In her second interview on The Crime Couch, Christine "Chris" McIntyre talks about being the first woman to run a police station, how she arrested an armed robber and the wonders of the ASP baton! In an era where female Victoria Police officers had to know their place and given jobs involving welfare and minor crimes; the former Victoria Police detective was one of the women who led the way for females in the job using her smarts and diplomacy! She was the first female in the Breakers Squad and ...
Jul 17, 2025•22 min•Ep. 158
Christine "Chris" McIntyre was the first female in the infamous Breaking Squad. The former Victoria Police detective was one of the leading women in the job; was the first female to run her own police station and be elected Director of the Police Association Credit Union. The gutsy officer had an extraordinary career, once leaping on the back of a crook attempting to put a sleeper-hold on him as he held her partner at gunpoint! Christine also recalls hiding in a broom cupboard from crims when wo...
Jul 03, 2025•21 min•Ep. 157
Victoria Police's Detective Senior Constable Reginald Ernest Henderson was an extraordinary police officer. In a career spanning 38 years, Reg apprehended more than 3,000 offenders, identifying many only by photographs he kept in a little notebook. He was also known as "the Falcon of The Force" and "Eagle Eye Henderson". Reg was more of a diplomat than a detective; well-groomed, quiet, didn't drink or smoke and acted as close personal security for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11, the Queen Mother...
Jun 19, 2025•19 min•Ep. 156
Geoffrey Steward is a barrister of some note. He specialises in criminal law, coronial inquests and other quasi-criminal proceedings. Interestingly enough, he attended high school with the lads from Australian Crawl. Geoffrey did his articles at Mahoney's Solicitors, worked at Legal Aid, joined the Bar in 1989, conducting his first trial that year. He's never been a prosecutor, but he has been involved with some infamous trials including instructing the legendary Bob Kent, representing ex-cop Pa...
Jun 05, 2025•24 min•Ep. 155
Susan "Sue" Davis has two focuses in her rather brilliant career: as a Victoria Police Inspector and a principal lawyer. She's currently managing the Counter-Terrorism Legal Unit and also running her own law firm; Anmar Legal. Sue oversees both criminal and civil areas of law and has a National Security Clearance Negative Vetting Level 2. This means she manages highly sensitive, protected and secret information. Sue's worked as a Critical Incident Commander, a government liaison in the Chief Com...
May 22, 2025•30 min•Ep. 154
Kevin "Kev" Collister is from "the school of hard knocks". The former ADF Infantry solider and military policeman also spent years in the prison system working in the Security and Emergency Services Group's dog squad. He's wrestled with Australia's most dangerous criminals including convicted serial killer Gregory Brazel. Kev credits Brazel for teaching him invaluable life lessons; something he discusses in this interview on The Crime Couch. Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with mu...
May 08, 2025•27 min•Ep. 153
Helen Adams is passionate about assisting victims of crime, sexual assault, elderly abuse and trauma. This was a focus in her Victoria Police career of 29 years and continues in her current role as a Victims of Crime Support worker with the Victims Assistance program. In 2001, Helen was recognised for her work and awarded an Australian Police Medal. She's worked in General Duties, and specialist roles within the Women Police Division, Community Policing Squads, Sexual Offences and Child Abuse In...
Apr 24, 2025•21 min•Ep. 152
David (Dave) Evans and Cleve Salmon are former Victoria Police members with a wealth of experience between them. Dave was in the job for 23 years, working in family violence, a covert IT unit and as a detective in the Moorabbin Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Unit. He's also qualified as a social worker. Cleve Salmon spent 19 years in General Duties, Highway Patrol, the Heidelburg Crime Scene office as well as being a Divisional Firearms Officer. Cleve is also a qualified chef. They're both dedi...
Apr 10, 2025•30 min•Ep. 151
Julie "Jules" McAlister is the second veteran police officer to be given a Police Assistance dog through the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation. The black Labrador Charlie-Kane has made a major difference to her life. And Julie's been through a lot; including a PTSD diagnosis, being forced to retire "ill-health", a suicide attempt and getting accidentally shot with a shotgun at a rifle range. In March 2023, Julie was officially recognised for her service with Victoria Police, given an apolog...
Mar 27, 2025•23 min•Ep. 150
This is final episode of a two-part special featuring former Victoria Police Special Operations Group member, Jim Venn. He was "in the job" for 24 years, also working in the Major Crime Squad, the BCI, Firearms Operational Survival Training Unit and as a Staff Officer. After leaving Victoria Police, Jim ran his own investigative consultancy business. He investigated the ACT 2003 bushfires and led a major inquiry into bullying and misconduct at the Canberra Institute of Technology. Although polic...
