Police - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1973: The Stockholm Bank Siege That Gave Psychology a New Term

On 28 August 1973, Swedish police ended a six-day hostage crisis at Sveriges Kreditbanken in Stockholm by pumping tear gas into the vault where captors and hostages had been confined since 23 August. The standoff concluded not with gratitude but with something far stranger: the hostages insisted on leaving alongside their captors, fearing police would open fire, and then embraced them warmly as the ordeal ended.

The behaviour baffled investigators and onlookers alike. A psychiatrist advising Swedish police coined the term 'Stockholm syndrome' to describe the paradoxical emotional bonds that had formed between the captives and the people holding them at gunpoint. The phrase entered the psychological lexicon and has since been applied to hostage situations around the world.

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Europe Hostage Crisis Kidnapping Police Psychology Siege Stockholm Sweden

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1803: Constable Joseph Luker: the First Police Officer Killed on Duty in Australia

Constable Joseph Luker, a British convict transported to New South Wales on the Third Fleet in 1791, served out his sentence and joined the Night Watch, the colony's fledgling police force. On the night of 25 August 1803, he was called to investigate a robbery at Mary Breeze's brothel on Back Row East in Sydney, telling Breeze he believed he knew who was responsible.

His body was found before dawn behind the establishment, bearing sixteen wounds to the head. The guard of his own cutlass had been driven into his skull, and nearby lay a bloodied barrow wheel and the stolen desk. Surgeon John Harris concluded at least four weapons had been used. Though some of his fellow constables were implicated, no one was ever convicted of his murder. Luker remains the first police officer killed in the line of duty in the history of Australia.

⬅ See all events from 26 August

Australia Cold Case Murder NSW Police Sydney Unsolved

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1977: A Parking Ticket Brings Down the Son of Sam

David Berkowitz, a 24-year-old postal clerk from Yonkers, was arrested and charged as the Son of Sam, the .44-caliber killer who had terrorised New York City across 13 victims and more than a year of terror. The break came not from the massive task force that had spent several million dollars and chased hundreds of suspects, including a priest, freelance journalists, and ex-cops, but from a $35 parking ticket issued by Officer Michael Cataneo on the morning of July 31, 1977, the same night Berkowitz claimed his final victim. The ticket was traced to his 1970 Ford Galaxie.

Neighbours in Yonkers had long suspected something was wrong. Sam Carr, who lived on the street behind Berkowitz, believed Berkowitz had shot his black dog Harvey and had complained to police just days before the arrest. Berkowitz later claimed Harvey the dog had issued him mysterious commands to kill. After more than a year of dead ends, the Son of Sam was undone by a piece of cardboard.

Parking ticket placed on a car windscreen close-up

⬅ See all events from 10 August

Arrest Investigation Murder New York Police Serial Killer USA

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1789: The Birth of Policing in New South Wales

On 8 August 1789, Governor Arthur Phillip authorised the formation of a nightwatch at Sydney Cove, drawing eight of the best-behaved convicts from the colony's population. The Royal Marines, originally tasked with policing duties, had proved unwilling to discipline their fellow convicts, forcing Phillip's hand. A free settler named John Smith had earlier been appointed as the colony's first constable, becoming the first recorded police officer in Australia.

The Night Watch was joined by a Row Boat Guard, also composed of selected convicts. The Night Watch was replaced by the Sydney Foot Police in 1790 and evolved into an organised force that endured until the amalgamation of all New South Wales colonial police forces in 1862.

NSW Police Force recruits training with horses revolvers drill and gear

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Australia Colonial History NSW Police Prison Sydney

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