The Crime Couch with Rochelle Jackson

”The legal eagle”

Ed Pollard's had a fascinating career in Victoria Police. The Senior Sergeant worked extensively at inner-city stations before joining the Police Air-Wing as an Observer. Ed then qualified as a Prosecutor which led to him working at the State Coroner's Assistant Unit and tours to Bali, after the bombings and Thailand, after the tsunami.

He's specialised in DVI or Disaster Victim Identification and was seconded as the Mortuary Co-ordinator for the Black Saturday bushfires, before being sent to Melbourne Prosecutions. Ed was diagnosed with PTSD and is now transitioning into retirement via his long service leave.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”The cop who became an educator”

Maureen Blue has retired after nearly fifty years with Victoria Police. She's worked in sworn and unsworn roles and is an expert in management, behavioural issues, education and training. 

Maureen's a specialist in people management and dispute resolution and been working as a Senior Instructor at People Development Command. In her 14 years at the Academy, she's trained over 4,000 Sergeants. Maureen is now looking forward to the next chapter of her life, complete with vegie patch and chickens.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”All creatures great and small”

Steve Cook is an experienced investigator with more than 16 years working in law enforcement. He's currently a Senior Inspector with RSPCA Victoria in the Major Investigations team. Steve's role includes responding to reports from the public, investigating animal cruelty and attending properties "one up" across the state.

Prior to working at the RSPCA, Steve worked in animal care and the media. He owns two parrots and a number of goldfish.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”You never stop being a cop”

Carl Stella was a Detective Senior Constable with Victoria Police for more than 30 years. He followed his grandfather who was a police officer in Italy.

He joined the Highway Patrol before having a serious motorbike collision, eventually returning to the CIB. Carl did his rounds as a suburban detective but always aimed to get into the Crime Squads. He succeeded, working in the Major Fraud Group and Missing Persons/Homicide Squad, investigating serious criminals like serial killer Peter Dupas and murderer Keith Lees.

Carl retired due to ill-health in 2009 and since qualified as a real estate agent and done stints with the Justice Department and Melbourne Airport.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

 

”Seeing the bigger picture - part 2”

Esther McKay is a former NSW Police Force Detective Senior Constable who specialises in forensic services. She spent years at murder scenes, traffic accidents and major crime investigations. Her areas of expertise include crime scene, vehicle and document examination. 

The grueling work, huge hours and her relentless commitment to the job eventually took its toll. Esther was discharged from the police force, hurt in the line of duty and began a very different journey. Today, she's a Consultant Manager of Police Care Australia and the Program Development Manager for the Quest for Life Foundation.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”Look what you made me do”

One Australian woman dies at the hands of an intimate or former partner every week in Australia. What's less known is that one Australian child is killed each fortnight at the hands of as parent or stepparent. Megan Norris has republished a book, "Look What You Made Me Do" which features nine cases of "spousal revenge" where fathers or stepfathers have taken the lives of their own children.

Megan's a former court reporter, investigative journalist and true crime author with eight books under her belt. She's a known campaigner for women and children escaping family violence and often writes features stories giving a voice to survivors of violent crime.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

 

”Seeing the bigger picture”

I first met Esther McKay in 2005 at a writer's festival. We were both authors talking about our new true crime books. Esther is a former NSW Police Force Detective Senior Constable whose life journey has been fascinating. 

She worked for 17 years in the job specialising in forensic services. Esther entered that tough, male-dominated world determined to hold her own. But it took a huge cost. She was discharged from the NSW Police Force hurt in the line of duty and began a very different journey. Today, Esther's a Consultant Manager of Police Care Australia and Quest for Life Foundation's Program Development Manager. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

From the Crime Squads to reality TV”

The Crime Couch is back! With a new sponsor, Police Care Australia. It's an online portal where current, former police and family members can get support and counselling with professionals that understand police.

Ken "Ashy" Ashworth was one of the hard men in the job. He retired as a Victoria Police Detective Inspector, was awarded an APM and two Chief Commissioner's Commendations. Ashy worked in the Armed Robbery and Homicide Squads before heading up the Water Police Search and Rescue Squads.

He joined the Purana Taskforce before working in the Trident Taskforce and investigating organised crime on the waterfront. Now, Ashy's turned his talents to reality TV, working behind the scenes on the Ten Network's "Hunted" series.

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”Cyber-crime - think before you click”

Russian-based hacker groups, phishing, data-breaches and ransomware attacks have become part of today's workplace. This week on The Crime Couch, former Detective Leading Senior Constable Christopher McNaughton talks about cyber-criminals, the latest trends and how our internet-enabled devices like the fridge can be used against us!

Chris left Victoria Police and joined the corporate sector running global investigations with GE before forming his company, SECMON1. He specialises in fraud, corruption and cyber-crime in the corporate sector. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch. 

”From the vault - Tit for tat; the waterfront wars - part 2”

This is part 2 of an interview I did 20 years ago with former Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Alan Pleitner. I interviewed Alan when writing Billy "The Texan" Longley's biography. He was a Detective Senior Constable in the Homicide Squad when Melbourne's waterfront war was underway. Alan talks about the role of the Homicide Squad Detective and how they work hard to bring justice to the victim. 

Alan was working when the Painters and Dockers' boss Pat Shannon was murdered at the Druids Hotel in 1973. He and his partner Detective Senior- Sergeant Barrie O'Brien arrested Alfred Connell - one of three crims involved in the shooting - and charged him with murder. 

Contains Snappy @2021 performed Jonathan Boyle with music written by Jonathan Boyle, courtesy of Premium Beat.

Post production by Pete Dillon @www.fearlesscollective.com.au and acknowledgement to Stephen Peters for his assistance and support. 

Thanks for listening. Please take the time to rate & review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. We'd love to hear your thoughts and it makes it easier for the rest of the podcast world to find The Crime Couch.