History

Imagine a river town so lively with trade that it also became a magnet for trouble.

The building you see today was completed in 1914, but it was not the first police post in Johor Bahru. It replaced two earlier attempts, the last of which stood on Bukit Polis. Its new home on Jalan Sawmill was no accident either. This stretch near the Segget River sat at the centre of the city's trade and commerce, and the rise of secret societies among the clan communities made a stronger police presence necessary.

More than a century later, the building is still standing exactly where it was needed most.

Why It Matters

Most colonial era buildings this old end up as museums. This one never stopped working.

The Johor Bahru Central Police Station remains an active police station today, doing the very same job it was built for back in 1914.

That kind of unbroken continuity makes it a living link between old Johor Bahru's rowdier days and the city's present-day law enforcement.

Travel Tips

• Reachable by bus from JOTIC. Check the route link for timing.

• It's an active government building, so this is a viewing-and-photo stop from the outside, not a walk-in visit.

• Look for the original colonial architectural details, like the arches, roofline, and brickwork, still intact despite over 100 years of continuous use.

• Pair this stop with a mention of the old Segget River trade area for extra context on why it was built exactly here.

💡 Did You Know? 

• The stretch of road this station once policed had a genuinely rough reputation tied to the secret societies it was built to contain. Today that same stretch sits beside modern motorway flyovers leading straight to the Singapore causeway.