Police Life SPRING/SUMMER 2021

THE VICTORIA POLICE MAGAZINE

SPRING/SUMMER 2021-2022

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Taking stock FROM WORKING THE VAN FOR 38 YEARS TO TAKING CARRIAGE OF EQUIPMENT ISSUING, A POLICE OFFICER IN SOUTH-EAST MELBOURNE LOOKS BACK ON AN EVENTFUL CAREER.

PLUS USING SCIENCE TO TACKLE CRIME > A KILLER CRAFTING OF A CRIME SCENE > NATIONAL POLICE REMEMBRANCE DAY AND MORE

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SPRING 2021

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Fighting back After an horrific accident nearly left him paralysed, Acting Sergeant Darren Murrihy is fighting his way back into work.

COVER: After working on divisional vans for an impressive 38 years, Leading Senior Constable Andy Haines knows that general duties policing is anything but monotonous.

Driving respect Two beautifully-marked police cars representing the growing relationship between local police and the First People of our nation can now be spotted on the roads.

Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann Police Life is produced by the Media, Communications and Engagement Department, Victoria Police, GPO Box 913, Melbourne, 3001 Online police.vic.gov.au/policelife facebook.com/victoriapolice twitter.com/victoriapolice

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Email policelife-mgr@police.vic.gov.au Managing Editor Beck Angel Editors Grant Condon Danielle Ford Journalists Nadine Lyford Cassandra Stanghi Emily Wan Jesse Wray-McCann Graphic Design Fluid – fluid.com.au Subscriptions (03) 8553 8566

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Tackling gun crime The newly-established Illicit Firearms Squad is working to disrupt the movement of guns through criminal networks and hold offenders to account.

Stopping the flow It was all-hands-on-deck as Victoria Police led a multi-agency operation to stop illegal goods and drugs from making their way into Australia.

FSC POSITIONAL ONLY PRINTER TO STRIP IN. 100% From wellmanaged forests

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For permission to reprint any part of this magazine, contact the editor.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Victoria Police.

REGULARS

PLUS

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By the numbers Out and About Behind the Badge In Brief

True Crime The case that sticks out in Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent’s memory more than 20 years later due to a crafty reminder from the hands of the killer.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER Policing can be demanding and unpredictable, and our focus on meeting community safety needs means we can become caught up responding to incident after incident or issue after issue. It is important that we occasionally pause to consider the overall picture and reflect on our actions.

Pleasingly (although any crime is one too many), the crime statistics for the year ending March 2021 were down by 1.8 per cent from the previous 12-month period with 532,271 criminal offences reported in Victoria.

When coronavirus (COVID-19) penalty infringement notices are removed, the number of criminal offences reported fell by 8.8 per cent, the largest percentage decrease since the LEAP crime recording database was introduced in 1993.

This data informs our planning and the strategies Victoria Police develops to further reduce crime so that you, the community, are safe and feel safe. A great example of 2

POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

this is Operation Capesso. This initiative has been trialled during the COVID-19 environment and involves increased police engagement with repeat and high-risk offenders to deter these individuals from reoffending. You can learn more about the trial in this edition of Police Life.

We also share some of the first-year successes of the Illicit Firearms Squad within Crime Command in targeting and disrupting sources of illicit firearms and in preventing harm.

We continue to modernise our infrastructure, most notably through the establishment of a new police headquarters housing more than 5300 staff in the one complex and in our new state-of-the-art Werribee Police Complex.

Even though Victoria Police has been impacted by the demands of COVID-19 response priorities, you will see that we have maintained our core policing service delivery to the community and remain focused on meeting community safety needs into the future.

Stay safe.

MAKING NEWS For the latest police news visit police.vic.gov.au/news

VIRTUALLY TRAINING Police recruits are getting immersive experience in dealing with critical incidents before they even graduate from the Victoria Police Academy, thanks to a virtual reality (VR) simulation training trial at the Operational Safety Tactics Training complex.

Equipped with a VR headset, headphones and a replica long-arm, participants are fully immersed in high-pressure scenarios including a group hostage situation at a city location, hostile vehicle incidents in confined and open spaces, and armed offenders with extremist views.

The Operational Safety Division has been trialling the simulation training since April 2021 but the program has been years in the making, with Inspector Paul O’Loughlin looking into the technology since 2017.

“This technology helps fill the void that exists in traditional training of scenarios that are too dangerous to replicate in real life,” Insp O’Loughlin said.

“The aim of this VR training is for recruits to feel more confident in making justifiable decisions in a stressful, critical incident environment where there is a perceived real threat to their life.”

Probationary constables Alannah Lewis and Jonah Carey recently completed the training and agreed that while the VR headset might look like a bit of fun, the experience was no video game.

“I was apprehensive because it was so real. My heart was racing. I was a bit sweaty. I definitely noticed the physical side of it,” Const Lewis said.

“It’s a lot to take in – there’s so much to think about with different things happening at different times and threats coming from different places, so you’ve got to be on your toes,” Const Carey said.

Operational Safety Division Superintendent Ross McNeill said the use of VR technology was reflective of Victoria Police’s reputation as a leader in modern training techniques.

“Training is an evolution that we progress in line with technologies, academic thinking and a whole range of things that come into play over time to create and enhance a better environment,” Supt McNeil said.

“By constantly evolving our training, we’re making sure our recruits and officers are getting the most relevant and useful information needed to do their jobs.”

Following the success of the trial to date, the Operational Safety Division will continue the pilot into a second phase beginning soon.

Images A virtual look OSTT training has become even more immersive, with new virtual reality technology now being used at the Victoria Police Academy.

Editorial: Cassandra Stanghi Photography: Darren Tindale POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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SMALL TALK VOXPOP

NEWS BRIEF

What technological advancement has made your job better?

DETECTIVE SERGEANT MATT GILDEA Central Victoria Sexual Offences and Child abuse Investigation Team The introduction of a dedicated, specialised e-crime analyst in our area has been invaluable. The role of that position is to search for data on devices, which we then use to help build our case in investigations into child abuse and sexual offence matters. Rather than our detectives having to spend their time having to search those devices, the e-crime analyst focuses on that for us, allowing us to be continuing other parts of the investigation.

ACTING SERGEANT JANE THORN Frankston Police Station

Using iPads has made a huge difference for us because they give us quick access to all the information we need out in the field. It’s really like taking our desk out into the field but in one small package. Being able to see what our units are doing at any time is really helpful and we can also watch Air Wing footage out in the field while we’re doing a pursuit, rather than back at the station.

BE PART OF THE STORY Join the Conversation Police Life loves hearing what you think about the magazine, your local police and Victoria Police in general.

Police Life GPO Box 913 Melbourne, 3001 Email: policelife-mgr@police.vic.gov.au

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POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

Victoria Police has once again been crowned Emergency Services Blood Challenge champions for the fifth consecutive year.

emergency services has fuelled the challenge, the impact each donation has on Australians in need is what really matters.

The challenge — which encourages emergency services employees to roll up their sleeves to make life-saving blood donations in the name of friendly competition – has resulted in more than 1500 blood, plasma and platelet donations from Victoria Police employees over the three-month period, securing the top place.

Donations made by Victoria Police employees have saved more than 4500 lives — an effort that everyone who has participated should be incredibly proud of.

While the friendly competition between

More information about the annual challenge, and about donating blood, can be found at donateblood.com.au/lifeblood-teams/ emergency-services.

SECRET LIFE OF POLICE In her work as a police officer, Detective Senior Constable Marina Wientjens plays her part in keeping Victoria safe.

And in her hobby as a beekeeper, Det Sen Const Wientjens plays her part in saving the planet.

Having come from a family of farmers and an agricultural background, Det Sen Const Wientjens had long been interested in bees.

But in recent years, she has begun to pay more attention to the fact that bees, with their role in pollinating plants, are crucial to the survival of not just humans, but animals and plants across the planet.

“They’re tiny and it’s amazing what they are doing for us every day without us realising it,” Det Sen Const Wientjens said.

“The majority of the fruits and vegetables in our supermarkets can only be grown and harvested to sell on to us consumers because of the pollination of bees.

“Beekeeping really gives you a sense of appreciation for these little creatures that are sustaining the food sources that keep us alive.”

Det Sen Const Wientjens, who has worked as a detective in several specialist Crime Command units and taskforces, said much of the work in beekeeping comes down to carefully monitoring the hive and keeping the bees safe.

“I’m always making sure they’re safe from animals, vermin, bugs and other threats,” she said.

“It’s also about checking the hive frames for the ratios of honey to larvae, finding the queen and checking on her health, as well as the health of the whole hive.

“So there’s a lot of watching involved. My babies and I just sit there and watch them from a safe distance – it’s quite mesmerising and meditative.”

But Det Sen Const Wientjens loves when it comes time to don her beekeeping suit and open up the hive.

“It’s a bit of child-free time because, when I open up the hive, they can’t get too close,” she said.

“I get just a bit of me time with the girls — the bees, not my babies.”

Having started her first hive on her sevenacre property in south-east Victoria last year, Det Sen Const Wientjens, her husband and their children are looking forward to their first honey harvest this spring.

“With toddler-aged children, we go through a lot of honey,” she said.

The honey her children don’t devour will be placed alongside lemons, herbs and eggs for sale on the roadside produce stall her husband made during last year’s lockdowns.

“The kids love to go up there, restock the stall, check the money tin and see how the local community is getting involved,” Det Sen Const Wientjens said.

“There’s a real disconnect with people understanding where their food comes from, so I’m glad my babies are getting an appreciation for agriculture and it’s something they’re sharing with their friends.”

