goldfields

One of the key events that led to the official formation of Victoria Police in 1853 was the discovery of gold. During the Gold Rush period, the population of Victoria didn’t just double or triple: it increased by almost seven times: from 77, 345 in 1851 to 540, 322, in 1861! People came from all over the world in the hope that they would strike it lucky on the gold fields of Victoria. Thousands of people came from places such as England, France and America. The largest number of immigrants came from China, with 40,000 Chinese coming to Australia at the time.

Police played an essential role in gold mining operations: providing armed escorts for gold travelling to Melbourne (see Image 3.) and performing the unpopular job of collecting licence fees from miners.

Colonial administrators decided to impose a fee on gold prospectors which meant that they had to pay the Government money– regardless of whether they actually found gold. The licence fee was considered hugely unfair amongst the miners. Not only was it a large amount of money, it was strictly enforced by the courts and police were instructed to arrest and fine anyone who failed to pay their monthly fee. To make matters worse for the miners, police were able to claim half of the fine as a reward. This meant there was an incentive for police to make as many arrests as possible.

The reward system was considered part of normal police practice at the time and as police were paid a very low wage they would have benefited from the extra money they could earn from the fines. However, it was not a fair system and the miners resented the presence of the police on the gold fields.

The ill-feeling that existed between the miners and police ended with the infamous Eureka Stockade in 1854, when several miners and soldiers were killed during a violent battle.

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The Beat: Policing in the City

Many people who went to the gold fields did not make a fortune in gold. The majority of people only found enough to sustain a basic living. Instead, many either set up shops on the gold fields, or moved to the city to find other work.

To deal with the increase of people in the city, police set up “beats” so that they could patrol the streets day and night. This involved each police officer being given a particular section of the city to patrol. It was believed that by having a regular police presence, there would be less opportunity for people to break the law.

Police walking the daytime beat would start work at 5:00 am and finish at 5:00 pm. They were required to walk a set path through their section of the city, walking at a regulated pace of 2 miles (about 3 kilometres) per hour. Police were instructed not to gossip with citizens whilst working, to memorise the occupants of homes on their beat and take note of any suspicious people during their rounds.

Common crimes police in the city dealt with included arresting people for using obscene language; illegal gambling; drunkenness; the illegal sale of alcohol and vagrancy (homelessness).

A policeman’s ‘Beat Book’ showing a section of the city that police would patrol. Arrows show the direction police would walk and the list on the left gives the times at which a policeman should be at each point during his shift.

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Image 4. James Mitchell Mug Shot and Criminal History, 1892

James Mitchell was charged with vagrancy in 1868 and 1870. He served 12 months hard labour for each conviction.

He was also sentenced to 3 whippings in 1871.

James Mitchell was born in Tasmania in 1845. He served numerous sentences at Pentridge Prison in Melbourne between 1868 and 1893 for crimes such as house-breaking, larceny and assault. His record sheet describes him as being: five feet, seven and three quarter inches tall; medium build with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Under “Particular Marks” he is listed as having flagellation marks (marks from whipping) on his back and pierced ears. His trade is listed as sailor. He was released from Pentridge in 1893.

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In the nineteenth century, communication across distances was not as easy as it is today. The telephone was not introduced in Victoria until the1880s, so most communication took place through face-to-face interaction. This meant that it was not always easy for police to communicate urgent messages and call for extra help in an emergency. In the 1850s, the most common way of getting an urgent message to police in another town would be to send a messenger on horse-back. Depending on the distance between towns, it could take hours or even days to get a response.

One of the early communication technologies that was used by police was the electric telegraph. The electric telegraph worked by using Morse Code to send a message (called a telegram) across large distances. The person at the receiving end would listen carefully to the coded message and write down the information. This was much quicker than sending a messenger on horse-back, however, a response could still take some hours.

Once the use of telephones became widespread in the late nineteenth century, communication was made much faster. For the police force, it was the introduction of wireless communication in police cars that revolutionised the way police operated. In 1923 Victoria Police became the first police force in the world to use wireless communication in cars (see image 5. below). Although the technology still relied on Morse Code until the 1940s, its introduction meant that police could respond immediately to urgent requests from headquarters.

