Search our website and collections

Go direct to State Archives online indexesGo direct to State Archives catalogue

Justice & Police Museum

Letter containing a statement of absolute pardon for Samuel Henry Horn (more often known as Horne), dated 1830 and signed by Governor Richard Bourke in 1832

Convict turned constable

A recently donated letter, signed by the governor of NSW in 1832, offers a tangible connection to the story of Samuel Horne, a convict who rose to the rank of district chief constable in the NSW Police

Image of a 3D scan of a dark brown leather shoe on a dark background

Dodgy, dangerous, disturbing

3D models: a fascinating exploration of some seemingly innocent objects modified for nefarious purposes from the Justice & Police Museum collection

Sergeant Tracker Alexander ‘Alec’ Riley wearing his police uniform

Alexander Riley, legendary Aboriginal police tracker

The remarkable talents of Aboriginal trackers who worked for NSW Police in the 20th century are featured in a display at the Justice & Police Museum

Original glass plate negatives from the NSW Police Forensic Photography Archive arranged on a lightbox.

Glass-plate photography

The collection of glass-plate negatives held in the State Archives and Justice & Police Museum are endlessly fascinating and revealing

DES_JP2012_0010_1_4b.jpg

Come in spinner!

Gambling in Australia is regulated by the state and some types of gambling are illegal. The game Two-up, with its catch cry of ‘Come in Spinner!’, is legal only on Anzac Day and only in some states

Magda Dabrowa, Holly Schulte and Nerida Campbell sit around a table in the Water Police Court. They are smiling at each other as they wrap up the event for the night.

After Dark

Join us for the 2023 edition of After Dark at the Justice & Police Museum

Black and white image of a sandstone building. A man can be seen in the foreground.
Museum stories

Gritty business

Immerse yourself in Sydney's chilling criminal past in this unique water-front museum of policing, law and disorder – with its grizzly collection of underworld weapons along with tales of mayhem and lawlessness, aptly described as an educational resource befitting a 'professor in crime'

Tragedy on Sydney Harbour

Sydney’s worst maritime disaster occurred out of the blue on a sunny spring day in 1927

Linda Agostini on Coogee Beach, Sydney
Onsite

Crime & Punishment: A Case Study

This challenging and thought-provoking program develops students’ skills in historical research and critical thinking, and their appreciation of history as a study of human experience