Image Image Beekeeping Det Sen Const Marina Wientjens is passionate about protecting the dwindling bee population.

Editorial: Jesse Wray-McCann Photography: Supplied

VICTORIA POLICE

BY THE NUMBERS:

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people were targeted in Operation Capesso, a ground-breaking, evidence-based pilot project aimed at engaging with previous offenders in a effort to stop them from committing further crimes. Read more on Page 20.

52 EDITIONS

of Police Life dating back to 2010 are available to be read online.

Take a stroll down Victoria Police’s memory lane or catch up on any editions you may have missed at issuu.com/policelife.

9 unsolved killings have already been featured on Victoria Police’s new Cold Case Hub. Visit police.vic.gov.au/coldcase-stories to find out more about these horrific crimes and hear directly from homicide investigators handling the case.

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Farm Crime Liaison Officers (FCLOs) are based at police stations across Victoria.

These officers specialise in investigating farm-related crimes such as livestock theft.

cars belonging to hoons won’t be hitting the road any time soon unless their owners bring the vehicles up to scratch. Police inspected the vehicles in August as part of Operation Achilles.

The cars were already impounded as a result of illegal hoon driving offences, including burnouts and speeding and the defect notices mean the owners will need to collect their cars from the impound unit with a tow truck or a trailer, and once they have fixed the defect will need to obtain a roadworthy certificate before the car is allowed back on Victorian roads.

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names were added to the Victoria Police Memorial in Kings Domain Gardens on September 29 this year for National Police Remembrance Day. Find out more about these men who lost their lives in service of Victoria Police on pages 16 and 17.

45,000 COVID-19 tests have been performed on police and PSOs working on Operation Tidewatch, with no positive results being returned.

536 guns were seized by Victoria Police’s Illicit Firearms Squad in the first six months of this year. Find out more about the dedicated squad’s first year of operation on Page 22.

100,000 shifts have been worked by police and protective services officers for Operation Tidewatch, Victoria Police’s operation to carry out supervision, enforcement and compliance duties at all quarantine and health hotels.

Read more on Page 28.

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Making a fighting return After an horrific accident nearly left him paralysed, Acting Sergeant Darren Murrihy has overcome all the odds and is now working at getting himself fit for a return to the frontline.

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As Acting Sergeant Darren Murrihy fires off rounds from his semi-automatic pistol in the shooting range at the Victoria Police Academy, the target he hits with remarkable accuracy is adorned with symbols of luck.

On the rectangle board that hangs metres away, the playing card icons of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades surround the silhouette of a person at its centre.

It’s symbolically fitting, because the very fact A/ Sgt Murrihy is alive today comes down to pure luck.

It’s a cold, wet day in May 2021 when A/Sgt Murrihy is nearing the end of his Operational Safety and Tactics Training (OSTT) — mandatory lessons covering skills such as personal defence tactics, firearm use and arrest techniques — that all police complete every year to remain able to serve on the frontline.

The events that aligned to save A/Sgt Murrihy’s life were indeed remarkable.

Firstly, his crash was witnessed by an occupational therapist named Nikki, who recognised that A/Sgt Murrihy had suffered a serious spinal injury. Nikki’s husband had been a ski patroller for more than 15 years, meaning she knew to immediately alert ski-lift operators, who quickly contacted the on-duty ski patrollers.

The ski patrollers arrived in just four minutes.

Fortunately, A/Sgt Murrihy was laying only 400 metres from the medical centre. He was unconscious, but medics cleared his tongue from blocking his airway and then stabilised his body with a vacuum spinal board, which was instrumental in minimising further spinal damage.

For most police, it’s a routine part of their job, but for A/Sgt Murrihy it’s an extraordinary milestone in a recovery from an accident that almost killed him in the Victorian snowfields.

An air ambulance, remarkably already in the area for another incident, made A/Sgt Murrihy the priority and arrived in just 20 minutes. The clear weather allowed it to land just 500 metres from the incident scene.

It was 3 September 2018 when A/Sgt Murrihy and a colleague headed to the mountains to make the most of a weekend of good snowfall.

From the accident at about 11.30am, A/Sgt Murrihy was in the air on his way to hospital by 1.30pm.

After a morning spent skiing the slopes of Mount Buller, A/Sgt Murrihy was coming to the end of a ski-cross course when he tried to bring his board to a stop.

Three days later he underwent painstaking surgery at the Austin Hospital where a small piece of bone from his hip and screws were used to stabilise the fracture.

However, the board dug in and A/Sgt Murrihy was thrown face-first into the snow and hard ice, changing his life forever.

There, he regained consciousness for the first time since the accident. He had no memory of his trip to the snow and no use of his body below his neck, but he did have some feeling in his feet.

The impact of the fall fractured the C2 vertebrae of A/Sgt Murrihy’s spine. It was a grade three fracture, the most severe for injuries of that nature.

Well known for being one of the injuries that paralysed famed Superman actor Christopher Reeve, it holds a macabre nickname for its usual fatal severity — the hangman’s fracture.

When the accident occurred, A/Sgt Murrihy was making the most of his career with Victoria Police, which began in 2010.

Since 2015, he had been an operator within the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), one of Victoria Police’s go-to units for specialist tactics, equipment, and trained negotiators for incidents such as sieges, suicide intervention, and counter terrorism response.

He had an active lifestyle and was a loving husband with three young boys, all aged under four at the time.

In short, A/Sgt Murrihy had every reason to cling to life as he lay injured in the snow.

“My wife puts it best. She says the universe realised it made a mistake when I had my accident and went about fixing it,” A/Sgt Murrihy said.

“Even though what happened to me was terrible, everything that happened afterwards was near-perfect and allowed me to make the recovery I have made.”

A/Sgt Murrihy spent another week in intensive care before being moved to a dedicated spinal ward, coincidentally on his youngest son’s first birthday.

The surgery was eventually revealed to be a success and, slowly but surely, A/Sgt Murrihy started to wrestle back control of his broken body, with his competitive edge coming to the fore.

“One of my first exercises was breathing into an apparatus to build lung capacity and remove fluid. That machine gives you a score. I wanted to know my score every time, so I could beat it next time,” A/Sgt Murrihy said.

“That was my mindset — I don’t need to achieve greatness in a short amount of time, I’ve just got to be better than I was last time.”

A week after the surgery, A/Sgt Murrihy began to move his fingers. Unable to move anything else, he went through the exercise of touching his thumb to the tip of each of his fingers for hours at a time.

Another week later, A/Sgt Murrihy was able to stand again.

“It was a difficult, complicated process, but the first time I tried, I stood up. Once I stood up, I knew at that moment I was going to be able

to walk, and if I was going to be able to walk, I knew I’d be able to run. It just went on from there,” he said.

Seven weeks after his accident, A/Sgt Murrihy left the rehabilitation centre, walking out the doors unassisted.

While much of his focus throughout his rehabilitation had been on what it would mean for his personal and family life, returning to his life in uniform remained a key goal.

After all, A/Sgt Murrihy had seen the best of the blue family as his colleagues rallied around him.

His supervising officer, Superintendent Steve Reynolds, attended the hospital on the night of the accident when things were touch and go.

“He would have faced some confronting things that night. I can’t speak more highly of Steve and the support he gave myself and my family throughout my recovery,” A/Sgt Murrihy said.

In April 2019, seven months after his accident, A/Sgt Murrihy put on the uniform and went back to work. Still recovering from his accident, he entered a growing network of non-operational positions purposefully created by Victoria Police for officers who are returning to work after a period of time off, be it for injuries, mental health reasons or maternity leave.

A/Sgt Murrihy was stationed at the Divisional Operations Support Office (DOSO) at the Geelong Police Station, helping frontline police by providing real-time monitoring of police and public systems, including CCTV, police radio communications and crime activity and trends.

“To have these non-operational positions is so important in allowing people return to full-time duties progressively and in an environment that is a lot less stressful and demanding than the frontline,” A/Sgt Murrihy said.

After two years at the DOSO and having passed his OSTT qualification without issue, A/Sgt Murrihy is now eyeing a return to frontline duties. Getting back into his beloved CIRT is something he also refuses to take off the table.

Regardless of what his future looks like, A/Sgt Murrihy will always be thankful. Thankful for the unwavering support of his wife and children, the ski patrollers and paramedics that saved his life, the doctors, nurses and health professionals who helped fix his injuries and get him back on his feet, his police colleagues who checked in on him, the management team at the Geelong Police Station that helped him get back to work, and his family who supported him.

“What can I say other than thank you, to everyone involved,” Sgt Murrihy said.

“I’m only here today because of them.”

Image Fighting fit The fact A/Sgt Darren Murrihy can still walk is an incredible feat on its own, but now he is working towards a return to the frontline.

Editorial and photography: Grant Condon

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TRUE CRIME

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crafting a CRIME SCENE In the more than 20 years since Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent was a detective senior constable at the Homicide Squad, some murder investigations stick in his memory more than others.

A killing at a restaurant in Footscray in 1997 is one such case, made forever memorable for DC Nugent by a diorama meticulously crafted and sent to him by the killer while they were in custody awaiting trial.

The three-dimensional model of the crime scene today sits in DC Nugent’s office alongside other memorabilia from his career.

The diorama is often a conversation piece when people meet with the Deputy Commissioner, who shows that the years have not dulled his

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recollection of the events, nor his impeccable pronunciation of the names of those involved in the case.

At the beginning of January 1997, Melbourne residents Teklemariam Abebe and Gidey Hadgu, while still husband and wife on paper, had been separated for several months.

