Time for one of our favorite segments, Lawrence.
Tell me what you know.
We love this.
We do it every second week. We catch up with a member of the Victorian Police. We love our victpol, don't.
We We do?
Indeed, and from the Search and Rescue crew, a leading senior Constable Steve is joining us a k A. Scuba Steve School Steve, damn you, Good morning Steve.
Good morning, j San clin and rescue Lauren at good Now.
This is a hardcore job, well can be, can be, but we make it fun.
We make it enjoy So to simplify you, guys go out deep dive or go into lakes, waters, oceans, all sorts of waters and search for weapons, evidence, sometimes bodies.
Yeah, look, we rolls to help out the local police have they've got a job and they've got a body of water they obviously can't get into and can't get to the bottom of. We literally put on some dive coopment and get to the bottom of it and find evidence, like you're saying, and unfortunately sometimes it's people as well.
So do you have to train like the regular police, get into the police force, do that and then become a diver or you're already a diver, and then they hire you and bring you into.
The police now so general duties policing. Everyone starts there.
From there, you make an application to come to the squad, do a selection process, and then if you're successful, you come along and you've to be trained like us.
Steve was running me through some of the training and things they do. I know the part we would fall flat on. You make them fast for a little bit too, don't you? Just to see if the recruits fast, would they handle the pressure, not being able to have a break and eat and stuff like that, because you're working under extreme circumstances.
So we try and stress our participants if you like.
So we sort of give them without food, without sleep, give them challenges, see how they cope under those stresses.
Speaking of coping under stress, lung capacity. Talk to me about lung capacity with all things diving, and is that something you need to train for.
You worried about your vape history?
Yeah, everything else.
Faith in my help, but I think look, as a dive, you've got you've got to ever on your back anyway, So if you can breathe and.
Relax, you're not free diving.
You can dive, but.
You're a fit man, you need to have a good level of fitness.
I dare say absolutely so.
So fitness is something that we take pretty serious. It's an important part of the job and we'd like to keep fit.
Yeah, the equipment's pretty full on. You brought a helmet in with you this morning? Is it caught helmet?
Helmet's a hard hat helmet to kill?
How heavy is all the gear that you carry that you wear?
So the scuba unit's two different types of dive in one scuba one is SSPA, which is supplied from the surface.
The scubary units sound.
Like a snorkel. You guys aren't snorkling.
They're not up in the grape berrier reef out look at cloudfish from.
The sky from the world. That would like.
A giant pipe going back to the truck.
So then we can't run out of here. So yeah, it's about thirty.
Can I pay this unit credit?
Though, because like you know, when we think about TV shows, like we're only chating the other day, I remember like Gary Sweet Police Rescue Days and they're in the wide overalls and stuff like that. So that's New South Wales and they've got a police rescue crew goes out and does like land rescue and stuff like that, and then they've got the divers like water routes. The unit Steve is in does it all. You don't just do diving, you do land rescues, snow rescues. Here in Victoria they do it all.
Wow.
And how many of you are there in the.
Unit twenty four at back strength?
Wow? Wow?
Do you find it more enjoyable During the summer months, water is very odd.
You're going to get lost?
Can you do it in feb it's nice today? So that, Yeah, summer's great for diving.
But then we diving. Water cold ASoft dived in is probably at five degrees.
And I see you guys getting in there sometimes on the news at night time.
If the job dictates, Yeah, we'll go wherever and whenever.
Are you scared about what lives in the deep depths of the ocean?
Just trying not to think about it.
So what's the craziest thing you've found?
Crazy? Well, we find all sorts, so treasure. I wish it'd be nice, wasn't it.
Look often we'll get called to go through the body of orders to look for a person call or coming to local police.
They call us. Often we turn up and it's not a person, but it's a mannequin of some sort. Someone's just sometimes inflatable.
But that's where I left it.
We get all sorts of dogs and they threw it.
Out the window before they went home.
On a serious note, though, when you do have to recover bodies, how is that feeling? So I was chatting with the guys about it, and you were saying, it's almost huge. The enjoyments not the word, but closure. You guys get them r inclosure.
