This book tells the fascinating story of William John MacKay, a man who dominated policing in New South Wales for three decades, until his death in 1948. MacKay was fearless, brilliant and ruthless. He was responsible for beating-up striking unionists, but he also smashed the semi-fascist New Guard when it was a threat to democracy. He reformed and modernized the New South Wales Police Force, and he framed innocent men for capital crimes. He cracked down on organized crime and corruption, and he was himself corrupt. Dogged by scandal, he was the subject of no fewer than seven royal commissions. The story of W.J. MacKay is also the story of policing in Australia, from the 1920s through to the corruption-riddled period after the Second World War. This gripping history explores the messy complexities of police power and sheds new light on a fascinating period in Australian police history

Richard Evans is Honorary Fellow in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University, Australia. His previous books includeDo Police Need Guns? (with Clare Farmer, 2020),Disasters That Changed Australia (2009) andThe Pyjama Girl Mystery (2004).

1. 'The dominant personality in the force': William John MacKay as an exemplar of police power.- 2. 'The ladder of promotion': Leadership and succession in the New South Wales Police Force, 1910-1929.- 3. 'Razorhurst': The expansion of police power, 1927-1930.- 4 'Murderous coppers': Policing the timber strike and the coal lockout, 1929-1930.-  5. 'Fascism, with modifications': The New Guard, the 'Old Guard', and challenges to State power, 1931-32.- 6. 'Belt their bloody heads off': The police response to the New Guard, 1932.- 7. 'A dangerous power': Independence, accountability and the Police Commissioner, 1934-5.- 8. The SP Royal Commission: Police power, corruption and scandal, 1936.- 9.  The Miller scandal: Power, loyalty and police culture, 1937.-  10. 'I am in charge of the police ship': The minister, police unions and the power of the Commissioner, 1938-1942.- 11. Policing 'the abominable crime': Legislated morality, selective enforcement, and the abuse of power, 1937-1943.- 12. The 'appalling vista': Police power and functional injustice, 1944 and 1932.- 13. The Keogh scandal: Unaccountable power and systemic corruption, 1946-7.- 14. 'Visionary yet arrogant': Assessing W.J. MacKay and police power.