Today, police cars are fitted with a Mobile Data Network System that provides police with information on car registration; current arrest warrants issued; criminal histories and information on missing persons. Other technological changes related to policing include: digital fingerprinting (instead of using ink to take a person’s fingerprint); computer facial recognition for creating an image of a suspect based on witness descriptions; computer databases that store information on DNA from crime scenes, suspects and convicted criminals.

Communication Technology

Image 5. Victoria Police, wireless patrol car, 1920s

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In 1902, Australia was one of the first countries in the world to give women the right to vote in federal elections. The right for women to vote and to be represented in parliament was an important step for Australian democracy. Despite major changes such as this, women were not automatically granted equal rights in all areas of life. For example, women were expected to leave the workforce when they got married and often received lower wages than men for performing the same job.

It took more than 60 years before the first women were allowed to join Victoria Police. In 1917 the first two women were appointed as police ‘agents’. However, they had no powers of arrest, no uniforms and received half the pay that a male police officer received. The initial duties for women in the police force included deterring young people from crime, apprehending neglected children and attending the Children’s Court.

In 1924, women police (of which there were only four!) began receiving some of the same conditions and rights as male police officers.

Women and Policing

This included equal pay: making Victorian policewomen some of the very few women in the Australian work force at the time, earning the same wages as men.

However, the work that women performed was still restricted to caring for women and children or secretarial positions and it was still not until 1948 that women were able to work on street patrol.

In 1978, the Australian Federal Government passed the Equal Opportunity Act creating greater opportunities for women. Victoria Police, like other organisations, had to provide a wider rage of employment opportunities for women. The change was rapid. In 1999 the first woman joined the Search and Rescue Squad and the following year women joined the Dog Squad.

Women also began to achieve high rank. In 1989, Bernice Masterson became the first woman in Australia to be appointed an assistant commissioner. In 2001, Christine Nixon became the first woman in Australia to head an Australian police force when she was appointed Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.

Today, women are employed in the full range of police duties.

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Crime scene investigators are specially trained experts who use scientific methods to gather clues from a crime scene. They convert these clues into evidence that detectives then use to solve the crime. Below, are a few examples of different techniques that can be used in an investigation.

Violence - marks and evidenceMurder leaves marks. No matter how clever killers are they cannot hide all traces of evidence found on the bodies of their victims. Every type of murder leaves certain characteristic traces on the body, but not all marks are obvious. Some poisons or drugs, for example, leave no visible marks and can only be detected by chemical analysis of body fluids or internal organs. In other cases signs of violent death are obvious from external examination, with injuries sustained from weapons such as guns or knives.

Cause of deathSometimes when police find a body, the cause of death is not obvious. In these cases, an autopsy will help the Coroner to decide whether something suspicious has happened.

An autopsy is a medical procedure done by a specialist called a pathologist. The procedure involves cutting open the body of the deceased and doing tests to gather information on how the person died. An autopsy can also provide information on where the person died and when (i.e. time of death).

Blood stainsAt a crime scene bloodstains can literally point police in the direction of the suspect. By the analysis of their shape, size, and position, investigators can sometimes determine where an attacker stood, their height, how many times they swung a weapon, and whether the offender was left or right handed.

A high-intensity light source or ultra-violet light can help locate blood spots at crime scenes. The analysis of the bloodstain pattern or spray can also help reconstruct the crime scene. When a drop of blood hits a surface, the shape of the mark it makes indicates the direction and the velocity in which the drop was travelling.

Dental EvidenceAnother common forensic technique used in criminal investigations is forensic dentistry. The bite marks teeth leave behind can give police clues about a person’s identity, appearance and health, and can be used to identify either a suspect or victim.

The most common use of dental evidence is in the identification of bodies that are unrecognizable due to damage caused by decay, fire or something similar. In the case of fires, for example, teeth are incredibly resistant and can survive a fire that would melt glass and reduce ordinary bones to ash.