Yeah, I look for the families. I think it's really important. There's nothing worse. I can only imagine there'd be nothing worse than not having that closure if a loved one has gone missing. So for us to be able to provide that closure to families is really important and our office takes great pride in, you know, being able to provide that the families if we come across a deceased person here.
But you must also have happy endings where you've rescued people who are lost at sea and you get to bring them home alive and well as well.
At that sea generally not Laarene.
If look, because we're the divers, So if a person's in the water unless they're a breath of breathole champion.
You get underwater on top of the water.
We've got the water police and our other and sorry volunteers as well. Yeah, they go out and rescue people live in distress. However, if it's more protracted and there's thought that the person's in the water, unfortunately it's off on a final what's.
The bay like Port Philip Bay because it's a dark, old, crappy sort of Yeah, body of water, isn't it.
Yeah, it's sandy.
There's not much down there, isn't there?
You must find weird.
There was footage floating around over Christmas where someone reckons they saw a juvenile great white.
Like what works beneath beneath beef?
Would we get any many great whites in the bay?
Look, that's where I live, Jason, they're there. Have I seen them firsthand?
I haven't.
That's said this members of the squad that have been diving and had encounters.
Oh no, I'd be like Jesus running on that water. So would you guys work with water police and say the air wing if you've got to be put into a location to rescue someone.
Yep, absolutely, we work with the water Police. They can take us on their on their boats too wherever we need to go. And then if we need to get somewhere in a hurry, will utilize the air wing.
And what do you guys refer to them as unofficial? Unofficially are they oruba off?
I'd never say that.
Par the love that and do you find like this is so gruesome, but you must find like bits of things and bits of bodies. Remember that woman's foot washed up on the shore once.
Yeah, it's not it's not pleasant, but that's it. It's not for everyone either, this job. And this is why we do part of our selection process to really make sure we're getting the right people.
Because we don't have people to wi get effectively if they're underwater.
Stanngsters really dump people in concrete boots? Is that a thing to make them think all sorts, all sorts true?
Bricks found those little bricks wrapped in glad wrap that look like they've fallen off a boat.
We have actually sorry about that.
We've got time.
We work pretty closely with the Australian Border Force and they'll check any ships coming into the into port.
And that are suspect.
Now that don't have divers, so we die for them and wouldn't Was it probably two years ago we found a substantial amount of contraband on the underside of that vessel.
Attached They struck it under the vessel.
Well I can only assume, yeah, and then that's a job being run by AFP, that's yeah, and you.
Have to do that too, we do.
Are we under resourced?
I don't know.
I think twenty four people for the whole state. I think were hard.
Is it like in police academy? You get it back to the boat ramp busted open and try it with your finger Beverly Hills cotton stuff or you've got little testing touches and yeah, yeah right Victoria Police value. Yeah right, Hey, only twenty four in the state. They've got to take year home with them as well, so you're ready to go from your house at any point.
Yeah.
So we have an on call crew, they have equipment with them, ready to respond statewide if we need to go anywhere.
What the hell?
I got to see firsthand the remarkable job these guys.
Speaking of recruiting, Yeah, coming up.
This would have been the hardest day on the job for years, having to train you.
Yes, she's right coming up next, I joined.
I can only imagine the search and rescue crew.
I just see the photo. You're ridiculous.
Way do you see the video?
We'll go there next or you've got a leading senior Constable Scooba Steve in this morning, the search and rescue divers. They will be back at the base listening to this, no doubt, all the boys ready to give you a ripping when you get back.
I'm sure they'll taking notes.
They're doing a great job.
And they are a great crew. I got to spend last Wednesday with them going diving.
Yeah, now I feel for them having to deal with you A tagle on Steve, I mean, before we even get him into the.
Water, how did he go?
You went right? I think he's to carry on to carry on luggage. You mean carry on from Jase.
To carry on from Jays.
Look, he's he's quick witted. Also that how.
Did he go getting the wet suit on?
Well, it's funny you say that.
So they decided to give me the varietist orange wet suit available. Why are you guys all dressed in black and looking cool as like you're in mission mission impossible?
