Bonus: A Detective's Tips For Finding Us During Hide & Seek

Play a cool propos in the.

House, Lawrence, tell me what's you know?

Last week it.

Was the dog squads, as I mentioned, they ripped Clint's car apart. This week from the Armed Crime Squad, Detective Sergeant Paul Mulligan, good morning.

Morning, damn it.

Yeah, you're already in trouble with the police on the there we go, Paul.

Thanks so much for coming in, mate, not a problem, so plain closed, detective.

That's right.

I see the policeman like you freak me out because I feel like I know what I'm getting when I see a man in his police uniform or a woman in her police uniform. But do you guys just float around the community watching everyone wether we do?

And I think probably the biggest thing is unless you've been in trouble with the police, or you know you're a victim of serious crime, you won't actually get exposure to police outside of uniform. So we're quite often referred to as the undercover police, which technically.

What are your cruising around in these days?

Car was I've got a voss Wagon, Tiwan.

I've seen the Volkswagen, but you've got so many aerials.

I think it's a little discreete but maybe not so much.

Actually, you know what, the Queensland Police got in trouble a while back because they were using the family stickers on the back of their undercover cars.

People off, yeah, we don't do that here. Yeah.

Now, you are part of the arm crime squad, so specifically, what do you investigate?

They're right, So typically our day to day work involves non fatal shooting, so firearms incidents where somebody has been injured as a result of a shooting. Kidnappings is something that we quite regularly deal with, and not the sort of stuff you've seen in the movies where there's ransom demands and things. But you know, there's there's a couple of different levels of kidnappings, so the type where you know, somebody might report having somebody dragged into a car from the street something.

Yeah, yeah, correct.

So will initially receive those jobs, triaged them, and then generate a response as to how we how will investigate and manage the interview.

You've got a family, I do, is it working on a kidnapping case? I could imagine would be quite mentally challenging.

It is, it is, and I guess to dispel that he myth that kidnapping is where children are taken.

It's nothing generally kidnappings that.

We deal with adults quite often you're probably find in that organized crime space or you know, people that are involved in criminal activity will be subjected to kidnappings. We also see incidents where in a family of violence context. Unfortunately you'll see that they're a common one that will see on the side of the road where a female might get dragged into a car or something like that.

So these are terrifying incidents for victims because agbergs as well, there's been a spade of agbergs across. Aggravated burglary sorry where you know there is a weapon involved, it's not discharged. That's used as a threat in seven elevens or where I've.

Got a weapon but they don't use it.

Yeah, So as well as doing the non fatal students of kidnappings, we do robberies.

We're shots are fired, we do aggravated burglaries.

Whereas on a residential property, let's say, where somebody will go in with a firearm, discharge of firearm. So as the name suggesting arm crimes, god, we do deal with a lot of firearms.

Are you going out to the crime scenes and looking around or is it like when I would watch Blue Heelers and true crime shows where they sit in an office and put all the pictures in. There's lines pointing at.

Things like the TV shirt, very like that. We do do that.

I guess the technology has come a little bit further than since then, so we have computers and we do charting and things on.

Yeah, that's stupid question.

But someone someone kicks down my door at seven o'clock at night and they're holding a knife or a gun.

Yep, just go with it. Do whatever they say.

Oh yeah, that's my suggestion.

Yeah, absolutely, Like I think the issue is most of them are coming in unless it's targeted specifically, if they're coming the bridge trying to steal things. You see a lot of thefts of cars and the line it's not worth putting putting yourself on the line for that. If somebody comes in, just let them take what they want to take. I know that goes against the grain for a lot of people, but let them do what they want to do and then just contact the police.

And I was going to say, is there anything apart from taking their description in mind? Is there anything we should be looking for to remember that we can pass onto the cop.

Yeah, what helps you find?

Yeah, all those sorts of things. And I guess that's easy.

So afterwards, when we talk to victims, it's sort of like, did you notice anything distinct?

But you know, most of them are in.

