Constabulary policing during 'The Troubles' Artwork

Policing Australia: The Official Podcast of the Australian Police Journal

The Australian Police Journal (APJ) is the country’s preeminent true crime and policing publication, and it has launched a monthly podcast series! Join host Jason Byrnes (jason@apjl.com.au) as he discusses new APJ articles as well as interviews authors and other people of note, about serious crimes, police history, contemporary developments in policing, and future initiatives. The 'APJ' and 'Policing Australia: The Official Podcast of the Australian Police Journal' are produced by the Australian Police Journal Pty Ltd, a not-for-profit company which traces its history to 1946 when the then Australian police commissioners authorised the publication of a periodical aimed at enhancing technical skills among the police forces of the era.The APJ's webpage is www.apjl.com.au

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Policing Australia: The Official Podcast of the Australian Police Journal

Constabulary policing during 'The Troubles'

July 13, 2026 • Australian Police Journal • Episode 61

0:00 | 40:03

What’s it like to police a community crippled by a violent insurgency?

Hear from former policeman Don Urquhart who served with the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the 1970s during the height of 'The Troubles'—the late 20th Century period of horrid violence in Northern Ireland. Don recalls what policing was like for officers who came from and lived within a community either afraid or unwilling to cooperate with the constabulary. It’s an eye-opening account of the challenges of policing by consent in a ruthlessly violent society.

Don’s article—Troubling Times: The Royal Ulster Constabulary in ‘The Troubles’—is in the June 2026 edition of the APJ. If you aren’t already a subscriber to the APJ, go to www.apjl.com.au and click the subscribe button. Through the website, subscribers have access to 300+ issues of the APJ, extending back to the 1940s.

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guest: Don Urquhart