Author and APJ Deputy Editor, retired Detective Senior Sergeant Barry Fay, discusses his 2016 crime case article titled An Unexpected 'Mayday' in November – the callous murder of three men in NSW. The first two were shot inside a Sydney gun shop in 1977. The third victim was a police sergeant, gunned down in 1980 when he unknowingly asked too many questions of the offender in remote bushland to the west of Newcastle. The offender subsequently shot another police officer in an attempt to avoid...

Interested in learning about the challenges of police leadership in the 21st Century? The day before she retired from the role of Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service (QPS), Katarina Carroll APM spared some time to talk to Jason Byrnes about a range of topics. These included the challenges facing police now and into the future, the skills future leaders should possess, how the QPS responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on the organisation in the wake of the murder of two...

In 2002 three men died in grizzly circumstances in Melbourne, after a series of gang related incidents. One young man was hacked to death by offenders wielding samurai swords. Three of his friends were then chased into the cold Yarra River - two of them drowned. Recently retired Detective Sergeant Brett Smith wrote the article ‘Asian Gangs Blood the Yarra’ in the June 2009 issue of the APJ. In the podcast Brett, and his then Senior Sergeant Jeff Maher, talk about the challenges facing them at...

APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay joins host Jason Byrnes to give an overview of the police investigation into a horrific 1978 crime where a mother and two of her young children were abducted from their home. The mother was raped and all three subsequently murdered. Barry discusses the course of the investigation and explains some of the procedures used to identify and bring the offender to justice. As with many such investigations, chance played a major role a various points throughout the story...

An arson at a major Australian naval base in December 1976 left the country without its naval surveillance and submarine detection capability for months. It was the most costly and complex fire ever to have occurred in the country, apart from major bushfires and some attacks during World War II. In this episode APJ Editor Simon Bouda narrates the article titled: ‘How Teamwork Unmasked the Albatross Arsonist’, written by then Detective Chief Inspector Harry Delaforce, and published in the APJ...

A gunman goes on a rampage in the national capital. He tries to murder two people, explodes his car and sets fire to an office building, recklessly endangers the safety of hundreds of people, and shoots at police. Specialist (tactical) police enter the burning building to hunt for the gunman, while firefighters rescue people stuck in a radio station on the building’s first floor.  In this gripping episode you will hear from police and a firefighter involved in the operation, and how they were...

In this special episode we learn about the planning and logistics involved in hosting National Police Remembrance Day (NPRD) services in the nation’s capital. The main Dusk Service involves police from across the county. This year the Commissioners from Queensland and Western Australia attended, along with the AFP Commissioner and the Governor-General of Australia. NPRD has significant resonance for the policing community in Australia, New Zealand and in the Pacific. The main guest in the...

It's seldom that counterfeiters end up killing police. Sadly this occurred in 1902 when a 'Coiner' (old Australian slang) murdered two police officers - one in NSW and one in Victoria. In the first case the coiner had an accomplice. Danny Webster and Noel Johnson's article 'The Coiner Killers' is a remembrance piece in the September 2023 edition of the APJ. Danny joins host Jason Byrnes, to talk about the strange and tragic tale. APJ Editor Simon Bouda also appears to talk about the wide...

Ballistics expert, Sergeant Gerard Dutton, talks about his extensive career. Crimes mentioned include his recollections of the Belanglo Forest Backpacker Murders investigation and the investigation into the Port Arthur Massacre. He also talks about the work he did for the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), assisting to build the ballistics analysis capacity for the Palestinian Civil Police. Gerard has been a police officer for over 25 years, serving first in the New South...

In 2012, 11-month-old Zayden Veal-Whitting was murdered while he was asleep in his bedroom cot, in his home in the regional Victorian city of Bendigo. In this episode we hear about how police were able to identify the offender and bring him to justice - a journey of many twists and turns. The investigation was marked by a high degree of professionalism, thoroughness and basics of policing, including knowing the local 'crooks'. The words 'total and utter evil' were used by the judge in...

A burglar literally leaves part of himself behind at a crime scene! APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay talks about a crime scene investigation he conducted at a Bondi restaurant, where he found the tip of the offender's finger. APJ Editor Simon Bouda then talks to host Jason Byrnes, about the diverse range of interesting articles in the newly released June 2023 edition of the journal. Host: Jason Byrnes APM Guests: Simon Bouda AM and Barry Fay

On 30 September 1971 two NSW police officers were murdered at a house in Toongabbie, Western Sydney. The murderer had earlier shot his brother dead, and sexually assaulted his brother’s de-facto partner. After the shootings the murderer fled the house but was later chased by police. The pursuit ended in a crash between the murderer’s car and a police truck, and then another shooting. In this episode APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay talks about this tragic story, and his article. about it titled...