At a crime scene, forensic dentists can confirm identification by comparing the teeth of an unrecognizable body with a set of dental records. They can carry out a post-mortem dental examination and, if necessary, take x-rays using a portable machine.

Crime Detection

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A suspect’s fingerprints

A crime scene

A police photographer is one of the first people to arrive at a crime scene. They document the crime by photographing the scene and all the evidence. Everything is left exactly as it has been found by police, so that it can be accurately recorded by the police photographer. These photographs will then be examined by detectives to try and piece together what has happened. They can also be used as evidence in court.

Image 6. Crime scene photograph, 1946. Details unknown.

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Learning MaterialThe information in this section is designed to provide flexible learning options for teachers who are planning a self-guided visit to the Victoria Police Museum.

The Learning Material section of the Victoria Police Museum Education Kit, contains activity suggestions, key questions and activity sheets teachers can use to develop a tailored learning experience for their students.

The suggestions and activities outlined in the Learning Material section have been divided into two main categories: Primary (Grades 4 - 6) or Secondary (Grades 7 - 10).

Under each of these categories you will find the following materials:

• Suggestions for activities and key questions that can be used in the museum or in class.

• Activity sheets that are ready to use either in class or in the museum.

Learning Material: Primary Grades 4-6

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Key Questions

Primary Grades 4-6

• Even though bushrangers were criminals, many became very popular with the public. In the 1800s, newspapers reported frequently on bushrangers like Ben Hall and Ned Kelly. Why do you think we are so interested in people who do the wrong thing?

• What is the difference between someone who is famous and someone who is infamous?

• Can you guess what the armour is made out of? (Plough shears stolen from farmers).

• As well as murdering three policemen, the Kelly Gang also committed several bank robberies in the towns of Euroa and Jerilderie. If you were a detective working on the bank robberies, what kinds of clues would you look for?

• What resources and equipment do you think a policeman from 1870 would be issued? (Revolver, whistle, baton, handcuffs, horse).

• Before the use of telephones and radios, how would a police officer send a message to someone in another town?

• Criminals such as Ned Kelly and Frederick Deeming, were hanged for the crime of murder. You can no longer receive the Death Penalty as a punishment in Australia. Why do you think the Australian Government decided to stop the use of the Death Penalty?

• What kinds of clues do you think the police were looking for when they examined the car that was used in the bomb attack outside the old police headquarters?

• Name two things police do when they arrest and charge someone for a crime? (Photograph/mugshot, fingerprints, statement).

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Activities

Creating, Making, Exploring

Activity 1. Create your own mugshot: Using their own or a school camera, students take their mugshot in front of the height chart in the museum.

Questioning, Analysing, Reflecting

Activity 2. In pairs: Students choose a display in the museum that features information on policing in the 1800s. With their partner, they pick one key thing they found interesting or unusual about police work in the 1800s.

Before leaving the museum or back at school teachers choose a few people to share their observations with the rest of the class.

Activity 3. As a group: Students spend a few minutes looking at the Russell Street Bombing exhibit.

Teachers should explain that the car was used in a bomb attack outside the old Victoria Police headquarters, in Russell Street, in the city (opposite Old Melbourne Gaol, if students are familiar with this landmark). The people who committed the crime had a hatred of police and wanted to hurt as many as they could. Twenty two people were injured in the attack, one young policewoman, named Angela Taylor died. The car on display is the actual car that was used in the attack and was an important part of police evidence used to help solve the crime.

After looking at the exhibit, teachers pick a few students to choose one word that they think best describes the display and how it makes them feel.

Activity 4. Life in nineteenth century Australia: Ask students to look at one of the following displays:

• Victoria Police owes its history to gold! • Early conditions for police work• The beat• Women in Victoria Police

Ask students to identify one thing that was different about how police lived and worked in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries compared to today. Answers might include: they didn’t have cars; they had to wear their uniform everyday; women were not allowed to join the police force.