Mar 13, 2025•40 min•Ep. 149
Jim Venn, registered number 17909 is not your average former Victoria Police member. The highly decorated officer was a Special Operations Group member and qualified as a bomb technician, marksman and in close quarter combat. Jim spent 24 years in Victoria Police, working in the Major Crime Squad, the BCI, Firearms Operational Unit and as a Staff Officer. After leaving Victoria Police, he ran his own consultancy business employed as the Chief Investigator for the ACT 2003 bushfires and the ACT G...
Feb 27, 2025•40 min•Ep. 148
The Crime Couch - series 5 is back! Lex de Man has just retired from his CEO role at Victoria Police Legacy, but his career in the emergency services isn't as easily defined. He began as a 17-year-old volunteer CFA firefighter before joining Victoria Police in 1978. Lex worked on a taskforce with support from the FBI and UK Police on "The Family" investigation finishing as a Detective Senior Sergeant. He's been employed with the CFA and even served as the Mayor of the Shire of Nullumbik for seve...
Feb 13, 2025•24 min•Ep. 147
It's the end of season 4 on The Crime Couch and what a year it has been! This is a compilation of the 20 episodes during 2024. You'll hear former AFP Superintendent Tim Egan, former Victoria Police Sergeant Sheree Moore recall the Queen Street shootings, former Deputy Chief Magistrate Bob Kumar reflect on his career, Queensland Detective Sonya Leeding remember the night her life was changed forever, Victoria Police Sergeant Barry Randall talk about Operation Soul Surf, former Victoria Police Deb...
Dec 19, 2024•26 min•Ep. 146
Wendy Cowling was 20 years old and working at a supermarket when she applied to join Victoria Police. The former Victoria Police Sergeant spent 34 years in the job starting in the Russell Street Policewomen's Division. Here she was mentored by highly qualified officers like Joan Paffett, Sandy Langlands, Myrene Purcell and Jill Wood. Wendy was an operational "boots on the street" policewoman most of her career; gazetted at Cheltenham General Duties and worked in General Duties in Melbourne's sou...
Dec 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 145
Neil Soullier's had a diverse career, he's worked in retail as the National Sales Manager for Tandy Electronics. He was the road manager for the Westfield Run that featured gumboot jogger Cliffy Young. He's currently the General Manager for an international golf championship; the Australian Master of the Amateurs. Neil's always had a passion for community services and the not-for-profit sector. He's been awarded an OAM for his community service and the Centenary Medal for significant service to ...
Nov 21, 2024•32 min•Ep. 144
90-year-old Geoff Tulloch is a former Superintendent with Victoria Police. He spent 32 years in the job and worked in the Mobile Traffic section, Crime Cars, did several stints as a law instructor and in the Training Research section before finishing at the Police Academy. Geoff loves his Aerial Square 4 motorbike which is currently on display in the Victoria Police Museum. Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat. Post-product...
Nov 07, 2024•27 min•Ep. 143
October is cyber-safety awareness month, so it makes sense I sit with Australia’s cyber-safety expert, Susan McLean. Susan spent 27 years in Victoria Police where she was known as” the cyber cop”. She was the first Vic Pol officer appointed to a position involving cyber-safety and young people. Susan is highly credentialed and trained extensively with Dallas Police’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and completed the University Certificate in Child Safety on the Internet from the UK’s ...
Oct 24, 2024•35 min•Ep. 142
Reverend Jim Jung hasn't always worked with Victoria Police. The Senior Chaplain grew up In Melbourne's south, trained to be a motor mechanic, played local footy and was the first person in his family to obtain a Bachelor's degree. He's had a fascinating background working with NGO's in Spain, with Romanian gypsy communities, in Vietnam and Uganda. This year the Victoria Police Chaplaincy commemorates it's 50th anniversary so it's real honour to sit with Jim and discuss how the Chaplaincy contin...
Oct 10, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 141
Sergeant Barry "Baz" Randall grew up on the NSW Central Coast. Here he gained a passion for rugby and surfing. Barry moved interstate in 1994 to join Victoria Police when he was the victim of an attempted murder that ended in a fatal shooting. He was diagnosed with PTSD and transferred to a coastal area. He became a Detective working in sexual offences and child abuse investigation. 3 years ago, Barry started Operation Soul Surf; an award-winning program that helps first responders and veterans ...
Aug 29, 2024•25 min•Ep. 140
Allan Sicard admits he's made mistakes in his career. A rare admission from a former NSW Police Superintendent. In a police culture that's often autocratic and unforgiving, Allan is upfront about his short-comings and says what he's learnt has made him a better leader. He's recently published a book; "The Courage to Lead" and believes leadership involves learning from your mistakes. He spent 40 years in the job and was involved in the Mosman Collar Bomb in 2011 and was the forward Commander for ...