Hear from experienced Tasmania Police forensic officer Tania Curtis APM, who was one of the police who responded to the Port Arthur Massacre on Sunday 28 April 1996. Thirty-five people were shot dead by a lone gunman on the day at Tasmania’s best known tourist spot, situated in a rural setting 90 minutes’ drive from Hobart. Then a junior constable who had recently joined the Launceston Scientific Unit, Curtis worked at the site assisting in disaster victim identification (DVI) and evidence...

Magistrate Greg Grogin talks to host Jason Byrnes about his article titled Court Craft – the essential skills required for police to be effective in court. Mr Grogin has over 30 years of legal expertise (including as defence barrister) and before that was a police officer – so he’s seen ‘all sides’ of a court room.  The tips and issues raised in the podcast are relevant for police in all jurisdictions. Also appearing in the podcast is APJ Editor Simon Bouda. He discusses the various articles...

Learn about Australia’s only human body farm.  The Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research – AFTER – is dedicated to better understanding the physical, chemical and biological process of human decomposition down under. Part of this process involves conducting training exercises for police and forensic scientists, using donated cadavers in bushland.  AFTER’s Director, Associate Professor Jodie Ward (University of Technology), and Queensland Police Senior Sergeant Ritchie...

Retired Tasmania Police Detective Inspector David Plumpton joins Jason Byrnes to talk about the murder case that resulted in Tasmania’s last judicially sanctioned hanging. David also talks about his plans regarding the victim’s place of rest. The victim, Evelyn Maughan, is buried in an unmarked grave and David wants to erect a headstone to honour her. First, he needs the permission of a family member. For a few weeks the APJ will also display on its homepage, the 1992 article about the case...

The true story of a woman kidnapped from her suburban home and left tied to a tree in bushland, while the offender lazily issued a $500,000 ransom demand. The story is also about the fortunate series of events which led police to rescue the woman before she succumbed to the elements and injuries. Sent to gaol for his horrendous crime, the offender later came to a violent end whilst robbing a second-hand antiques store. APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay (accompanied at times by some boisterous...

APJ Deputy Editor Barry Fay discusses one of the more difficult police investigations he was involved in as a fingerprint expert: the so-called Jane Doe Murder Mystery.  Detectives and support staff spent months trying to identify the body of a young woman, murdered and left abandoned on a suburban street in late 1991. One of the more gruesome elements was a fingerprint found on newspaper that had been forced into the throat/mouth of the victim. The unique circumstances of the murder meant...

Retired Detective Inspector Dennis Bray talks to Jason Byrnes about his high-profile investigation regarding the disappearance and murders of Kerry Whelan and Dottie Davis. Bray’s article, Crueller than Murder, is the feature article of the September 2022 issue of the Australian Police Journal. Rather than canvassing each step of the investigation, Dennis talks about aspects of the complicated and complex operation – topics discussed include management of the investigation, the work...

Veteran crime reporter and new APJ Editor Simon Bouda, joins host Jason Byrnes to talk about his journalistic career, themes in crime reporting and the contents of the latest issue of the APJ (September 2022). Retired US police officer Sean Grogan then joins Jason to talk about body language and its implications for policing. Sean currently teaches body language to police around the world; his conversation with Jason ranges from basic principles about body language to the use of...

Money laundering is an insidious crime which harms the Australian way of life.  Author and financial crime expert Nathan Lynch talks to podcast host Jason Byrnes about money laundering and some of the excellent work done by Australian law enforcement and criminal intelligence agencies in countering the crime.  Examples discussed include failures by banks to monitor financial transactions, public/private partnerships to investigate offences, and Australia’s tardiness in implementing...

Chris Dawson APM was the 29th Commissioner of the Western Australia Police Force. This month he retired from the role and was appointed Governor of the state of Western Australia – the first time a former police officer has occupied the viceregal position. Before he left the force, Commissioner Dawson spoke to Policing Australia to discuss his thoughts on policing. He also talked about his 38-year career in law enforcement, including three years leading what is now called the Australian...

Listen to barrister Mark Tedeschi QC as he discusses one of the more notable episodes in his prosecutorial career – the prosecution of notorious murderer Bruce Burrell. As Crown Prosecutor, Tedeschi worked with a legal team and police to secure the conviction of Burrell for two vicious murders, committed for financial gain. The bodies of the victims have never been found. In the podcast you will head Tedeschi talk about a range of issues including lessons for police in preparing thorough...

Author David Dufty talks about his book – ‘Nabbing Ned Kelly: The extraordinary true story of the men who brought Australia's notorious outlaw to justice'. The book is a refreshingly new look at the work of police in bringing a major criminal to justice in colonial Victoria. It challenges the myths surrounding Kelly and his gang, who were in real life vicious and violent thugs. The book is published by Allen & Unwin and is widely available now. Check out www.apjl.com.au for more...