A panic adrenaline rush. It's it's sort of hard for them to see things.

You know, we need we need those stickers like on the door at seven eleven. That's right, put them in our house door.

How satisfying is it to catch a bad guy?

Oh, it's immensely satisfying. So I guess that's part of the reason why we do what we do. We're really passionate about the work we do.

Say you've been hunted, Oh, nice, nicked, that's right.

And with the kidnappings and a lot of the work we do, given the nature of the people we deal with, we often knew is the elite Special Operations Group.

So the soggis there's a lot of people know it's like swat team. Correct, correct?

So I think you know, there's there's no no greater way to say that you've messed up than when you've been arrested by.

Them, and they they're based in the city.

Yeah they are.

Yeh.

And is there like soggy Is there a soggy Dash swat team in there twenty four hours ready to act.

Yes, So at three o'clock in the morning they can load up there with the Yeah, yeah, right.

You don't want to see them at your front door.

Well you wait, they'll come through the front And that's that's necessary because given the work we do, like these things happen in the middle of the night. Yeah, it happens like if we're on coll So every every day we have a detective sergeant on call who will vet and triage kidnapping, shued ins, all sorts of jobs that sit with it.

You get the calls and then you work out what's the most important to get.

That's right, that's right.

Dis closed my mind that this is going on in Melbourne. Yeah, it is a scene from a movie.

Well, speaking speaking of which four years was four years ago. You're involved in a pretty specky one involving a gold hest.

Yeah, this made the news as well. You might remember this as E. S.

Cruz and police scour this rural property in Gippsland, near the aptly named community of Dollar, where gold bully and jewelry and cash were discovered the alleged proceeds of a massive heist. A loaded gun and stolen number plates were also found buried three point nine million dollars worth. The valuables were taken from the Melbourne Gold Company on Collin Street.

So they robbed the gold plate.

Yeah, yeah, So that's quite a significant incident, obviously, given the nature.

Of the stuff that was taken.

Obviously there's an immense amount of planning that goes into a heist like that. So on face for you. Initially, when we receive a job like that, we'll go out. The local detectives will initially attend the same We'll go out and will coordinate a response. The investigation will sit with us. That particular job was quite significant given the amount of gold bullion, cash and jury that was stolen.

Believe gold bullion's actually I think what is that?

Gold bars?

Yeah?

Correct, So it was because when we recovered it, we had a big trolley of it sitting the office.

It's just bliing away. Couldn't stop looking at it.

Just on that I will notice if one of these is gone.

Do you guys make sure you've got another cop with you when you're counting out like seized money.

And so we've got processes in place.

So and again with technology, the advances in technology, we've got cash cannons and.

That's all Recordings's the.

What's the craziest thing you've witnessed? Because remember we only had a robbery just last week here in Melbourne made headlines.

With underwear on his head. This is a brief that has baffled police.

It's very bizarre in terms of the outfit that was chosen.

He committed the crime in unders on his head, he did, he.

Did good like brief that's confused police.

And I guess as funny as that job made, but like he's very resourceful. The robber there, it's still there. We've got victims. You know, we have a person who

Terrifying.

What about a dumb crim you were to come across.

I love thoselines. Is this Melbourne's do criminal?

We often laugh because you know, we don't catch the smart ones, although we like to think we do.

But yeah, like that.

Our work, like I say, it is targeted to that more organized crime sort of stuff where there's a lot more planning, but not as dumb correct guy.

Would bear a dumb criminal. I hear these things and I'm like, I would never even think to do that. My brain just doesn't go there.

So if I have to go onto the bank, I look around while I'm waiting in line. Probably shouldn't say this in front of you, Paul, but I I had to do it.

How do I do it?

Oh?

Well you wouldn't because banks aren't really carrying money anymore.

But you can't even get into a bank. Are there any banks open anymore?

Yeah?