Aug 15, 2024•30 min•Ep. 139
Wayne "Snapper" Rotherham is a legend in the job. The former Detective Inspector's resume reads like a boy's own adventure. Snapper worked in the Major Crime Squad and been in more stoushes than he's had glasses of red. He's also had multiple threats on his family. Snapper went to London on an extradition, worked on the Russell Street and Turkish Consulate bombings and the infamous "Mad Max". The ex- Victoria Police officer did a stint in the Solomon Islands, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Samoa. Curr...
Aug 01, 2024•25 min•Ep. 138
In this episode, we take a look back at the last three and half years of The Crime Couch. We've published more than 100 episodes and had over 100,000 downloads. I've interviewed many former and current serving members of Victoria Police, interstate police officers, legal eagles, crime authors and the occasional interesting individual. Enjoy this recap of some of the great chats on The Crime Couch, including; former Detective Inspector Wayne "Snapper" Rotherham, Sergeant Glenn "Dutchy" Holland, M...
Jul 18, 2024•28 min•Ep. 137
It's often been said a dog is man's best friend. A trained dog may also be the best friend for any veteran police officer who's been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Police Assistance Dog (PAD) program run by the Blue Ribbon Foundation in partnership with Protecting the Protectors is providing highly trained psychiatric dogs to former and veteran Victoria Police members who've been wrestling with their mental health. Former officers...
Jul 04, 2024•23 min•Ep. 136
Bob Kumar re-joins me on The Crime Couch to talk about youth crime, contest mentions, life as a Magistrate and retirement The former Deputy Chief Magistrate of Victoria spent nearly 40 years on the bench. Bob's been described as " a visionary Magistrate" and "a man of the people". He introduced the state's Koori Court and created the contest mention; a hearing that allows an accused person to understand what sentence they'd get in exchange for a guilty plea. Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonat...
Jun 20, 2024•21 min•Ep. 135
Bob Kumar is a former Magistrate who spent nearly 40 years on the bench. He presided over the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court and also appointed as Victoria's Deputy Chief Magistrate. Bob's been described as a "visionary Magistrate" and "a man of the people". He helped introduce the Koori Court and created the contest mention. A hearing that allows an accused person to understand what sentence they might get in exchange for a guilty plea. Talking on The Crime Couch in the first of two interviews,...
Jun 06, 2024•24 min•Ep. 134
Glenn "Dutchy" Holland wasn't always a Victoria Police Sergeant. He used to work in the casino industry on a tiny island called Tinian and on international cruise ships. Dutchy's been in the job for 21 years starting in Frankston on the van. He's been a detective and currently working as an operational member in Melbourne. His work around mental health and PTSD is significant. And recognised. In 2018, Dutchy was the Blue Ribbon Officer of the Year. He's also been awarded the Chief Commissioner's...
May 23, 2024•25 min•Ep. 133
Mark “Trigger” Tregellas has broken his spine, knee, shoulder and elbow. He's been shot in the face and battled with cancer. The former Victoria Police Leading Senior Constable has served 31 years mainly in three remote coastal towns. Like many operational police officers, Trigger's dealt with lunatics, drunks, bizarre situations, neo-Nazis and dead bodies. He's also the recipient of a highly prestigious Clarke Silver medal. Trigger's written a book "Backup is three hours away" with Big Sky Publ...
May 09, 2024•33 min•Ep. 132
In the 1990's Deb Keogh was one of the few female detectives "in the job". It was challenging. The former Victoria Police Sergeant worked in traffic operations, accident investigation and as a Detective stationed in the suburbs, including working with my dear father when he was Chief Supt in "E" district (Dandenong). Deb retired from ill-health after 34 years of service. She's still dealing with PSTD after being shot at with a crossbow during a domestic. Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan ...
Apr 25, 2024•28 min•Ep. 131
This is the final of a two-part interview with Queensland Police Detective Sonya Leeding. Sonya's husband, Damien - also a Queensland Detective - was shot and killed in May 2011 during a botched armed robbery. Since that fateful night, Sonya's life has never been the same. The Detective Senior Constable's written a book, Blue Widow by Ocean Reeve Publishing. Sonya talks on The Crime Couch about her life after the murder of her precious husband; including her failed relationships, wrestle with th...
Apr 11, 2024•18 min•Ep. 130
The 29th of May 2011 is a date that changed Queensland Police Detective Sonya Leeding's world forever. This was the night her husband, Damien - also a Queensland Detective - was shot and killed during a botched armed robbery. Since that fateful night, Sonya's life has never been the same. The Detective Senior Constable's written a book, Blue Widow by Ocean Reeve Publishing. Blue Widow is a ballsy, extremely candid and brilliant read about what Sonya's endured. It includes her failed relationship...
Mar 27, 2024•23 min•Ep. 129