Abebe, aged 46 and originally from Ethiopia, had been offering his help to Ms Hadgu as she set up and ran the African Mesob restaurant in Barkly Street, Footscray.

At the trial, Abebe asserted that Ms Hadgu, from Eritrea, considered their marriage over and had begun seeing another man named Kassa Wube, aged 39.

It was alleged that there had long been animosity between Abebe and Mr Wube.

Abebe had claimed his marriage had broken down because Mr Wube would regularly visit Ms Hadgu in the months and years in the leadup to the separation.

On 2 January 1997, Abebe arrived at the restaurant after midday and saw Mr Wube was sitting and reading a newspaper in the kitchen while Ms Hadgu was preparing food.

Abebe asked his estranged wife why Mr Wube was there and she told him Mr Wube was her lover and they would become husband and wife.

Abebe grabbed a knife and told Ms Hadgu he was going to kill her and plunged the knife towards her lower back.

Ms Hadgu tried to protect herself and suffered three major stab wounds to her forearm before running out the restaurant’s rear door.

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Abebe then leapt at Mr Wube and stabbed him three times in the chest before stealing a car parked at the rear of the restaurant and fleeing the scene.

DC Nugent, then a detective senior constable, received a call at 1.35pm informing him of the attack and that Mr Wube was not expected to live.

DC Nugent organised Crime Scene Services officers to begin processing the scene at the restaurant and, at 2pm, he was told Mr Wube had died.

He and fellow Homicide Squad colleague then Detective Senior Constable, now Inspector Dean Thomas arrived at the scene at 3pm to consider the evidence and speak to witnesses.

At his 10-day trial in May 1999, Abebe pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court to all four charges – attempted murder, intentionally causing serious injury, murder and theft of a motor vehicle.

Abebe’s defence was that he had been provoked into acting the way he did, claiming that Mr Wube smiled at him arrogantly when Ms Hadgu said he was her lover.

Abebe also told the court he had been upset, stressed and ashamed about rumours of Ms Hadgu and Mr Wube’s relationship swirling through Melbourne’s Ethiopian community.

Abebe explained he had given untruthful answers in his police interview because he was too ashamed to tell DC Nugent his wife was having an affair.

About 4pm, they went to Western General Hospital to see Ms Hadgu, organise language interpreters and collect more evidence.

When the jury returned not-guilty verdicts on the first two counts — attempted murder of Ms Hadgu and intentionally causing serious injury — DC Nugent was a little surprised.

“We were building a picture of what had occurred so that it would assist us with locating who the accused was and for any subsequent interviews,” DC Nugent said.

“At that point, I remember thinking, ‘It will be interesting to see what the jury verdict will be in relation to the murder charge’,” he said.

They soon identified Abebe as the suspect and visited a number of addresses to try to track him down before attending the Coroner’s Court for the post-mortem on Mr Wube’s body in the evening.

After being told the suspect had handed himself in at Melbourne West Police Station, DC Nugent took Abebe into custody and began interviewing him at 8pm.

“He was calm, answered the questions we put to him and he was cooperative,” DC Nugent said.

But when he was asked why he had stabbed Ms Hadgu and Mr Wube just hours earlier, Abebe told DC Nugent he could not remember the reason.

The jury, however, found Abebe guilty of murder.

Abebe was sentenced to 12 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of nine years and six months.

But in September 2000, Abebe successfully appealed the murder conviction on the basis that the trial judge had misdirected the jury on the matter of provocation by not giving enough weight to the Ethiopian cultural values and sensitivities that contributed to Abebe’s shame and humiliation.

The murder conviction was changed to manslaughter and Abebe was given a new sentence of eight years’ jail, with a minimum of six years.

The defence of provocation in murder cases was later abolished in Victoria in 2005, due in part to the fact it had commonly been used by men who killed their female partners in instances of infidelity or when their partner wanted to end the relationship.

“It was a really interesting case and it still sticks with me to this day,” DC Nugent said.

After all these years, DC Nugent still doesn’t know why Abebe made the diorama for him.

Made of cardboard and painted with precision, the diorama shows the numbered positions of people and witnesses at the crime scene, and even includes intricate details such as the fly strips on the front door and a Christmas tree painted on the front window.

“The note he sent with it simply said something to the effect of, ‘Dear Detective Nugent, I put this together on remand and here it is’,” DC Nugent said.

“Maybe it’s something that helped him process what had gone on because, even though he pleaded not guilty, he had still taken someone’s life.”

As DC Nugent changed work locations and moved up through the ranks over the years, he kept the diorama.

“I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out, but I don’t know why,” he said.

“Maybe because it’s so unique.”

Images Model of a murder 01 As DC Rick Nugent moved offices and up through the ranks, he has held on this unique diorama.

02 The model of the crime scene is intricate in design with numbering to display the timeline of events.

03 Great detail was put into the diorama, even down to the objects painted on benches.

04 A close up look at the diorama Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

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FUTURE PROOFING

Community Policing

The stark difference between the dated brick building of the old Werribee Police Station and the new state-of-the-art Werribee Police Complex is a fitting representation of how the community and policing in the area has changed over the years.

The City of Wyndham, the council area Werribee falls within, today has a population of nearly 303,000 and is among the fastestgrowing local government areas (LGAs) in Victoria.

“As the population grows, so does the amount of work for police in the area.

With about 19,000 new residents moving to the region each year, it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon and the City of Wyndham Council expects the population to be more than 500,000 by 2041.

Adapting to the increasing workload has meant Werribee has become home to more policing units over the years, covering a range of specialist areas.

Werribee Senior Sergeant Stephen O'Connell knows firsthand just how rapidly the area is growing.

Not only has he worked at the station for more than a decade, he has been a resident of Werribee for just as long.

“There’s a new housing development popping up every week it seems, bringing more and more residents to the area,” Sen Sgt Cooper said.

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“When I first started at Werribee, we probably got half the jobs through in a shift that we do now, and it continues to grow each year.”

The brand new, state-of-the-art Werribee Police Complex, which opened in July, now houses local uniform police along with specialist family violence, sexual offences and crime investigation units.

“With such a large population, we see all ranges of crimes in the area and we now have all of our policing resources in the one place, which makes it easier for them to collaborate to best investigate all types of crime,” Sen Sgt O'Connell said.

In addition to being a large community, Sen Sgt Cooper also noted that the diversity of the community adds another point of difference to policing in the area.

City of Wyndham Council statistics show that almost half of all residents in the LGA were born overseas, coming from 162 different countries.

The LGA also has the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Greater Melbourne.

“It’s important for us to ensure we are working with all these different cultural communities to address their needs, issues or concerns regarding criminal activity,” Sen Sgt O'Connell said.

“Having people come from such diverse backgrounds means there are many different views on police and we work hard to embed ourselves in these communities to let them know we are here to help them should they ever need us.”

Senior Sergeant Vanessa Tzounos said the new complex — which was funded as part of the 2017-18 state budget — provides outstanding facilities to help police in their duties and that the development and design were done with the community front of mind.

“The local management here was very involved in the design of the new complex and worked hard to make sure it was a facility that would best serve our diverse, growing community for years to come,” Sen Sgt Tzounos said.

“We wanted to create a more open and welcoming environment to foster more opportunities for the community to interact with police and help shape local priorities.”

Sen Sgt O'Connell said every day he goes to work he has one goal in mind.

“I’m passionate about making Werribee the best, safest place it can be,” he said.

“As someone who lives in this community and is raising my children in this community, I have a vested interest in ensuring we are providing policing that is inclusive and accessible and that the community trusts.

“AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN THIS COMMUNITY AND IS RAISING MY CHILDREN IN THIS COMMUNITY, I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN ENSURING WE ARE PROVIDING POLICING THAT IS INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE AND THAT THE COMMUNITY TRUSTS.” Sen Sgt Stephen O'Connell

“That is the message the management makes clear to every member who walks through the doors here, whatever their rank or position.”

Images Connected team The new Werribee Police Complex has been designed with the diverse community in mind and provides a modern, future-proofed facility to help local police continue to best serve the growing population.

Editorial: Danielle Ford Photography: Grant Condon POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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BEHIND THE BADGE

JEREMY OLIVER Rank: First Constable Age: 38 Graduated: 2018 Station: Southern Metro Region LGBTIQ Liaison Officer

Why did you join Victoria Police?

To interact with all different communities and people, to help people navigate through challenging situations, knowing I could make a very small difference. To provide a high level of customer service, work outdoors and across different locations, to work in large teams and experience different roles across the organisation over time.

Most importantly, I researched Victoria Police's welfare and support for LGBTIQ employees and the opportunities they have in place were very encouraging such as the LGBTIQ Academy student network, LGBTIQ Liaison Officer (LLO) program, VP Pride Network, silver Australian Workplace Equality Index accreditation, LGBTIQ Inclusion Strategy, Proud, Visible, Safe report, marching in Pride March, and much more.

Tell us about your current role?

I am Victoria Police’s second full-time LLO and I work within the Southern Metro Region Community Engagement Team. I currently sit within the Prahran Police Station.

Externally, I have a strong focus on establishing trust and developing the relationship between police and the LGBTIQ community through engagement with LGBTIQ organisations, community groups, businesses, networks, sports teams and more. I act as a contact point for the newly-opened Victorian Pride Centre in St Kilda and I will represent Victoria Police at LGBTIQ events and when recognising days of significance.

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Internally, I will be providing training, education, and resources to the LLOs, provide operational support and advice to frontline members and specialist units, support employees who identify as LGBTIQ with welfare, and support the organisation with LGBTIQ programs of work.

