The Victoria Police Magazine
December 2010
Wild Water rescue
PRINT POST APPROVED 349018/00079
How one policeman saved the lives of two divers
Valour awards for
DECEMBER 2010
inside
contents regulars 05 Behind the badge 06 Odd Spot 22 True Crime 28 Where are they now?
How to catcH
bushfire’s A drug courier brAvest
Plus > TRUE CRIME > DETECTIVES IN TRAINING > AIR WING
29 Picture This
cover: water rescue The Water Police’s Sergeant David Jaensch is at home on the high seas. Photograph: Alex McKay.
34 From the archives
Poster: flight simulator The Air Wing takes to the sky indoors. Photograph: Andrew Henshaw.
Cover story
Police Life is produced by the Media & Corporate Communications Department, Victoria Police, PO Box 415, Melbourne, 3005. Fax: 9247 5982. Online www.facebook.com/policelife www.police.vic.gov.au/policelife Email policelife-mgr@police.vic.gov.au Editor Chelsea Arnold Journalists Maria Carnovale Janae Houghton Blue Taylor Graphic Design Vetro Design Pty Ltd Subscriptions 9247 6894 ISSN 0032-2598L Crown Copyright in the state of Victoria. For permission to reprint any part of this magazine, contact the editor. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Victoria Police.
When a group of divers got into trouble in Port Phillip Bay, Sergeant David Jaensch saved their lives. See story on page 8.
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Connecting the community 12 Out and about in Warrnambool. arty for young offenders. 24 P 29 Kids catch crooks.
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a safer victoria
valuing our people
03 Eye in the sky.
20 Bushfire heroes awarded.
10 Catching drug couriers.
26 Garth has still got it.
16 Safety-first approach.
30 Detectives in the making. 32 Remembering the fallen.
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message from the chief commissioner ith the festive season upon us, police are working harder than ever to ensure your safety. WAlcohol-fuelled violence often reaches its peak during the holiday season, particularly around Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. While police will be flooding the streets to target antisocial behaviour, there are a few things you can do to stay safe. If you plan to drink, make sure you do so responsibly. Organise a ride home and make sure you and your friends look after each other. Do not drink-drive. Last year a staggering 24 per cent of drivers killed on our roads had a blood alcohol concentration above 0.05 per cent. Do not become another statistic. We are also facing a growing trend of people carrying weapons and violent attacks such as glassings. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
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DECEMBER 2010 POLICELIFE
Police have increased powers to search any person for a weapon in designated areas. If caught with a weapon you may receive a $1000 on-the-spot fine and, if caught carrying a weapon on a licensed premises, you will be issued with a $2000 on-thespot fine. Our work in this area is evident in statistics from the April weapons amnesty showing a 51 per cent increase in the number of weapons surrendered to police since October last year. Have fun celebrating this summer but I urge you to do so responsibly. Do not let the holiday season be ruined by the toxic mix of alcohol and weapons. On behalf of Victoria Police, I wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. Simon Overland, APM