Gold Stealing Detection Unit
Encyclopedia
The Gold Stealing Detection Unit (GSDU), or Gold Stealing Detective Squad (GSDS), is a special unit of the Western Australian Police
, based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
. It investigates criminal activity and allegations at all stages of the gold production process in the state.
The unit consists of a very small number of detectives but is the oldest specialist police service in Western Australia.
of Western Australia. A Royal Commission
determined in February 1907, that his allegations were justified and a special police service was formed in late 1907.
Previous to this, the Chamber of Mines operated a special service called The Bureau for investigatory services. The Chamber continued to financially support the GSDS. The unit is based now, as it was then, at Egan Street in Kalgoorlie.
. The murders and the subsequent press reporting about the limited resources available to the GSDS at the time had a similar effect of the 1907 reporting of issues. The lengthy investigation, eventual capture, and execution of the murderer was of considerable interest in the Perth press at the time
Walsh and Pitman's funeral in Perth
on 17 May 1926 was a procession watched by thousands, and attended by a large number of police officers. The memorial to the two policemen was originally of low interest however in the year of the states centenary
it was unveiled by the Governor The memorial was originally erected outside the police building in James Street, Perth , moved for a time to the WA Police Headquarters, and is now located in the WA Police Academy at Joondalup.
On 2 October 2007, the unit celebrated its centenary in Kalgoorlie Town Hall.
As 75% of all gold mined in Australia hails from Western Australia, gold mining is an important industry in the state and it is a requirement for anybody to work in the industry to obtain a GSDU clearance certificate. In 2008, 256 tonnes of gold were mined in Western Australia, being worth Aus $12.06 billion to the state.
The functions of the GSDU are:
Western Australia Police
The Western Australia Police services an area of 2.5 million square kilometres, the world's largest non-federated area of jurisdiction. In 2008, its 7,526 employees included 5,647 police officers.-History:-Early history:...
, based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It investigates criminal activity and allegations at all stages of the gold production process in the state.
The unit consists of a very small number of detectives but is the oldest specialist police service in Western Australia.
History
The squad was formed in 1907, at a time when gold theft was rife in the region. It was formed after Detective Sergeant Kavanagh, in charge of the Kalgoorlie police, submitted a report in 1906 on the seriousness of gold theft in the Eastern GoldfieldsEastern Goldfields
The Eastern Goldfields is a figurative area used in speech to describe a region of Western Australia.-Name:The name is derived in two parts from, Eastern in relation to its location from Perth and Goldfields as the name suggests comes from the mining of Gold in the region...
of Western Australia. A Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
determined in February 1907, that his allegations were justified and a special police service was formed in late 1907.
Previous to this, the Chamber of Mines operated a special service called The Bureau for investigatory services. The Chamber continued to financially support the GSDS. The unit is based now, as it was then, at Egan Street in Kalgoorlie.
Walsh and Pitman
In April 1926, Inspector John Walsh and Sergeant Alexander Pitman of the GSDS were murdered while investigating gold theft. Their bodies were dumped down a mine shaft near BoulderBoulder, Western Australia
Boulder was a town in the Western Australian goldfields east of Perth and bordering onto the town of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields region. Until 1989 it was part of its own municipality. In 1989 the towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder were merged to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
. The murders and the subsequent press reporting about the limited resources available to the GSDS at the time had a similar effect of the 1907 reporting of issues. The lengthy investigation, eventual capture, and execution of the murderer was of considerable interest in the Perth press at the time
Walsh and Pitman's funeral in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
on 17 May 1926 was a procession watched by thousands, and attended by a large number of police officers. The memorial to the two policemen was originally of low interest however in the year of the states centenary
Centenary of Western Australia
In 1929, Western Australia celebrated the centenary of the founding of Perth and the establishment of the Swan River Colony, the first permanent European settlement...
it was unveiled by the Governor The memorial was originally erected outside the police building in James Street, Perth , moved for a time to the WA Police Headquarters, and is now located in the WA Police Academy at Joondalup.
Recent history
The squad was part of the Western Australian Police Department until 31 May 1995, when the latter became the Western Australia Police Service.On 2 October 2007, the unit celebrated its centenary in Kalgoorlie Town Hall.
As 75% of all gold mined in Australia hails from Western Australia, gold mining is an important industry in the state and it is a requirement for anybody to work in the industry to obtain a GSDU clearance certificate. In 2008, 256 tonnes of gold were mined in Western Australia, being worth Aus $12.06 billion to the state.
Services
The GSDU provides the only regular police service to many of the isolated mines in Western Australia.The functions of the GSDU are:
- Security: Provide clearance certificates, inspections, advice and education.
- Investigation: Prosecution of gold theft.
Strength
The GSDU currently consists of six detectives, funded entirely by the WA Chamber of Mines.Operations
- In April 1926, two inspectors of the GSDS were murdered while investigating gold theft. Their bodies were dumped down a mine shaft near BoulderBoulder, Western AustraliaBoulder was a town in the Western Australian goldfields east of Perth and bordering onto the town of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields region. Until 1989 it was part of its own municipality. In 1989 the towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder were merged to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
. - In October 2004, it arrested six men in NorsemanNorseman, Western AustraliaNorseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, east of Perth and above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border to the...
and charged them with offences ranging from stealing to possessing unlicensed firearms. - In January 2009, GSDU charged six men with theft of safety equipment at mines.