Prior to this, I was at Collingwood Police Station and was a LLO, a Peer Support Officer and a council member of the Victoria Police Pride Network.

Tell us about why you wanted to take on this role?

I saw that this role combines my knowledge and understanding of police services, my passion for community engagement and customer service and my advocacy for my own community.

Being a new role, it would give me the opportunity to expand on the great work that is already being done and, having worked in Collingwood, it meant I would change regions and I could learn a lot more.

Victoria Police really works hard to build its relationship with the LGBTIQ community, and I wanted to be part of this work and be mentored by the champions doing this work.

Can you name a highlight of your time with Victoria Police?

I have had so many great moments over the past few years, particularly my squad at the Academy, being part of the LGBTIQ student network, being a LLO at Collingwood, doing the Peer Support training course, marching in Pride Marches, secondments, working at the border, night shifts and more.

But my highlight would be my three years working at Collingwood Station and the invaluable mentoring and guidance I received from senior sergeants, sergeants and senior constables. They helped shape the police officer I am today and encouraged me the entire time. The people I have worked with have really been a highlight of the job.

What do you hope to do in your role as a fulltime LLO? I hope to provide safe and supportive avenues for LGBTIQ people to come forward and report prejudice-motivated crime and family violence to police. To break down barriers for them to reach out and ask for advice and to positively engage with us out on the street. To provide quality referrals to LGBTIQ people and to celebrate LGBTIQ events and days of significance.

I hope to boost the awareness of our LLOs and our allies and the important role they play in amplifying LGBTIQ voices and stories, helping stamp out discriminatory behaviours, and having conversations with peers about LGBTIQ issues.

I hope to improve on LGBTIQ education and awareness for frontline members and specialist units.

And lastly, I hope that if you are questioning or struggling with your gender identity or sexuality, that you please speak to someone trusted, welfare services or myself, because you are not alone.

ROAD TO RESPECT It was at a 2019 community meeting with Aboriginal Elders in Wodonga that Superintendent Joy Arbuthnot asked what Victoria Police could do to further improve relations between Aboriginal people and police.

“Their response to me was that they wanted to be respected and recognised as our nation’s First People,” Supt Arbuthnot said.

The first goal for Supt Arbuthnot was to ensure all police stations in the division flew the Aboriginal flag alongside the Australian flag “I hit my first hurdle there, because some of our stations didn’t even have one flagpole, let alone two," she said.

Through further discussions with the Aboriginal Elders, Supt Arbuthnot found their goals for Aboriginal youth were in the same vein as local police.

“We all wanted to create an environment that is safe and supportive so all children can reach their potential and make a positive contribution to their community,” she said. “So that they can make a difference to the lives of other Aboriginal people.”

This was the start of a two-year journey driven

by Leading Senior Constable Raquel Vogel and Senior Sergeant Mark DeHaan, who were strongly supported by many others within the division. Their work culminated in two Victoria Police vehicles displaying a stunning artwork by Aboriginal artist David Dunn.

“The brief for the painting was that it must capture the positive intent of the relationship between police and the local Aboriginal community, and it should visually represent the local area,” Supt Arbuthnot explained.

Melissa Walkerden was appointed by Victoria Police as the Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer shortly after the project started, providing a vital link between the Aboriginal community and local police.

“Melissa has been instrumental in connecting us to our partners and played a pivotal role in bringing this project to fruition,” Supt Arbuthnot said.

Mr Dunn’s glorious painting features many symbols of Aboriginal life and lore, including three red gum trees, representing the tree of knowledge, the tree of learning and the tree of life.

Within the painting there are many depictions of police members with the Aboriginal people, including a police officer and Elder sitting down together, children being taught by Aboriginal women, with the police officers helping, and police helping young children cross the road and teaching them to be safe around water.

The three bridges crossing the river symbolise bridging the gap between the Aboriginal people and police officers.

Mr Dunn said that doing this painting was a form of healing and a way of putting his past behind him.

“The idea of the painting was to get rid of my hatred and learn to bridge the gap again. By doing this painting, I was able to do that, to heal,” Mr Dunn said.

“I wanted this painting on police cars for my children. They live in this community and I want them to be able to contact police when they need, to not feel frightened or scared about going to police.

“If another Aboriginal person is looking at this painting, I want them to look at it and feel comfortable about going to a police officer for help, that’s what they are there for.”

The original artwork will be displayed in the Wodonga Police Station at the completion of renovations, which are currently taking place.

“WE ALL WANTED TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE SO ALL CHILDREN CAN REACH THEIR POTENTIAL AND MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR COMMUNITY.” Superintendent Joy Arbuthnot Image Moving pictures One of two Victoria Police vehicles showcasing the talent of artist David Dunn.

Editorial: Nadine Lyford Photography: Sabina Cartwright

POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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CAREER IN FOCUS

A career on the frontline For many, the idea of working in the same role for almost four decades would conjure thoughts of a career of monotony.

But after working on divisional vans for an impressive 38 years, Leading Senior Constable Andy Haines knows that general duties policing is anything but monotonous.

The 61-year-old was one of the many officers to whom former Chief Commissioner Mick Miller would say upon their graduation from the Victoria Police Academy in the 1980s, “Welcome to the greatest show on Earth”.

In his time on the van, Ldg Sen Const Haines came to realise frontline officers have a front row ticket to that show.

Having grown up on King Island, his interest in policing started at age 12 when, on a visit to Melbourne, he saw a police officer directing traffic in the city at a location known as ‘12 point’.

“I remember telling my mother that I was going to be a policeman,” Ldg Sen Const Haines said.

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More than a decade later — after finishing school and then six years in the navy — one of Ldg Sen Const Haines’s first posts out of the Victoria Police Academy was with the City Traffic Patrol Division, where he worked as many shifts as he could directing traffic at 12 point.

“There are the old clichés like, ‘I want to help people’, ‘I want to keep the community safe, and change the world’,” he said.

His early years on the van included working at Broadmeadows, Altona North and Carlton.

“Yes, you got to help people on a daily basis, locked crooks up and all that, but you also had a laugh every day.”

“My first training station was Broadmeadows, and what a baptism of fire that was,” he said.

“Street gangs like the Lebanese Tigers and Broady Boys were around in those days.”

Eventually he would end up at Dromana, where he spent most of the past two decades working on the van.

“It was very early on that I realised working the van was what I wanted to do,” Ldg Sen Const Haines said.

And he is honest about his reasons for staying on the frontline for so long.

“But in reality, it was fun.

“Every time you went to work, you never knew what was going to happen during your shift.

It was that enjoyment of the job that made, and continues to make, Ldg Sen Const Haines effective in his job.

“I think that when you really enjoy what you do, you enjoy getting up and going to work and getting the job done,” he said.

His decades at Victoria Police have been full of changes.

Technology improvements have been at the forefront of making his job easier and safer.

"

They think I’m a legend, and I don’t tell them any different.

“When you did a name check in the 1980s you would be waiting on the side of the road for 20 minutes. It would be even longer if the D24 operator was to ring the records department, who would then have a person manually go through the cards to get the person’s history, ring the D24 operator back, who would then relay the information to you,” Ldg Sen Const Haines said.

“Now, with the iPads we carry, you can check the car, person and their history before you even intercept the vehicle.

“It’s a lot safer for members, knowing who they are pulling over.”

When Ldg Sen Const Haines first started at Broadmeadows, he said he had to use the “find them and grind them” method with the divisional vans’ three-on-the-tree gear stick.

Although the vehicles have improved since then, Ldg Sen Const Haines fears there are other things that haven't..

“Most of the people I work with will probably tell you that I still struggle driving and parking a van,” he said.

While Ldg Sen Const Haines finished up his time on the van in December last year, he is now helping the next generation of frontline officers.

Each shift at Frankston Police Station, an officer is rostered to work in the equipment issue office, checking in and checking out the firearms and other equipment for colleagues working on the vans.

Knowing that he was in the twilight of his career, Ldg Sen Const Haines put forward a proposal to his former Broadmeadows van colleague and now divisional boss Superintendent Adrian White.

“The members who have to work in the equipment issue office are young and keen, and they don’t really want to do it, so I offered to do it full-time and take carriage of the office,” he said.

Ldg Sen Const Haines was thrilled when his plan was endorsed and that his role allows young constables to get out on the van as much as possible and gain vital experience.

“In this role, I get to meet all the members when they get their equipment and they cannot believe that I spent so long on the van,” he said.

“They think I’m a legend, and I don’t tell them any different.

“They know I am available for any advice they need or just to come and have a chat and, of course, a laugh.”

Images Career cop Ldg Sen Const Andy Hainess interest in policing started from a young age and since joining the force, he has spent 38 years working the divisional van.

Editorial: Lane Mihaljevic and Jesse Wray-McCann Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

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AN HONOURABLE FAMILY CONNECTION Long before Senior Sergeant Michael Morris pulled on the blue uniform, a connection to the policing world was already deeply rooted in his family.

“Growing up, my grandmother was always telling me that I should join Victoria Police because my grandfather and great uncle were both brilliant policemen,” Sen Sgt Morris said.

“As a teenager, I was a bit dismissive of this and didn’t quite understand their dedication to the job.”

When Sen Sgt Morris was 19, he decided to join the force, and it was during the recruitment process that he learnt more about his family’s policing history.

“When I was going through the Academy and my early training, my grandmother would tell me many stories about my grandfather and her brother, my great uncle, and their years in the job,” he said.

