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W.J. MacKay and the NSW Police, 1910–1948

A Dangerous Man

  • Book
  • © 2022

Overview

Authors:
  1. Richard Evans

    1. Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

  • Tells the fascinating story of William John MacKay
  • Explores the messy complexities of police power
  • Sheds new light on a fascinating period in Australian police history

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About this book

This book tells the fascinating story of William John MacKay, a man who dominated policing in New South Wales for three decades, until his death in 1948. MacKay was fearless, brilliant and ruthless. He was responsible for beating-up striking unionists, but he also smashed the semi-fascist New Guard when it was a threat to democracy. He reformed and modernized the New South Wales Police Force, and he framed innocent men for capital crimes. He cracked down on organized crime and corruption, and he was himself corrupt. Dogged by scandal, he was the subject of no fewer than seven royal commissions. The story of W.J. MacKay is also the story of policing in Australia, from the 1920s through to the corruption-riddled period after the Second World War. This gripping history explores the messy complexities of police power and sheds new light on a fascinating period in Australian police history

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 1-6

  3. ‘The Ladder of Promotion’: Leadership and Succession in the New South Wales Police Force, 1910–1929

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 7-31

  4. ‘Razorhurst’: The Expansion of Police Power, 1927–1930

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 33-48

  5. ‘Murderous Coppers’: Policing the Timber Strike and the Coal Lockout, 1929–1930

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 49-82

  6. ‘Fascism, with Modifications’: The New Guard, the ‘Old Guard’, and Challenges to State Power, 1931–32

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 83-107

  7. ‘Belt Their Bloody Heads Off’: The Police Response to the New Guard, 1932

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 109-128

  8. ‘A Dangerous Power’: Independence, Accountability and the Police Commissioner, 1934–1935

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 129-139

  9. The SP Royal Commission: Police Power, Corruption and Scandal, 1936

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 141-168

  10. The Miller Scandal: Power, Loyalty and Police Culture, 1937

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 169-197

  11. ‘I Am in Charge of the Police Ship’: The Minister, the Union and the Power of the Commissioner, 1938–1942

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 199-215

  12. Policing ‘the Abominable Crime’: Legislated Morality, Selective Enforcement and the Abuse of Power, 1937–1943

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 217-232

  13. The ‘Appalling Vista’: Police Power and Miscarriages of Justice, 1932 and 1944

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 233-260

  14. The Keogh Scandal: Unaccountable Power and Systemic Corruption, 1946–1947

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 261-269

  15. Conclusion

    • Richard Evans
    Pages 271-279

  16. Back Matter

    Pages 281-311
    Download chapter PDF
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Authors and Affiliations

  • Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

    Richard Evans

About the author

Richard Evans is Honorary Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University, Australia. His previous books include Do Police Need Guns? (with Clare Farmer, 2020), Disasters That Changed Australia (2009) and The Pyjama Girl Mystery (2004).

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Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: W.J. MacKay and the NSW Police, 1910–1948

  • Book Subtitle: A Dangerous Man

  • Authors: Richard Evans

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10921-8

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-10920-1Published: 30 August 2022

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-10923-2Published: 31 August 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-10921-8Published: 29 August 2022

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 311

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: History, general, Modern History, Crime and Society

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