Story: Police

Police and politics: 1913 waterfront strike (1st of 3)

Police and politics: 1913 waterfront strike

Uniformed mounted police block a street leading to Wellington’s waterfront during the nationwide wave of strikes in late 1913. These police had running street fights with large groups of strikers, and they were publicly criticised for not acting with enough force. Hundreds of ‘special constables’ (volunteer temporary police), many from farming districts, were recruited to help the regular police restore order. However, their provocative actions sometimes created further discord.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Sydney Charles Smith Collection (PA-Group-00242)
Reference: 1/2-046172-G
Photograph by Sydney Charles Smith

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Richard S. Hill, 'Police - Policing a stable society, 1880s to 1960s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/33865/police-and-politics-1913-waterfront-strike (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Richard S. Hill, published 20 Jun 2012