One story that Sen Sgt Morris heard a lot was when his great uncle, First Constable George Willis, rescued a young boy who had fallen down a mine shaft in Ballarat.

“George was awarded a highly commended certificate and Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal in recognition of his actions during the rescue, which saved the boy’s life,” Sen Sgt Morris said.

It was on 26 May 1941 that Const Willis was called to a disused mine shaft in Ballarat after eight-year-old Graeme Dowling had fallen down it.

Graeme had landed on a false bottom — a small ledge formed by some of the top sections of soil collapsing and getting caught on the sides of the shaft as it fell — about 14 meters from the surface. He had miraculously avoided plummeting to the very bottom of the mine shaft, estimated to be about 92 meters deep.

Const Willis arrived at the scene, along with two other police officers and a member of the local fire brigade, and quickly volunteered to go down the shaft to get the young boy.

Using rope tied to a nearby tree and a belt around him, the other officers lowered the constable down the mine shaft.

When Const Willis reached Graeme, who was unconscious, he knew he had to work quickly to get out before the small ledge collapsed.

Tying another rope around the boy, the two were then pulled out of the shaft.

Const Willis’ actions may have saved the boy’s life, but they ultimately ended up taking his own.

Shortly after the incident, Const Willis started to become increasingly unwell, quickly losing his hair and becoming very aged in appearance.

“My grandmother always told us how strange it was that he so quickly began to look like a frail old man, as he had been a very fit and active person,” Sen Sgt Morris said.

“He was an exceptional athlete and had placed third in the Stawell Gift only a few years before the mine shaft incident.”

Over the next eight years, Const Willis developed severe asthma and other respiratory illnesses, which doctors deemed were the result of inhaling potentially toxic dust while in the mine shaft.

On 23 January 1949, Const Willis was admitted to hospital with severe complications following an asthma attack and remained there until he died a few months later on 29 March.

With doctors linking his illness to the on-duty incident, it was deemed that Const Willis had died because of his duties as a police officer and his name was to be added to the Police Honour Wall.

“My grandmother, George’s sister, and his wife are no longer with us, but I know they would have both been so proud to see his name added to that wall,” Sen Sgt Morris said.

“While I never met him, stories of George’s service guided me through my early years in the force and it’s an honour to be able to say he was my uncle.”

Const Willis is one of four officers added to the Police Honour Wall on National Police Remembrance Day, which is held every year on 29 September to honour fallen police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice while doing their duty to help keep the community safe.

Images Memorial Wall Four names will be added to the Victoria Police Memorial Wall this year.

Editorial: Danielle Ford Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

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As soon as the two police officers arrived, the situation escalated and turned into a heated scuffle after they attempted to place the offender into a police car.

After minutes of struggle between the officers and the offender, the man was eventually put in the car and driven back to Mentone Police Station.

Only a short while after arriving back at the station, Const Davey started to experience chest pains.

Noting the severity of the pain, he contacted a nearby station to organise someone to cover him so he could seek medical attention.

However, while on his way to hospital, Const Davey stopped out the front of a house a couple of doors down from the station as his health had declined rapidly and he was having trouble breathing.

Sub-Inspector Edward Hall 569 Due at court in Horsham the next day, Sub-Inspector Edward Hall set out from Warracknabeal at 5pm on 24 March 1892, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.

Sub-Insp Hall had been in Warracknabeal to prosecute a larceny case and upon finishing his court duties, both he and Police Magistrate James McLuckie intended to travel back to their homes in Horsham to prepare for the following day in court.

Sub-Insp Hall never made it to Horsham however, as bad light and weather made for a dangerous trip that resulted in his untimely death.

Due to poor light, the pair had veered off-track with Mr McLuckie exclaiming “Hall, we are off the track” just as the police-issued, horsedrawn buggy crashed into tree stump, flipping onto its side and throwing the pair.

While Mr McLuckie was not seriously hurt in the accident, Sub-Insp Hall was not as fortunate and sustained serious chest injuries and required transport to a nearby hospital.

Seven days after the accident, Sub-Insp Hall died, aged 56, having developed bronchitis, congestion of the lungs and asthenia as a result of the chest injuries he had sustained in the crash.

During his 34-year career with Victoria Police, Sub-Inspector Edward Hall gained a reputation as a “strictly honourable man” who was extremely well regarded among his colleagues.

After he died, Sub-Insp Hall’s body was moved from Horsham to Melbourne, where he was buried alongside his wife at the Melbourne General Cemetery.

Constable Albert James Davey 12508

An occupant of the house ran back to the police station for assistance but by the time they arrived back at the house Davey had died, aged 37.

Constable Albert James Davey was working an afternoon shift on 12 February 1963 when he unexpectedly suffered a major heart attack and never returned home.

A report into Davey’s death revealed that he had an undiagnosed heart disease, however it was also noted that the exertion needed in the arrest earlier in the day could have accelerated the condition and bought on the fatal heart attack.

Const Davey and his partner had been called to a volatile job where a woman’s ex-fiance was refusing to leave her home.

Constable Davey’s funeral was held with full police honours at the Bathurst Memorial Chapel, Elsternwick, on 14 February 1963.

Mounted Constable James Foley 3811 After travelling from Camberwell to Caulfield to investigate the theft of some pigeons, experienced Mounted Constable James Foley was thrown from his horse and killed on 11 September 1894.

constable utter his final words in a low tone — “Jack, I am killed”.

The constable had completed his enquiries into the case of the missing birds and was on his way back to his station in Caulfield when he decided to exercise his horse by jumping a two-rail fence.

Const Foley had joined Victoria Police in 1887, seven years before his death, and was described as “well-conducted” and “a promising young constable” by his supervisors.

The horse he was riding was noted to be a “splendid jumper”, so Const Foley had it jump the fence a few times. When attempting to take the fence for a fourth time, the horse’s front leg hit the top rail causing it to fall, throwing Const Foley in the process.

Foley and the horse both landed in the same spot, with the animal falling on top of the constable, crushing him and causing severe injuries.

A friend who had been riding with Foley rushed to his side, only to hear the

Const Foley then became unresponsive and soon succumbed to the horrific injuries he suffered in the accident.

The senior constable in charge of Caulfield East Police Station at the time of Const Foley’s death stated the constable was an excellent horseman and deemed that he was jumping the fence “to prosecute his enquiries into the pigeon stealing case”.

It was also determined that there was nothing in the police regulations against mounted constables jumping their horse, either for practice or in the discharge of their ordinary duties, and Const Foley’s death was, therefore, declared to be in the line of duty.

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A

Ca ut ion ar y

Path

The success of a cautioning program trial, aimed at diverting young Aboriginal people away from the criminal justice system, has resulted in it being expanded and prompted a significant change in policy across the state.

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The Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program, which was launched in 2019 in Greater Dandenong, Bendigo and Echuca, to address the over-representation of Aboriginal young people in the criminal justice system.

The program is now also being rolled out in Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Darebin, Horsham, Fawkner, Footscray, Mildura, Morwell, Shepparton, Swan Hill and Wodonga – site all identified in consultation with the Aboriginal community.

As part of the program, police in these areas are to ensure that every opportunity is taken to caution a young person rather than lay charges and once a caution is given, a Victoria Police Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer contacts them and offers the opportunity to participate in the program.

“If the young person consents, they meet with a panel of Aboriginal community members who work with them and their family to determine the supports they need,” Aboriginal Community Portfolio acting manager Jacqui Marion said.

A criminal record can seriously impact the rest of their lives. A caution gives eligible young people the best chance at getting their lives back on track.

MILDURA

SWAN HILL

ECHUCA WODONGA

SHEPPARTON

HORSHAM BENDIGO

BALLARAT FAWKNER footscray

DAREBIN GREATER DANDENONG

bairnsdale MORWELL

“This is in line with the principles of Aboriginal self-determination, which is giving the Aboriginal communities the ability to make decisions that affect them.”

These increases represent a significant number of young people being diverted from the courts and numerous studies highlight the benefits of this.

The cautioning program was developed in consultation with Aboriginal communities and is overseen by a panel of local Aboriginal service providers.

A Crime Statistics Agency study shows only 26.8 per cent of young people observed who received a caution reoffended within 12 months, compared with 57.6 per cent of those who were charged.

“The program helps build stronger relationships with local Aboriginal service providers who support young people in their community,” Ms Marion said.

“In turn, by connecting the young people with these services in their community and diverting them away from the courts, there is a reduced likelihood they will commit further crimes in the future.”

The program has already proven to be a success in the three pilot areas.

Despite being impacted by lockdowns, there was a 21 per cent increase in child cautions issued to Aboriginal young people in Bendigo and an 11 per cent increase in our Dandenong site over the initial 12-month period.

Reoffending rates for theft, property damage and assault were significantly lower for young people who received a caution.

“Sometimes young people make an error of judgement and we want to give those involved in minor offending a second chance.

“A criminal record can seriously impact the rest of their lives. A caution gives eligible young people the best chance at getting their lives back on track.”

While the new policy will allow more cautions to be given instead of charges, CCP Patton said this is now about going soft on crime.

“Our priority remains keeping the community safe and we will still hold young people to Building on the success of the Aboriginal Youth account for committing serious crimes,” he said.

Cautioning Program Police recently updated “We know a small number of young people are policy, which now makes cautions, not charges, involved in very serious, high-harm crimes - this the default option where appropriate. change is not about giving those people a free Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said, with their consent, police can now issue a caution in cases where a young person does not admit the offence or chooses to provide a no-comment interview.

“Under the old system police had limited ability to issue cautions because young people had to admit to the crime first,” CCP Patton said.

pass, they will be held to account.