And can you imagine if we lost you, that'd be embarrassing for us.
Have you got board shorts on underneath?
Yeah?
I didn't want to get there's the rig. But how calls this my wetsuit? Said Victoria Police on the back?
Your owl plates on?
Dar that is toy.
How is the carry on in the wet suit? Yeah?
Substantial. I'd have to.
Say Steve's being very nice because off air jas when you went in here, I said, how did he go? And he goes, Oh, he asked more times about how he looked in the wet suit than actually carrying about what.
He did in the water. Did you say that, Steve?
Over the footage I'm showing you now is the giant police rescue truck that these guys travel with. Now you're mentioning earlier. You guys are the unit that sort of takes care of all of Victoria. If you guys get dispatched for a job, let's say a missing person.
On a Murray, a microwave for because the truck.
Goes there and they stay at that location until the job is done.
Is that right?
That's right?
So not only microwave, but a fridge and a coffee machine as well.
Before the essential.
That's important.
What about a shower and a bathroom.
In the shower Pizza Roven Pizza the list.
Jake, you deserve it.
Okay, So.
He got wet suited up.
All right, this is us.
Now where are.
You by the way, because it must have caused many people to be scared that there was like.
Here's ago, there's a lot of people on the beach in Williamstown. And then we just rock up in the giant truck and then start walking into the water. There was a few looks like what the hell is going on?
Now?
We went scuba diving? Can we talk visibility? Most places you dive?
Would you say, you look like you're in pain just getting the thing?
Very heavy equipment. I don't know how you do it.
Steve found the body and that the policeman behind you looks like he has had a gutfull.
The guard trying to put it on. Who's that Steve?
Behind us?
We've got Senior Cusple, Mike and Sena.
Seen your comfortable. Mike looks like he's out a gut for a jas. He's just like it's like dressing a child to go swimming. Did you put the sunscreen on you too?
As we were diving. Can we just show you the visibility here, because yeah, most places you dive you wouldn't be able to see anything right now.
We call it zero visibility or black water diving. You can't see within Oh.
My god, you look in the god so he went.
All the way to the bottom of the ocean.
But here's the go.
They gave me a mask that was blacked out, so I couldn't see anything under there.
So then that word zero visibility zero, so I do. So they've pushed the back sharks.
And then what they do is they actually throw out a plastic gun into the water, and then we had to go searching for it to see if we can find it.
Oh my god, thank god they gave you that orange wetsuit because we can see you, yeah, flapping around like a wounded pelican down there.
They stand out of it, don't I Is that what you you guys will do for training though, You'll throw out fake weapons and then.
You've got to go diving from them. You found the gun, found the gun.
That's not you, that's Steve.
Yeah, okay, we want We're a youn, Lauren. We work as a team. It's not individual, is it.
It's not our team support.
So yeah, well we'll throw props out and put our dives into my tone out training.
And in all seriousness, Jase, were you nervous? Did you panic? I wouldn't have coped with the blackout mask?
Well, when I was under there and I put the mask on, I actually found it easier just to shut my eyes.
We had a blackout mask. You didn't need to know.
But now that was a tip. I think I gave you that tips yeah, yeah.
Yeah, And then pretty much you're just moving around with the hands.
Trying on.
Do you wear head torches or any such thing?
If the water is dark enough, you won't do anything that would just.
So did you find your inflatable?
Yeah?
Found the inflatable. Also, you've got to have a good sense of humor to be a part of this team. Because one of them thought it would be hilarious to can'ts and grab grab our legs.
Good one. You would have screamed like a bunchees.
So I am now an official member of Photo.
Can I point out.
You look like mister Potato?
The equipment you guys wear, it's not the most flattering.
Is it.
Are you talking about the wet suits.
Yeah, you've got a rig like Steve. It's fine, comes into it.
You peel your wet suit off and straight up the beach.
It took me a while to get it off, and it took two people.
Oh, he's no David hasselholf Our Jayson.
We're going to need the jewels, Lauren, wake up feeling good on No.
One hundred on Socials,