Glen Dunbar Aboriginal policeman at Cherbourg c1950

1945 – A system for Aboriginal Settlement Police is formalized.
Aboriginal police are recruited from within the community. They are poorly trained and their power of arrest is extremely limited. They are underpaid, in comparison with white police officers, for the work they perform.

Through the superintendent, the police are responsible for enforcing the settlement rules. They are responsible for the issue of leave and entry permits, the control of alcohol and escort duties for those who had absconded (ran away). They are responsible for the male prisoners and providing escort to anyone being transferred to another community, in particular Palm Island referred to as Punishment Island.

They were originally referred to as Trackers. Some of the men who served are Jimmy the Tracker, Peter Stanley, Johnno McGrath, Norman Brown, George Munroe, Snowy Fraser, Cecil Garvey, George Rigby, and Fred Becket. Aboriginal sergeants of police have been Livingstone (Livey) Chambers snr, Jack Davidson, Harry Johnson and Godfrey Daylight.