Blood on the Badge - True Crime, Courage, and Carnage in Australia's Most Violent Years

Early 20th-century criminals were at their most ruthless, and their excesses left communities shattered.
In a time when handguns, explosives, and ‘Tommie’ guns were weapons of choice, Australia’s police faced down violent offenders without modern tactics or psychological training — relying only on grit, instinct, and sheer physical courage.

Award-winning police veteran Alan Leek brings to life a gripping collection of true stories from an era when danger came with the badge. From the callous Anzac Day shooting of a young constable, to the murder of a decorated country officer whose bravery earned a posthumous George Cross, these are accounts of men who stepped forward when others ran — and often paid with their lives.

Blood on the Badge is a hard-hitting tribute to the forgotten heroes of Australian policing. Through gunfights, prison breakouts, brutal stabbings, and the relentless toll of frontline service, this book reveals the human cost of justice in one of the nation’s most violent periods. These stories are not easy to read — but they must be remembered.