At about 7.00 pm on Monday, 20 March, 1920 Constable Taylor attempted to arrest Timothy Joseph Bennett, a returned soldier who had exhibited symptoms of mental illness. Bennett produced a hand gun and fired at Taylor, fatally wounding him.

Bennett was later arrested by a group of townspeople, who held him pending the arrival of police reinforcements.

He was charged with murdering Taylor, and was brought to trial at Bendigo Supreme Court, where the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insanity. He was then ordered to be detained at the Governor’s pleasure.

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Sunday, 9th January 1921, the motor launch “Nestor” sank in the Hopkins River, near Warrnambool. At the time there were some 80 passengers on the vessel, of whom ten drowned. Amongst the dead was Constable Sharrock who died a hero’s death. Having helped save the life of his sister-in-law and her child, he helped rescue another infant, although he was already exhausted by his efforts in the water. He sank as soon as the second child was placed in safety on a row boat, and was drowned. He was later awarded a posthumous Valour Badge.

At about 10.30 a.m. on Monday, 17th April 1922, Constable O’Neill was riding across the water reserve at Nhill, west of the Golflinks, when his horse caught its left fetlock in a hole. The animal stumbled and threw O’Neill heavily to the ground, at which time he was also struck in the head by a hoof. He was rendered unconscious by the force of the fall, and was taken to a local hospital where he was operated on, but he never recovered. On Wednesday, 3rd May 1922, he died of septic meningitis caused by a compound fracture at the base of the skull.

In 1923 Constable Delaney went to Tyntynder (near Swan Hill) to interview Frederick James Smith, a 15 year old ward of the State, in relation to a burglary.

On his entering Smith’s home the youth challenged Delaney and menaced him with a shot gun. Delaney advanced on the lad who shot and fatally wounded the constable. Smith fled the premises on Delaney’s horse, but surrendered himself to police later the same evening at Nyah West. Smith appeared before the Bendigo Supreme Court charged with murder. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He was further ordered to receive a private whipping of 10 lashes of the birch.

In June 1925 an old aged pensioner named Frank Mahoney was badly burned in a fire at his hut on the riverbank at Shepparton. He adamantly refused police requests to go to Hospital. When they later learned that the old man was living in a state of indescribable filth, totally unable to care for himself, it was resolved to take him to the hospital forcibly. Constable Nelson was one of the men detailed for this task, and he became infected through contact with Mahoney’s septic burns. He developed virulent cellulitis of the nose, face and head, and died at the Mooroopna Hospital at 10.30am Sunday 12 July 1925 as the result of an attack of erysipelas combined with blood poisoning. Mahoney died at the same hospital the day before.

Constable Nelson was posthumously awarded the Police Star, a fitting tribute for his actions.

Stabbed at West Melbourne by Mario Condello, who was later acquitted.

At about 3.15 a.m. on Friday, 1st October 1926, Constable Currie was performing duty as the Wireless Operator in the No. 2 Patrol Car when it accidentally ran into a tramway excavation outside the Alfred Hospital in Commercial Road, Prahran, and overturned. The car crew had been responding to a call that some men had been acting suspiciously in Malthouse Lane, Melbourne. As a result of the accident Currie received severe head injuries and was admitted to the Alfred Hospital, where he died at 7 a.m. the same day. The Coroner later criticised the inadequate manner in which the roadworks had been barricaded.

On the evening of Monday, 23rd April 1928, Constable Maggs was a passenger in a police motor cycle outfit driven by Constable Skilbeck, when they were involved in a collision with a motor car at the intersection of Commercial and St.Kilda Roads. Constable Maggs, who was seriously injured in the accident, was admitted to the Alfred Hospital. A few days later he was transferred to Melbourne Hospital where he died on the afternoon of Saturday, 9th June, 1928. He had apparently been recovering from his injuries when an operation to his throat became necessary.

At about 11.45 a.m. on Thursday, 27th June 1929, Constable Duncan was killed instantly when the motor cycle he was riding collided with a motor truck at the intersection of Grimshaw Road and Greensborough Lane, about four miles from Heidelberg. Duncan was on patrol duty at the time of his death.