Primary Grades 4-6

In the museum

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Activity 1. Spot these objects in the museum: Using the list below, see if you can find an object that matches the descriptions. Write one or two sentences for each, providing as much detail about the object as you can. Use the following questions as a guide for what to write: What is it? What is it made of? How was it used? Who used it?

• Something relating to Ned Kelly and his Gang

• A “mugshot”/photograph of a criminal

• An example of equipment used by police

• A piece of evidence used to help solve a crime

In the museum

Activity Sheet Primary Grades 4-6

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Activity 2. Draw the Kelly armour: Using a pencil, sketch a picture of either Dan Kelly’s or Steve Hart’s armour (or both!) in the space below.

Did you know? Each set of armour weighs about 40 kilograms. This would be the equivalent of having to carry a Great Dane around with you!!!

In the museum


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Activity SheetIn the museum

Primary Grades 4-6


Activity 3. Write a report: Choose a crime featured in the museum. Imagine you are the detective in charge of the case: write a brief report below. Include the following: Who is the criminal and who was the victim? What was the crime? Where did it happen? When did it happen?

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Activity 1. Print the mugshots taken in the museum: a. Creatively arrange your mugshots on a large board to display your excursion to the Victoria Police Museum.

b. Use your photograph to create your own criminal file. Imagine you are a criminal from the 19th century! Think about the kinds of crimes you might have been arrested for then. Examples might include using bad language, horse and cattle stealing or forging bank notes.

Using an A4 sheet of paper, paste your photograph at the top. Create a list with the following headings and fill in the relevant information (you can be as creative as you want!):• Name• Date of birth• Place of birth• Eye colour• Hair colour• Height• Distinguishing marks• Criminal history: including the crime, the date you

were charged and the punishment you received


At school

Criminal History for James Mitchell from Photo Supplement book 1893 - 1894

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Activity 2. Design a “Wanted” poster: Using the poster included in this resource, create your own “Wanted” poster for a bushranger who is wanted by police for robbery and murder.

Using coloured pencils or pens, draw a picture of your bushranger. The picture should include as much detail as possible to help people recognise your bushranger if they see them. Your bushranger might wear particular clothes such as a red scarf around his or her neck or a certain style of hat. Perhaps they have bushy eyebrows, a big moustache or long hair!


At school

Mock Wanted Poster for Bushranger, Ned Kelly

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At school

Studio portraits such as these were common in the 19th century. The photograph was printed on a small card. Notice the painted back-drop and props used.


Activity 3. Create a photographic portrait: This class activity can be done in groups of 4 to 6 people.

You will need: one camera and costumes for each group. Costumes could be created from clothes and accessories you have brought from home or borrowed from school (perhaps the drama department). Items might include hats, wigs, scarves, gloves, jackets, glasses.

Once you have your costumes ready, take it in turns to dress up and have your photographic portrait taken by the teacher.

Strike a pose! Adopt a pose that you think suits your character’s personality.

Get creative! You might like to include other props in the portrait photographs such as furniture. The class may even decide to design a back-drop (this could simply be some fabric draped behind to create a photographic studio feel).

Print your portraits and display them in the classroom or create a photo album for them.

Learning Material: Secondary Grades 7-12

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Key Questions

Secondary Grades 7-12

• Popular histories of Ned Kelly present him as a kind of hero of the Australian bush. He has become an iconic Australian figure and his image (as an iron-clad bushranger) has taken on a mythical status that has become separated from the reality of his actions. Kelly and his gang, committed serious crimes including murdering four people (three police and a former friend named Aaron Sherritt). How would you attempt to explain this contradiction?

• Police in Victoria have always been issued with guns. What might be some of the pros and cons of police carrying a firearm?

• In the nineteenth century, Victoria Police had a Native Police Corps. It was eventually disbanded, but had proved to be very valuable in certain areas of police work. What do you think the main job of the Native Police Corps was? Why was this a particular benefit to the Victoria Police force at the time?

• Name two ways in which photography is used by police?