“But it is about preventing other young people following in their footsteps and taking every opportunity to intervene early to address the underlying contributors to their offending.”

Editorial: Danielle Ford

POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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GETTING ON THE FRONT FOOT

From tackling violent crime and drug driving offences, to enhancing the public perception of police, a new evidence-based policing project being trialled by Victoria Police is aiming to combat offending before it happens.

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Based on scientific research into the patterns of their behaviours, repeat and violent offenders are being targeted in Operation Capesso.

Launched in January this year, the operation has been designed to capitalise on a slump in the occurrence rate of certain crimes as a result of Melbourne’s coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns.

According to the man leading the pilot program and the operation, Superintendent David Cowan, the COVID-19 environment has presented Victoria Police with an unprecedented chance to tackle crime differently.

“During the lockdown period last year, we saw a 19 per cent drop in assaults not related to family violence and a 24 per cent decrease in burglaries,” Supt Cowan said.

“These people have committed two or more violent crimes, such as armed robberies, home invasions and carjackings, in the past three years, which is why we view them to be a chance to re-offend,” Supt Cowan said.

Under the pilot program, police visited the homes of half the group of previous offenders and delivered a letter that had been designed in conjunction with a government behavioural unit.

The other half of the group didn’t receive a visit from police.

“The letter police delivered let the person know they had been identified as being at risk of future offending and even imprisonment.

It urged them to use the pandemic as an opportunity to restart and turn away from crime,” Supt Cowan said.

“It would be a missed opportunity not to jump on these drops and think about innovative ways we could target violent offenders before the offending picked up again.”

Data gathered as part of the operation showed that many of the offenders included in the operation lived near several co-offenders, which, according to Supt Cowan, presented the possibility of a flow-on reduction in offences.

Supt Cowan, who is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing, has spent years working on ways to incorporate more data-backed methods in everyday police work and used his wealth of knowledge in the area to develop Operation Capesso.

“By physically showing up at the homes of known offenders and making it clear they are known to police, we are creating a visible presence in that neighbourhood. As a result, the co-offenders who live nearby may be deterred from offending as they don’t want to get themselves on the police radar,” he said.

For the operation, 1000 people who were considered by police to be at a high risk of reoffending were selected. More than 70 per cent of the group had, on average, been involved in four crimes.

Data on all offences committed by the 1000 people included in the pilot was collected as part of the operation, with results to be used to to inform future operations.

“We do have to take into account other factors such as the further lockdowns we’ve had throughout the year, which may have contributed to the low number of offences but these results are definitely positive," Supt Cowan said.

“We now have tangible data we can use to analyse the impact of proactive targeting of offenders.

“We can build on this and transfer the findings to other types of crime and other ways of tackling these crimes.

“We are already working with Road Policing Command to build a new operation, which uses the same evidence-based models of Capesso to proactively target people identified to be at a high-risk of drug driving.

“There are so many aspects of policing where we can use evidence-based models to come up with innovative ways of tackling crime before it happens.”

Editorial: Danielle Ford

OPERATION CAPESSO

2+

1000 individuals with a high risk of re-offending

50%

police visit + letter

violent crimes

50%

no police visit + no letter

By physically showing up at the homes of known offenders and making it clear they are known to police, we are creating a visible presence in that neighbourhood. As a result, the co-offenders who live nearby may be deterred from offending as they don’t want to get themselves on the police radar

POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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BEATING THEM TO THE GUNS There’s not much that moves through hands in the criminal underworld faster than an illegal gun, but thanks to a newly established investigative team, Victoria Police is staying ahead of the potentially deadly arms race.

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With guns continuing to be an increasingly desirable commodity and enabler of criminal activity, Victoria Police identified the need for a specialist unit dedicated to firearm investigation and established the Illicit Firearms Squad in September 2020.

The squad, the first dedicated firearms investigation unit in Australia, sits within the State Anti-Gangs Division, strengthening its resolve to deliver an approach to serious organised crime that focuses on disruption and enforcement.

The ultimate goal of the squad is simple — to stop guns from falling into the hands of criminals.

But it’s no easy task, because some go to great lengths to obtain a firearm.

Earlier this year, an offender used an angle grinder to cut open a safe and steal nine firearms during a residential burglary in Pakenham.

Illicit Firearms Squad detectives swung into action and were able to identify two persons of interest and multiple warrants were executed. Eight of the nine stolen firearms were recovered, as well as a large quantity of ammunition and other stolen property.

The offenders had ground the serial numbers from the firearms to de-identify them, with detectives believing the guns were destined for the illicit firearms market.

“You need to react very quickly if you have good intelligence on illicit firearms, because those guns could be gone within a few days,” State AntiGangs Division’s Detective Superintendent Peter Brigham warned.

The majority of illicit firearms in the community come from the ‘grey market’, a pool of firearms that were legitimately possessed by someone prior to 1996 when strengthened national gun laws were implemented following the Port Arthur massacre.

Usually, grey market guns have never been registered and have not been handed in to authorities during gun amnesties, buy-backs, and other surrender initiatives.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission in 2016 estimated there are about 250,000 longarms and 10,000 handguns in the grey market.

The second most common source of illicit firearms are those stolen during burglaries from the homes of licenced gun owners. It’s a crime that has increased significantly during the last 10 years and is often enabled by careless or inadequate storage.

“One of the realities of firearms theft is the recovery rate of stolen items is not that high.

These guns are being found decades later in different states and may have passed through multiple sets of hands as an illicit commodity,” the squad’s Detective Inspector Michael Daly said.

However, the use of Firearm Prohibition Order legislation aimed at reducing the number of illicit guns and related violence within the community is having an impact.

Figures for the six-month period of 1 January to 30 June this year show that 536 illicit firearms have already been recovered in Victoria.

Considering the groups who shop in the illicit firearms market, it’s a number the squad’s Detective Senior Sergeant Leigh Howse said was “pretty significant”.

“The illicit firearms market is dominated by serious and organised groups, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, Middle Eastern organised crime, and new and emerging crime entities,” Det Sen Sgt Howse said.

“They use these firearms to aid major level drug importation and trafficking, instil fear and intimidation in rival groups, and for violent incidents like fatal and non-fatal shootings.

“By removing the guns from the community, and detecting, preventing, and deterring illicit firearm offending, we’re stopping these weapons from being used in those major crimes.”

Illicit Firearm Squad detectives work closely with many agencies as part of their investigations, including the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and Department of Home Affairs. Within Victoria Police, the squad collaborates with local investigative units, the Armed Crime Squad, and Echo Taskforce — which was established to investigate organised crime and street gangs.

Intelligence sharing between these law enforcement agencies is imperative to aid coordinated investigations, particularly findings from ballistic evidence.

“With the firearms tracing program, the Ballistics Unit can check firearm serial numbers against interstate law enforcement databases to determine its origin,” Det Insp Daly said.

“A recovered firearm could be traced to a stolen origin in Victoria or interstate.

“If it hasn’t been registered in Victoria, the ACIC can determine the firearm’s origin through the history of legitimate importations into Australia, to determine how it came into the country or how it entered into the illicit market.”

Often offenders try to remove or alter serial numbers so firearms can’t be traced, but the Ballistics Unit has specialised techniques used to recover this information from the weapon.

Firearms taken into police possession, such as handguns and sawn-off weapons, are test fired at one of Victoria Police’s forensics hubs to check for identifying features of projectiles and their shells.

These details are entered into a database for comparison against unsolved crimes nation-wide.

Det Insp Daly said identifying the origins of an illicit firearm allows investigators to be more proactive in preventing similar illicit market channels from operating in the future. It also lets police hold to account people who should be in possession of a firearm but aren’t because it’s been sold or is in the hands of the wrong person.

Part of this process involves the squad working collaboratively with Victoria Police’s Licensing and Regulation Division to conduct audits and inspections of licenced firearm holders and dealers to ensure firearms are accurately recorded and stored.

Detectives also work alongside other Victoria Police Crime Command squads and local investigation units to activate targeted operations, conduct intercepts and raids, and execute search warrants of illicit firearm holders.

In March this year, the squad participated in Operation Athena. The operation was conducted as part of a National Week of Action, with more than 100 firearms seized across the state through a coordinated response from Crime Command and specialised local police units.

“The most severe consequence of these crimes is someone using a firearm to kill someone else — and sometimes just a few millimetres seals that person’s fate,” Det Supt Brigham said.

But it’s not just fatal shootings that affect people in relation to gun crime — armed robberies, aggravated burglaries, family violence, and other shootings like drive-by shootings can cause harm even when you’re not the victim.

“People in a neighbourhood can be quite distressed when a shooting has occurred near their home, even though they weren’t the intended target,” Det Supt Brigham said.

“It simply scares them that someone was in their neighbourhood with a gun, and that stays with them for quite a while.

“We want to put an end to that.”

Image Team in arms Det Sen Sgt Leigh Howse, Det Supt Peter Brigham and Det Insp Michael Daly are part of the specialised team working to get illicit firearms off the streets.

Editorial: Emily Wan

Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

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Striking down illegal imports

Victoria’s borders have spent the past year firmly in the spotlight due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but for the Trident Taskforce, an intense focus on activity at Victoria’s boundaries is nothing new.

While Australia’s borders have been essentially shut to overseas visitors for the past 18 months, international shipping has been permitted and Victoria’s port facilities have remained open.

In the criminal underworld, the open channels can be seen as a green light for illegal activities to continue — namely the importation of illicit drugs and illegal goods.

And that’s where the Trident Taskforce comes in.

