[3] Patrick Carroll was then a country policeman who rose to the rank of inspector and retired after 44 years of service.

[2] Carroll was held in high regard by the Queensland Government due to his powers of organisation and discipline both as a military officer and as a civil servant.

[1] In 1933 the Queensland Government was looking round for a man to fill the Commissionership of Police about to be vacated by W. H. Ryan.

Although there were strong candidates among the senior commissioned police officers, the government thought that a thorough reorganisation of the force was required.

[2] During his 15 years as Commissioner, Carroll built the Queensland police force into one of the best organised and most efficient in Australia.

Within the Criminal Investigation Branch he directed the use of modern methods that made crime detection easier.