• True or False? a) It is a chargeable offence to provide the police with a false name or address (True) b) If you are aged 15 or older, police can take your fingerprints if they believe you have committed a crime? (True, between the age of 15 and 17 you must have a parent or guardian present when being fingerprinted) c) There are some crimes that if you are a suspect, police can search your home without your knowledge (True, in relation to terrorist acts) d) The police are not allowed to search you in a public place? (False) e) You must be under arrest before police can search you? (False)

• We tend to associate corporal punishment (physical punishments) with the convict era, when convicts would receive lashes with a whip. But actually, the courts could sentence you to receive the cane as a punishment until the 1950s in Victoria. Some people argue that all types of physical punishment should be illegal, including parents physically disciplining their children. What would be some of the ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments for this?

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Activity 1. Create your own mugshot: Using their own or a school camera, students take their mugshot in front of the height chart in the museum.


Activity 2. Trivia: During their look around the museum, each group must come up with one quiz question, based on a display, to ask the rest of the class, either at the end of the museum visit or back at school as part of a trivia quiz (a prize for the winning team is essential!).

Activity 3. As a group: Students spend a few minutes looking at the Russell Street Bombing exhibit.

Teachers should explain that the car was used in a bomb attack outside the old Victoria Police headquarters, in Russell Street, in the city (opposite Old Melbourne Gaol, if students are familiar with this landmark). The people who committed the crime had a hatred of police and wanted to hurt as many as they could. Twenty two people were injured in the attack, one young policewoman, named Angela Taylor died. The car on display is the actual car that was used in the attack and was an important part of police evidence used to help solve the crime.

After looking at the exhibit, students are asked to consider what questions they would have asked witnesses.

Activity 4. Change and continuity: As they look through the museum, students are asked to consider the following: What have been the major changes in the Victoria Police force since it formed in 1853 and what things have stayed the same.

Activities Secondary Grades 7-12

In the Museum

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Activity 1. Crime scene investigator: Crime scene investigators need to use lateral thinking (thinking outside the ‘box’/ looking for new ways of exploring a problem) and problem solving skills to uncover clues that will provide them with information about a crime. There are often several forensic services experts who will be involved in examining evidence. Examples of investigative techniques that might be applied to evidence include DNA testing, fingerprinting, hair and fibre analysis and chemical analyses.

Read the following description on the Russell Street car bomb attack. When you have read the description and had a brief look at the exhibit in the museum, imagine you are in charge of the forensic investigation. List the key forensic techniques you would use to gather evidence from the car that was used in the bomb attack. Next to each technique, describe how this might help police solve the crime.


In the Museum

Report: Russell Street Bomb Attack

An attempt at mass murder was made at Russell Street, Melbourne, on 27 March 1986. A stolen Holden Commodore (see museum display),

packed with explosives, was detonated at 12.58 pm outside Police Headquarters. The blast was so large that people sitting in cafes and offices several blocks from the explosion were lifted off their seats.

An estimated 50 to 60 sticks of gelignite had been used in the bomb and every window for the first seven floors of the Police Headquarters was blown in, as were many in the nearby Magistrates Court. Around

$1,000,000 of property damage was caused. 22 people – 11 police and 11 civilians - were wounded. Constables Angela Taylor and Carl Donadia and Magistrate Mr Iain West were the most severely wounded. Angela Taylor

later died.

After the bomb had exploded, police risked their lives to evacuate the wounded. This was a dangerous task as some of the explosives had not detonated during the initial blast and now lay scattered around Russell

Street. They could not easily be seen in the debris and smoke filled street. A second explosion occurred and police did not know if more bombs

had been left at the site. However, this second blast was caused by the explosion of a fuel tank in a burning car parked nearby.

Activity Sheet

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Chief Investigator’s Recommendations

Forensic technique:

Description:

Forensic technique:

Forensic technique:

Forensic technique:

Description:

Description:

Description:

Name: Crime Scene/Evidence ID: 104086

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Activity 2. Museum curator:


In the Museum

Activity Sheet

TaskImagine you are a Curator at the Victoria Police Museum: you have a two year exhibition plan to

develop. You must propose two different exhibitions for the museum based on the general themes of policing, crime and the law.

