NRS-11675 | Charge books [North Sydney Police Station]

Police Rules of 1862 introduced the obligation to keep Charge books to record charges against prisoners, the nature of the charges, the names of those charged as well as any prisoner's property. (1)This series consists of Charge books from the North Sydney Police Station.Details pertaining to the charge itself included: the charge number; the date and hour of both the apprehension and the recording of the charge in the Charge book; personal details of the person being charged including name, address, date and place of birth, height, calling/occupation, and nationality; a short summary of the nature of the offence; the full name and address of the informant (usually the constable); any property found on the prisoner and the prisoner's property book reference number; signatures of the watch house keeper / Station Sergeant and the searching Constable; name of apprehending officer; signature of prosecutor; if the prisoner was bailed (date and hour, by whose order, amount of cash or surety, and bail form receipt number); if not bailed, the date and time of discharge from cells; how the case was disposed of including date and name of magistrate; and any remarks (usually details of discharge or if sent to another prison).In general entries became less detailed over time but the format of the entries and the type of information collected remained similar.The inside cover of each volume has a list of the more important instructions that each station sergeant was required to follow when entering charges in the book. The instructions specified: completion of fingerprint information forms; the signature of the Constable searching the prisoner; special particulars required when juveniles are arrested; the duties of the Station Sergeant when a charge is refused; the classification of prisoners when placed in the cells; procedures to be followed when persons have been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol; cases in which conviction reports are prescribed; instructions as to how entries are to be set out; and procedures to follow on the arrest of foreign nationals.From around 1950 annual single numbers began to be used for entries relating to charges although the year may have been recorded either before or after the single number (eg. 42/1, 2/54 or 87/3). From around the 1980s charge books for each police station were given volume numbers from 1 onwards, in chronological order.Hardcopy charge books were gradually replaced by online systems between approximately 1990 and 1994. The COPS system (Computerised Operational Policing System) was introduced in 1994, preceded by the Online Charging records system (1990-1995), an interim system used as a back-up for the implementation of COPS.Endnote1. Police Rules, Nos. 360-361 and 369, NSW Government Gazette No.49, 1 March 1862, pp.498-499.

1862年颁布的《警察规程》(Police Rules) 明确规定，须留存指控登记簿(Charge books)，用于登记针对在押人员的指控事由、指控性质、被指控者姓名，以及在押人员的相关财物。(1) 本系列数据集涵盖北悉尼警察局(North Sydney Police Station)的指控登记簿。其中，单条指控登记所包含的详情包括：指控编号；拘捕及将指控录入登记簿的日期与时刻；被指控者的个人信息，涵盖姓名、住址、出生日期与地点、身高、职业、国籍；犯罪性质简要说明；举报人（通常为执勤警员）的全名与住址；在押人员随身查获的财物及该人员财物登记簿编号；看守所管理员与警署警长(Station Sergeant)、搜查警员的签名；拘捕警员姓名；公诉人签名；若在押人员获得保释，需记录保释日期与时刻、保释下令主体、保释金金额或担保人信息，以及保释单据编号；若未获保释，则需记录从牢房释放的日期与时刻；案件处理结果，包括裁判官姓名与处理日期；以及备注信息（通常为释放详情或移送至其他监狱的相关记录）。
总体而言，随着时间推移，登记条目会逐渐简化，但条目格式与所采集的信息类型始终保持一致。每卷登记簿的内封页均列有警署警长在录入指控信息时需遵循的重要规程列表。这些规程包括：完成指纹信息登记表；搜查在押人员的警员签名；拘捕青少年时需记录的特殊信息；指控被驳回时警署警长的履职要求；在押人员收押至牢房时的分类标准；针对醉酒驾驶指控的处理流程；需出具定罪报告的案件类型；条目排版规范；以及拘捕外籍人士时的操作流程。
约自1950年起，指控相关条目开始采用年度单编号格式，年份可标注于单编号之前或之后（例如：42/1、2/54或87/3）。至20世纪80年代前后，各警察局的指控登记簿均按时间顺序赋予从1开始的卷号。
纸质指控登记簿在1990年至1994年间逐步被在线系统取代。1994年，计算机化警务操作系统(Computerised Operational Policing System, COPS)正式上线，其前身为1990年至1995年运行的在线指控记录系统(Online Charging records system)，该临时系统用于为COPS的部署提供备份支持。
尾注1. 《警察规程》第360-361及369条，新南威尔士州政府公报(NSW Government Gazette)第49期，1862年3月1日，第498-499页。