t s a p e h t f o s n o i t a t Polices 01 They were often regarded as the community’s epicentre, providing a reassuring sense of safety, where disputes could be resolved, crimes investigated, and real-life drama unfolded behind their walls.
These are the defunct police stations that are now confined to the archives of Victoria’s history, with many of them still gracing their towns, but in a different way, oblivious to a passing parade of locals and visitors. Police Life revisited some of the former police stations and explored aspects of their past.
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Melbourne’s former Bourke Street West police complex at 621-629 Bourke Street, was built in 1887, when the city was experiencing a population and economic boom. Former Superintendent Peter Macievic served more than 43 years with Victoria Police, and used his recent retirement to research Bourke Street Station’s history. He noted that in one decade, Melbourne’s population in 1890 had increased by a staggering 75 per cent, to 490,000. His historic account also stated “by virtue of the boom, Melbourne became the second largest city in the British Empire after London and reportedly the richest city in the world at that time”. It was during this period of change and growth that led to the formal establishment of the Bourke Street West Police Station in 1890.
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POLICE LIFE | WINTER 2018
03 century buildings in the city’s first government precinct dating back to 1837, bounded by Bourke, King, Collins and Spencer streets.
Sergeant 2nd Class John Rankin was the first officer in charge at Bourke Street West and was supported by six troops.
It has since been acclaimed on the heritage register for its “high Victorian eclectic architecture”, including its red bricks, Florentine arches, and “decorative dressings derived from the work of acclaimed French architect, Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc”.
When the two-storey complex closed in 1976, it was regarded among the last remnants of 19th
In 1982 the building was classified by the National Trust and is now a bar and restaurant.