As part of your exhibition proposal, you need to provide:

• an exhibition title, • provide a detailed exhibition description and • pick an object/document that would be on display as part

of each exhibition.

You should also include a drawing or photograph of the objects - Remember if you are using your camera in the

museum, you must turn off the flash.

Helpful Hint: an exhibition description should define what the focus of the exhibition is. Think about the following questions when writing your description: Who? What? When? Where?

Why? How?

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Secondary Grades 7-12Activity Sheet

Year One

Exhibition Title:

Exhibition Description:

Object List:

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Year Two

Exhibition Title:

Exhibition Description:

Object List:

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Activity 3. Message in a bottle: As you look around the museum, pick a person featured in one of the

displays. Examples might be: the first police woman, an Aboriginal Tracker, Sergeant Michael Kennedy

(murdered by the Kelly Gang), a criminal who was sentenced to death or a police detective. Imagine that

this person wrote a secret letter and sealed it in a bottle, only to be discovered generations later.

In the space below, compose the letter that your chosen person has written:


In the Museum

Activity Sheet

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Crime Scene Evidence as Historical Evidence


At School

Activity 1. Looking at evidence


Some of the objects in the Victoria Police Museum’s collection are evidence from real crimes. Initially they were collected by police or forensic examiners to help them solve a crime that had been committed.

Today, these objects are part of a museum collection and can be viewed, not just as evidence from a crime but as historical

evidence.

As historical evidence, objects can tell us multiple stories about people, places and

events and provide us with tangible examples of technological and social changes.

Using the examples provided, describe the historical information these objects and

documents might reveal.

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Object Description: Illegal drug equipment (opium)

A police raid on a Chinese opium den in Bendigo in the 19th century, resulted in the arrest and conviction of three men.

Object Description: Crime scene photograph

Details of the crime this photograph relates to are no longer known. The photograph dates from the mid 1940s.

Object Description: Telegram, police correspondence, 1878

This telegram (1 of 4) provides a description of Ned Kelly who was wanted for murder. Transcription below:

Description of the murderers of Constable Scanlan and Lonigan. First Edward Kelly twenty three years of age looks older sallow complexion dark brown hair full beard and moustache cut square across the mouth. Hazel eyes with a greenish tint wore dark tweed clothes red silk sash dark low crowned hat.

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At School


Activity 2. Class debate: Divide the class into a minimum of four teams. Ask two of the teams to pick a topic from the list below to argue the affirmative side of the debate. The other two teams will argue against. Each team is given time to research and prepare their debating points. This might involve Internet and newspaper searches and might be done over a couple of weeks.

Team members should work together to come up with convincing evidence to prove their case. Teams might decide to split up into smaller research groups and focus their research and evidence gathering on particular points the team wish to argue.

Teams should aim to prepare between 5 and 10 minutes of material to speak on.

Topics

1. Capital Punishment should be re-instated in Australia as a punishment for murder.

2. Ned Kelly was a criminal and should not be celebrated as a national Australian icon.

3. It should be illegal in Australia for parents to physically punish their children.

4. To deal with alcohol related violence in the city, a curfew should be imposed so that bars and nightclubs must close at 2:00 am.

5. If you are found guilty of a terrorism related crime you should be kept under permanent surveillance by police or the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), even after you have paid a penalty (i.e. served a prison sentence).

6. The laws should be tougher on drink drivers.

7. Police should not be armed with guns.

8. Computer games encourage and condone violent behaviour.

Education KitVPM



At School


Activity 3. Creative writing - detective/crime fiction: Using the crime scene photographs below as inspiration, create a short detective story.

Note: The key elements of the detective/crime genre include: • The protagonist/hero of the story is usually a police detective or a private detective with

uncanny powers of deduction. • A crime that seems unsolvable - usually a murder. • A series of possible suspects.• The detective always solves the crime in the end.

education kit - the victoria police...

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