Some time ago I saw a notebook which was being trialed by the QPS. It was somewhat smaller than the one which was used by Queensland police officers for many years. The only change until this recent trial was when the notebooks were numbered in the early 1970s. As the Detective Sergeant who showed me the trial notebook did not know the history of the numbering, I will tell you about it because few know about its background.

This change came about because of a recommendation made by two New Scotland Yard investigators who were brought to Queensland by then-Police Minister, Max Hodges, to investigate what he believed was the unlawful involvement of police officers in off-the- course starting price betting, prostitution and gaming. (Readers will quickly realise that these same three subjects were to the fore in the Commission of Inquiry which commenced in 1987.)

Four Queensland police officers, including myself, were deputed to work with these two investigators who unearthed little or no evidence against any serving or former Queensland police officer. To the best of my knowledge, there was no recommendation of any substance made against any police officer.

But I recall distinctly one of the investigators expressing concern when he found that one of the police officers interviewed had more than one official notebook. (Memories will tell readers whether this practice was widespread or not and particularly among detectives.)

Overcoming this practice was one of the few recommendations made by the investigators, and soon after, all notebooks were numbered, were recorded in a register at the time of issue and again upon completion, and recorded in another register when they were inspected each month. While some of these processes may have been undertaken previously, they were not as distinct as those implemented following the recommendation being approved.

While the police notebook does not appear to be the main recording device of a police officer that it was twenty or so years ago, those who have used it since the early 1970s would have been subject to greater checks and balances than those in place before they were numbered.