That funny little concierge come up and go how can I help you? Hey, we're going to go to a quick break. We are doing probe the Poe po. We have a detective from the Armed Crime Squad joined us this morning. On the other side of this. We want to get your help for Melbourne to try and track us down and our two hundred and fifty thousand dollars hide and seek, and we'll do it next pol We are about to embark on our two hundred and fifty thousand dollars Hide and seek, Melbourne's biggest game of hide

Mention that to the guy's Victorian police, I'll get your deal on.

You must find criminals in some funny old places. I believe you once found a bad guy hiding in a dam, but wasn't doing a great job of concealing his identity.

No, that's right, So we find him in all sorts of places.

But this particular incident, we chased the calf for a while and he was out and he's taken off into some bushland and we were scanting around with the canine and there he was just hiding completely under the water with his eyes sticking up topopotamus.

So yeah, it was an easy pinch. But yeah, they do. They hiding some crazy places.

All right.

Hide and seek we're going to go into hiding. What would be your tips for people in Melbourne listening right now to try and track us down because we're a step ahead. We do your clues, we're a step ahead of the game. We either don't bring our mobiles or we turn location setting up.

We do. Don't bother with that.

It's you guys did this a little while ago with the other station.

We don't talk about.

Around here, yep.

So, And it's funny because a couple of members that I know were actually out hunting years now.

The first one you send the song team through that front door.

Probably not good endorsement, but I don't think they got anywhere near you guys. I guess you know, basic for us, basic police, and you know, like if they're out trying to find you, like talk to people, ask questions.

You know.

C C TV these days is huge, So yes, it's on every corner.

You can't walk around.

Obviously have access to what other people don't have.

Though, yeah we do obviously we need that, but I still think it for the for the hide and seek for your stuff.

You know, if the.

Guys get creative or they can influence local shopkeepers and things to their cameras.

Well, maybe I shouldn't be putting that.

In the day we go hiding, if people were to check their cameras, they might see it's walk past their house to the hiding spot.

They might.

Idea if we were we are doing hide and seek, if you could use all of your resources and on the day we go missing you we said go how quickly do you think as Victoria police you could find us extremely quickly.

I'd like to think of critical some of the stuff we have access to which obviously can't talk about.

Yeah, it enables us to do some pretty crazy stuff.

We've all watched The Hunted. We see those rules, cameras and all that.

We couldn't walk past an ATYM to the safe house, for.

Example, as we would pop up on you pop up.

On a bloody ATM camera. We're gonna be careful for that.

And this is what I say. Cameras are everywhere. You'd be surprised, why, says we fine cameras?

We can't go through a drive through on the way there.

That you don't need to tell me twice that's a you problem. If he goes missing, he'll be in some kind of drive through or takeaway place.

Just soon.

It's an easy clue.

Don't give it all.

So we said, we're not hiding in a hospital, we're not hiding in a house, so that rules out like airbnb and all that, and we're not hiding in a school, but everywhere else's free game.

Should we be.

Bought in field clubrooms?

Stop talking?

Should we be dressing like head to toe in like black clothes with belloclav or something?

Is that too obvious? Should we be enough we want to be walking around the street.

I think we often say that covert is over, so over it is covert. So I think if you if you just we're a tradeing top of floor, trading top, people are going to.

Pick it, which is what people are wearing on hunted. Remember they dressed up as trading and stuff.

Yes, and because they're everywhere, you're just you.

Think to see somebody walk down the street in the trading uniform.

So that you can't with a Luis Vitanzo like you got to go boots, You've got to go full trading outfit.

Can't we nice shoes in the bottom and reflected Okay.

Thanks, thanks, mate's that well, let's see how long with us?

Thank you so much for coming in, mate, not and thank you for the work the Victorian police do as well.

We love having you guys in trying to find us.

We're talking about earlier. If you're looking for a career, get into the police force.

If the police work out where we are, send it through to our producers and they can contact us and say, you guys have been busted by the POPO first of all, Yeah.

Let's not send the swat team our way, all right, and Andy to the cops and they come in. Hopefully we don't see you soon.

Thank you, Lauren, wake up feeling good on over one hundred there on socials

MHM.