A Victoria Police-led multi-agency partnership with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the taskforce investigates organised crime and works to identify vulnerabilities within port facilities and maritime activity.

While it’s an around-the-clock job, the annual, multi-agency Operation Crossway is where the Trident Taskforce really makes its presence felt.

Victoria’s port facilities, and the precincts that surround them, come under the operation’s microscope, with Trident teams deploying to the sites constantly, looking for signs they’ve been exposed to criminal activity.

This year, the south-west city of Portland was in the crosshairs of Crossways.

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As one of Victoria’s major shipping hubs, the Port of Portland is a large 75-hectare site. Every year it welcomes more than 300 ships carrying in excess of 7.5 million tonnes of goods, along with 150,000 trucks coming and going from the facility.

“As a regional facility located more than 350 kilometres from Melbourne, the biggest challenge we face in policing is the tyranny of distance,” Trident Taskforce Detective Senior Sergeant Matthew Kroenert said.

“It’s a facility that sits very close to the general community and as an open goods port, there is a lot of walk-off activity. So we take a very proactive approach in Portland.”

During Crossways that approach can only be described as all-hands-on-deck.

With the ABF, DHA, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Victorian Fisheries Authority and Maritime Safety Victoria personnel combining with Victoria Police, about 100 officers descended on Portland for the three-day operation.

Among them were officers from the local Portland Police Station and members of the Trident Taskforce, Crime Intelligence Group, Divisional Response Unit, Public Order Response Team (PORT), Heavy Vehicle Intelligence Unit (HVIU), Water Police, and the State Highway Patrol.

“The operation sees the Trident Taskforce utilise the resources of many other units to

great value,” Leading Senior Constable Steve Stewart said.

“The PORT team is there for an evidence gathering purpose and can livestream activities, such as searches, back to our command centre.

The State Highway Patrol use its Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to check all vehicles coming and going from the facility. We can also provide them with ‘watch lists’, so we are alerted if any vehicles registered or linked to known offenders are coming into the port.

“With the HVIU checking that attending trucks are meeting all compliance needs and the Water Police checking the same for both recreational fishing and international shipping vessels, the operation contributes to both the road policing and maritime safety efforts as well.”

In total, more than 800 vehicles and 30 vessels were inspected during the operation, along with 4000 vehicle registrations, resulting in more than 50 infringements being issued and 14 charges being laid.

On top of these results, Operation Crossway gathers valuable information for future investigations, according to Taskforce Trident Inspector Craig Darlow.

“Through this operation, the Trident Taskforce has been able to identify quite a considerable amount of people with criminal backgrounds visiting or working in and around the port environments," Insp Darlow said.

“This includes a significant amount of outlaw motorcycle gang members, Middle Eastern organised crime identities and others.

and there is every chance you will be caught if you want to use these facilities for illegal purposes.”

“The advantage of operations like this is that we know people don’t go to the port areas without a purpose. It’s very unlikely you’d go into these environments with no reason, so we try and work out why these people are there and then we investigate what connections they may have to port workers or companies. That’s how we identify risks and vulnerabilities.”

And Trident Taskforce's net doesn’t stop at the border. Even though an illegal importation might make its way to dry land, Trident investigators continue their chase.

Away from the enforcement and intelligence gathering benefits, Operation Crossway is a chance for the Trident Taskforce to be seen.

“It’s a high visibility operation that we want people to know is being carried out,” Insp Darlow said.

“We want people in the shipping industry, locals who live in the areas around the ports and members of organised crime to know that there is every chance police will be running an operation at any time at any port in Victoria,

In late July this year, Victoria Police, the AFP and ABF personnel uncovered 600kg of the border-controlled substance Gamma Butyrolactone hidden inside an incoming sea cargo consignment.

Two further attempted imports of 1,4 Butanediol were also detected by Australian Border Force as part of the investigation and seized.

The chemicals are valued at more than $700,000.

Investigators executed a search warrant in North Melbourne and arrested a 28-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman.

“ OUR PORTS ARE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE, BUT OUR WORK CONTINUES WELL BEYOND THEM” Det Sen Sgt Kroenert

Further search warrants were subsequently executed in Sunshine and Pascoe Vale uncovered two firearms, cash, drugs, precursor chemicals and laboratory equipment.

The man and woman were charged with a number of state and Commonwealth offences, including import border-controlled drug, attempt to possess commercial quantity of border-controlled drug, and attempt to possess drug of dependence — large commercial quantity.

“Our ports are the first line of defence, but our work continues well beyond them,” Det Sen Sgt Kroenert said.

“It can be hard to put an exact measurement on the impact that is made by stopping these types of substances from entering the community, but the damage they can do in the community is extensive.

“Because of that, the community can be reassured that Trident Taskforce is doing its best to disrupt supply chains of drugs and illegal goods, and our efforts are deterring others from committing the same kind of offending.”

Images Protecting ports Victoria Police leads the multi-agency Trident Taskforce in partnership with Australian Border Force and the Department of Home Affairs to identify vulnerabilities within port facilities.

Editorial: Grant Condon Photography: Ldg Sen Const Steve Stewart

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COUNTERING AN ATTACK

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As Victoria Police and national authorities constantly monitor terrorism threats, police and defence force personnel are also strengthening their tactical and pre-emptive response to extremist incidents.

In late-May this year, more than 160 specialist officers and support staff from Victoria Police, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Special Forces and national intelligence agencies assembled at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Point Cook to train for just such a scenario.

Exercise Simpson is the latest training exercise to bring counter terrorism authorities together and featured the field exercise at Point Cook along with three further simulated events run at the same time.

Victoria Police Counter Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Mick Hermans said the exercise was aimed at exploring and testing how Victoria Police and the ADF can work together in the event of a terrorist incident across multiple locations in Victoria.

“With the Point Cook field exercise and three simulated events all run in real-time, the response to the multi-location scenario was coordinated from the State Police Operations Centre at the Victoria Police Centre in Melbourne’s CBD,” AC Hermans said.

“The scenario involved the culmination of a covert Joint Counter Terrorism Teamled investigation that involved the planned arrest and premises search of three persons of interest in relation to a planned chemical, biological, radiological and/or nuclear (CBRN) attack.”

In the scenario at Point Cook, Victoria Police’s specialist units were able to deploy to the suspects’ location and use techniques that gave police commanders greater situational awareness of the specific risks and threats.

Victoria Police and ADF also jointly operated remotely-piloted aircraft systems and other technology to provide intelligence that enhanced tactical planning by the forward units.

“ While we never want to have to use these counter terrorism capabilities, we are constantly training, preparing and enhancing the way we keep Victorians safe.”

“Our legal teams were involved as well, testing the flexibility within the legislation for Victoria Police to work alongside the ADF and explore what we could and could not do.”

Based on this information, the police commanders decided the situation required a tactical resolution using the Special Operations Group, with members from the Bomb Response Unit, Forensic Services and ADF Special Operations Engineers Regiment on hand to deal with any devices and CBRN materials used by the offenders.

“We are always looking to enhance our capabilities and our capacity in counter terrorism,” AC Hermans said.

Medics and decontamination teams from the ADF and Victoria Police stood ready to assist the assault teams and dozens more specialist personnel supported the operation.

AC Hermans said the exercise was part of Victoria Police’s continued collaborative training with the ADF. “On this occasion, we wanted to test the callout of specialist ADF assets to enhance specific capabilities in a Victoria Police-led response to a series of dynamically evolving terrorism incidents with a CBRN element,” he said.

AC Hermans said Exercise Simpson was the culmination of three earlier lead-up exercises run throughout Victoria and at the ADF’s Holsworthy Barracks in New South Wales.

“Running these exercises has not been easy this year, with various coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns across the different states presenting significant challenges for us, particularly in the movement of personnel between states,” he said.

“We had been planning this for 12 months, but the added element of the pandemic has just meant that we were further trained to be adaptive and agile, which is exactly what is needed in counter terrorism environments.

“It was very successful because we covered ground that we’ve not done before.”

Counter Terrorism Command has a further 14 training exercises planned for the remainder of 2021 and into 2022.

“These exercises not only train our personnel, but they help us make national recommendations as part of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee, they feed into future exercises and they inform the training packages we give our members.

“While we never want to have to use these counter terrorism capabilities, we are constantly training, preparing and enhancing the way we keep Victorians safe.”

Images Combined forces More than 160 officers from across Victoria Police's specialist units joined Australian Defence Forces Special Forces team for a counter terrorism training exercise.

Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann POLICE LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2021-22

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H C T A W E IN T N A R A U Q F O R A YEA As Victorians continue to depend on police and protective services officers (PSOs) during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Operation Tidewatch officers have been leading the way in stopping the spread.

Tidewatch is Victoria Police’s operation to carry out supervision, enforcement and compliance duties at all quarantine and health hotels, and, despite having recently racked up 100,000 shifts, its officers have never returned a positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test.

Superintendent Paul Margetts said the entire Operation Tidewatch command team was “extremely proud” of all those involved.

“All police and PSOs deployed to Operation Tidewatch undertake daily testing, which means we’ve had a total of 45,000 tests so far and we are very happy to say they have all been negative,” Supt Margetts said.

“The discipline and diligence of the entire Tidewatch workforce — police, PSOs and Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel — has been outstanding.”

Supt Margetts said Operation Tidewatch hosts up to 250 police, PSOs and ADF every Monday for induction and training that is focussed on the coronavirus (COVID-19) health risks and infection prevention and control.

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“This includes detailed training for correct donning and doffing procedures, and personal protective equipment training is provided by expert health service providers,” Supt Margetts said.

