Sydney Police 'Detective Office' - 1914-15

[PeterProg]

I have been looking through Trove at a few minor criminal cases in Sydney in the course of 1914-15 and have seen several references to Sydney Detectives by name.  Senior-Detective Brown and Detective O'Reilly seem to have been particularly busy. 

I'm curious to learn if back at that time, all the Detectives were gathered in a single office somewhere in the City (I guess like Scotland Yard) versus the regular police officers who were distributed across various Stations around town.  There is a reference in an article in the Sun newspaper in 1914 to a watchmaker in the Strand Arcade, City being robbed, which notes that he 'called up' the 'Detective Office' to have the crime dealt with.

Was there a single 'Detective Office' in Sydney in the City in these years, and if so, where might it have been located?

[maddys52]

Searching for "detective office" in the Sydney Sands Directory for 1915 brings up an entry at 103-107  Phillip St which included the Office of the Inspector General of Police; Office of Metropolitan Superintendents of Police; Detective Office; Criminal Correspondence and Finger Print Branch; Police Department - traffic office; Board for the Protection of Aboriginies; Department of Prisons.

https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1898944?type=all (page 97 of 1490)

[maddys52]

Shows here on this 1910 map (corner of Phillip and Hunter Sts - a block to the left of Hyde Park on this map)
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1709403

[PeterProg]

Thank you Maddy - that's very helpful.

[maddys52]

Some further information here:
https://dev.australianpolice.com.au/historical-info/chronology-of-policing-nsw/criminal-investigation-branch-nsw-police-force/

I think there is a photo of the building they were in on the National Library website, but they seem to be down at the moment. I'll check again later. 

[maddys52]

Here is a link to the photo of the building, however the actual image doesn't seem to display.
https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/6266451

If you do an image search on google for "phillip street police station" you should be able to see the photograph. I'm assuming this building was demolished when Qantas House at Chifley Square was built in the late 1950s.

[maddys52]

Here's some photos taken in 1938, from the City of Sydney Archives.
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/574053?
https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/588574?

[PeterProg]

Thanks again Maddy - that's terrific, much appreciated.