Early Australian policing had its roots on the streets of Dublin and London, where many of Australia’s first law and order enforcers hailed from.

Intrigued by this connection, historian Anastasia Dukova has researched and recreated the lives of colonial police officers and criminals in her adopted home city of Brisbane. Through exploring their personal stories, Dukova highlights how biography and history are inextricably linked and reveals the differences between metropolitan aspirations and colonial reality.

To Preserve and Protect exposes political power abuse, corruption, mismanagement, professional burnout and gendered justice, issues which continue to challenge police forces.