“This high-level of training and induction, combined with the buy-in and commitment from the workforce, is the reason for the success.”

Through Operation Tidewatch, Victoria Police supports the lead agency COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV) in managing returning international travellers at 11 quarantine hotels, one complex care hotel, one health hotel (where COVID-positive/ symptomatic travellers stay), one secure COVID recovery facility and one frontline worker hotel.

At any one time, there are up to 650 police and PSOs working at these locations and they are provided logistics support by 178 ADF personnel.

More than 48,000 returning international travellers have been through the program.

Supt Margetts praised the teamwork and collaboration of Victoria Police employees in their work during operation Tidewatch with other organisations such as CQV, ADF,

Department of Health, Alfred Health, Health Services Australia, dnata, Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police and SkyBus. “The multi-disciplined expertise and teamwork from all the agencies involved has helped us maintain security over the virus,” he said.

Image Watchful eye Police and PSOs have helped keep more than 48,000 returned international travellers safe while in hotel quarantine.

Editorial: Jesse Wray-McCann Photography: Grant Condon

13 quarantine hotels 48,000 returning international travellers 650 police and PSOs at any one time 45,000 police and PSO tests O positive tests

A commended civilian There are many things Acting Sergeant Trevor Bergman and his father Don Bergman have in common, but a link to Victoria Police is one the pair often reflect on.

While Trevor, a member of the Moorabbin Highway Patrol, is the only member of his family to join the ranks of Victoria Police, it’s the older Bergman who was the first to work on a police investigation.

In the early 1980s, Don was working as a technician for Telecom, now Telstra, when he was approached by his bosses with a job opportunity that took him by surprise.

“Working as a phone technician, the last thing you think you’re going to be asked to work on is a huge police investigation into corruption and illegal gambling,” Don said.

The police operation was Zebra Task Force, launched in 1981 by the Chief Commissioner at the time, Mick Miller, to investigate illegal bookmakers and claims of corruption both within the gambling industry and the force’s Licensing, Gaming and Vice Squad.

The taskforce, one of the largest police investigations of its kind at the time, operated until late 1984 and resulted in fines totalling almost $1 million being imposed on 560 offenders.

The work of Taskforce Zebra also helped inform a later royal commission into the national network of starting price bookmakers and is credited for enhancing the operations of TAB and the racing industry generally.

Don was the sole Telecom employee tasked to provide technical telecommunications expertise to the taskforce.

“I was responsible for helping locate illicit telephone installations used by the gambling syndicates that were being investigated,” Don said.

“I was a small cog in a very large operation, but it was thrilling to know I was playing a part in this very high-level police operation.”

Don’s role in the taskforce saw him awarded a prestigious honour by then-Chief Commissioner Mick Miller.

When the taskforce wrapped up, Ret. CCP Miller awarded Chief Commissioner’s Certificates to several people involved in recognition of their efforts.

Among the names of many police officers was Don’s, the only person to be awarded a certificate that wasn’t part of the force.

“The state manager of Telecom contacted my bosses to tell me I’d been given this award and I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

“I was a small cog in a very large operation, but it was thrilling to know I was playing a part in this very high-level police operation.”

“To think of the amazing police work that went into the operation and among that, the Chief Commissioner thought to give me this award, it was a huge honour.”

The citation on Don’s certificate states that he was “Awarded a Chief Commissioner's Certificate in recognition of services rendered in providing technical expertise for Victoria Police Task Force Zebra which resulted in the apprehension of a large number of persons for gaming and allied offences and the imposition of fines approximating $1,000,000”.

“I keep in touch with some of the cops I worked with during my time on the taskforce and they often comment to me that they can’t think of many other civilians who have been awarded a Chief Commissioner’s Certificate, so it’s something I hold very dearly,” Don said.

When hearing that his son wanted to join the ranks of Victoria Police, Don said he was surprised at first but extremely proud.

“My experience working on Zebra is among my best memories of my career and that’s largely due to the great police I got to work with, so I was thrilled when Trevor said he wanted to become a cop,” he said.

Images Chance encounter Decades after being awarded a Chief Commissioner's Certificate, Don Bergman stopped current Chief Commissioner Shane Patton for a picture at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Editorial: Danielle Ford Photography: Supplied

A chance run-in with current Chief Commissioner Shane Patton at an Anzac Day event earlier this year provided a chance for Don to again reflect on his short stint working with Victoria Police.

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SNAPPED ON SOCIAL

ODDSPOT CORNER

Instagram Highway Patrol members from the Yarra Ranges Police Service Area captured this stunning shot of the car under a twinkling night sky.

Follow Victoria Police on Instagram at instagram.com/victoriapolice

The former police headquarters on Russell Street is a well-known location in Melbourne and an important building in Victoria Police’s history.

The building served as the Victoria Police headquarters for about 50 years from the late 1950s to the early 2000s.

While Victoria Police no longer tenants the building, it is still of great significance to the organisation as the site of the tragic Russell Street bombing, in which a car bomb was detonated out the front of the complex, injuring 22 people and claiming the life of Constable Angela Taylor.

Given the historical significance of the building, and its use in the opening titles of popular Australian police drama Homicide, the building is well known by many people.

Because of this, Melbourne resident Mark Chesnik decided to create a Lego minifigure replica of the building.

Twitter

Facebook

Victoria Police employees from across the state rolled up their sleeves during the winter months to make life-saving donations of blood and plasma as part of the Emergency Services Blood Challenge.

Victoria Police proudly supported TrackSAFE’s Rail Safety Week campaign at the start of August. Rail Safety Week runs each year from 9-15 August to promote safe behaviours around trains and trams.

Follow Victoria Police on Twitter at twitter.com/ victoriapolice

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Like Victoria Police on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/ victoriapolice

This model took Mr Chesnik a total of about 100 hours to complete and is made of more than 900 Lego pieces.

It was displayed at a Brixhibition in Ulverstone Tasmania earlier this year.

Mr Chesnik said while the model is not 100 per cent perfect, he was very proud of the final result.

“I built it last year during lockdown and I have to admit, I miscalculated the time and bricks it would take to get it done,” Mr Chesnik said.

IN BRIEF police.vic.gov.au/news

PROACTIVE POLICING STORIES

NEW TOP COP IN ROAD POLICING COMMAND The new head of road policing in Victoria, Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir has a simple vision for keeping people safe on the roads.

“There are three parts to it: drive road trauma down, encourage people to self-regulate their behaviours on the road but, if they don’t, the last part is to hold them to account,” AC Weir said.

Educating and empowering the Victorian community to make better decisions on the road is a high priority for AC Weir in his new role at Road Policing Command.

After more than 40 years of policing experience, it’s a message he is keen to drive home by capitalising on Victoria Police’s strong relationships with external road safety partners.

“There’s a saying we hear often, that we can’t enforce or arrest our way out of a problem, and I think that’s certainly true in the road policing space. I’d rather people self-regulate their behaviour than us having to do it for them,” he said.

In the immediate future, AC Weir’s priorities lie in reflecting on how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the road policing operating model and considering how Victoria Police can enhance road safety in a COVID-normal environment.

“Let’s reflect on what we’ve done, whether it worked, why or why not and use those reflections to drive an operating model that keeps Victorians safe on our roads in a new-normal environment,” he said.

Another constant focus for AC Weir will be keeping a strong police presence on roads across the state to deter drivers from doing the wrong thing.

AS THE PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FOR THE POLICE ASSISTANCE LINE AND ONLINE REPORTING PLATFORM RELAUNCHES, VICTORIA POLICE ARE HOPING TO SEE A SIGNIFICANT BEHAVIOUR SHIFT IN THE COMMUNITY. The 131 444 number and online reporting service allow you to report non-urgent crimes or events 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Superintendent Mark Porter said the channels provide the community with an alternative and convenient way to contact police.

“We want people to save the 131 444 number in their phone and make sure the online reporting website is bookmarked on their devices, so in the event of a non-urgent crime they are prepared,” he said.

“This media campaign is about ensuring the community know which channels to use when making a non-urgent report – similar to how they would think of calling Triple Zero (000) in an emergency.”

For more information, visit www.police.vic.gov.au/palolr.

CRIMINAL PROCEEDS SQUAD MAKES RECORD SEIZURE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY Earlier this year, Victoria Police seized almost $8.5M in cryptocurrency as part of an ongoing investigation into online drug trafficking.

Crime Investigation Unit and Bass Coast Crime Investigation Unit.

Detectives from the Criminal Proceeds Squad seized cryptocurrency valued at $8.498M at the exchange rate at the time, which is an Australian law enforcement record.

A number of items were seized from the addresses including drugs believed to be cannabis, Psilocin (magic mushrooms), MDMA, prescription medication and white powder and crystals.

The seizure was made during the execution of several search warrants at properties in Kinglake, Preston, Prahran, Dollar and South Yarra with assistance from East Gippsland

Police also restrained two properties in Kinglake and Dollar valued at about $2M, as well as vehicles including a Toyota Prado and VW T-Cross valued at about $100,000.

The total value of the seized assets as part of this investigation so far is believed to be $13.1M. The arrests and seizures form part of an investigation by the Cyber Crime Squad and Criminal Proceeds Squad into drug trafficking on a dark web platform dating back to 2012.

The Victoria Police investigation commenced in early 2021 after information was provided to police by a federal agency.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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WHEN YOU , NEED US BUT NOT THE SIRENS

There’s now a new way to contact Victoria Police for non-urgent matters.

Call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or for online reporting go to police.vic.gov.au