WA Police Confidential (Formerly Operation Podcast)
The official WA Police Force Podcast
WA Police Confidential (Formerly Operation Podcast)
Ep 29 - Killer Burger
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Episode 29 of WA Police Confidential! The official WA Police Force Podcast.
On this week’s show:
- Acting Sergeant Dan Lawton explains how he found a suspect hiding in a suitcase.
- Meth Muffin? Senior Constable Ben Lucas shares the story of how Broome Detectives found methamphetamine concealed in a McMuffin.
- We speak to Bravery Awards recipient Sergeant Steve Millar on incident where he was stabbed and the critical decision he made to protect himself and his partner.
And more !
This podcast discusses real-life crimes and law enforcement matters. It may include detailed descriptions of criminal activity, traumatic incidents, and other content that could be confronting or distressing, particularly for victim survivors. Listener discretion is advised. If you find any of these topics upsetting, please consider whether this content is right for you and seek support if needed.
SPEAKER_07I'm Sergeant Nate Gilmore.
SPEAKER_04And I'm Maya Grieve.
SPEAKER_02And this week, we're going to reveal possibly the most deadly ingredient that's ever been found in a breakfast muffin. Stay tuned, we'll let you know.
SPEAKER_07They sure are.
SPEAKER_04Later on in the podcast, Nate and I talked to Sergeant Steve Miller about a incident which saw him fighting for his life.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and look, he recently um received a Brave Your Bravery Award for um that particular incident. And I think it shows and what we won't say too much now, but um he had some help surviving that incident. Um Blue Family all the way.
SPEAKER_07And later we'll be joined by Canningvale police who have a unique case. Such a unique case to discuss. Find out more later.
SPEAKER_06It might be pink.
SPEAKER_04And Claire Sienta will be joining us with it's probably bad news.
SPEAKER_02It almost always is, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_07We've also got your history fact for the week, so stay tuned.
SPEAKER_02And I think it has something to do with like silver doubloons or coins. Very pirate-esque in my memory, but uh, who knows? We'll find out later.
SPEAKER_04This is confidential.
SPEAKER_07You're listening to WA Police Confidential. Sometimes the best way to avoid police is to zip it. Literally. Canningvale cops made a rather unusual discovery uh in recent weeks, uh, trying to track down a suspect. We're joined by acting Sergeant Dan Lawton. Dan, what happened?
SPEAKER_09Yeah, so it was a slightly strange morning. Um we went to an address that um is quite well known to us. We're looking for two people that were on a warrant. Um when we went inside the address, there was a gentleman that was lying on the bed who was later charged with providing false details and uh and obstructing police officers because he he didn't want to tell us who he was. Um and while we were in the address, there was also uh a female that we were looking for. Uh while my colleague was dealing with this gentleman who was lying on the bed, I nearly tripped over a suitcase that was lying on the floor just randomly in the middle of the room. Suspicious. Suspicious, slightly, a bright pink suitcase as well. Uh dude. No one has those. So I yeah, I went to initially move the case to get it out of the way for colleagues that were coming in. Thought this feels a bit heavy. This doesn't this doesn't feel quite right. And this wasn't a normal travel suitcase, this was a very small hand luggage suitcase. No. Um so yeah, I couldn't also find the zip as well, because as it turns out, this young lady had zipped herself into the suitcase. No way. That's what she uh that's what she alleged.
SPEAKER_02So you immediately cracked the case. Uh you could say that.
SPEAKER_07Is this is this one of the bigger cases you've encountered?
SPEAKER_09Well, arguably, since I mean in uh in Western Australia, it could be. Um so yeah, we eventually managed to find where the zips were on said case, opened the case, and inside was a uh a female of um very slight stature who managed to kind of contort herself into a very small space. So yeah.
SPEAKER_07The body worn was quite hilarious. Have a listen, have a listen to this.
SPEAKER_09Hello, mate. Look at that. That's funny, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Okay, so Dan, you're from the UK? I am indeed, yeah. I was gonna say UK or Jundala, one of the two. Oh yeah. Heathbridge, right? Heathbridge, yeah, exactly. Butler, butler. Uh so how does that sort of equate with your police experience in the UK before you transitioned over here?
SPEAKER_09I've never found anybody in a suitcase before, so uh it's quite incomparable. Searching has never been my uh strongest suit if I'm looking for something very small, but fortunately this wasn't something very small. It was a a human being in a suitcase, so it was probably um yeah, it gave us a few laughs anyway, it was on the lighter side of policing, so to say.
SPEAKER_02Large, large pink uh suitcases, yeah. Large pink suitcases. Um I mean look again, um as the slightly younger uh host here. Um is this like a is there a TikTok trend that I'm missing about people locking themselves in suitcases, or is this also bizarre to you?
SPEAKER_04This is also bizarre to me. I haven't seen anyone lock themselves in a suitcase, but you know.
SPEAKER_09Maybe it's in maybe it's a new thing.
SPEAKER_04Maybe, maybe she's a you know, transitor.
SPEAKER_09Maybe Trailblazer. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that hasn't um the circus has just come to town, hasn't it?
SPEAKER_02It it has, and also last episode we interviewed a police officer, fantastic guy, who used to be in the circus. Uh, grew up in the circus, in fact. Have a listen if you haven't heard that one.
SPEAKER_09Fair enough.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_09Well, it does mean that every search now I'm gonna have to start opening every single suitcase in every single house, which is kind of nice and borrow. Yeah, slow things down a bit.
SPEAKER_07But Dan, did the suspect give you any explanation after the after you've discovered her?
SPEAKER_09No, not at all. I think she was just as surprised as we were when I managed to uh to get her out of the suitcase. Um, I did actually ask her how she managed to get herself in and whether somebody had assisted her in zipping it up. She did maintain throughout the whole thing that she zipped herself into the suitcase. So um, yeah, my concern also was the fact that should she not be able to get out of the suitcase, nobody knew she was in there, so we could have it could have uh gone horribly wrong. But fortunately, in this case, uh literally, she might not. She probably won't do that again.
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, it's that it's almost like uh you know a customs thing, is that did you pack your own suitcase? Do you have anything you wish to declare?
SPEAKER_09Maybe that's why she was going down that line. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Yeah, that's crazy. Okay, cool. And do you think that I mean, obviously it sounds like the suitcase was quite full with her in there? Um, there was no legitimate travel plans or anything like that.
SPEAKER_09Nothing sort of nothing at all. But she had been on warrant for a good couple of months, so potentially she's already been abroad and come back again.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Who knows? Um uh moral of the story. Is there a moral moral to the story of this one too?
SPEAKER_09We'll always find you. We'll always find you. That's the model of the story.
SPEAKER_04Were there any kind of other options of how you would potentially have gotten her?
SPEAKER_09Well, I suppose we could have just pulled out the handle and wheeled her out to the car. That was another option. She's already in custody. She's already in custody at that point. Yeah, it was the most surprising arrest. I'll give you that. It was the most surprising arrest of my career.
SPEAKER_02And um, last thing for me, would did she remark upon the um the spacious, um, uh clearly at least uh premium economy um pod that she was placed into whilst under arrest? No, surprisingly, she didn't.
SPEAKER_09I think she was um more annoyed that we'd managed to uncover her hiding space, which let's face it, she's probably been using for years without us ever finding her. So yeah, on to the next site.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Acting sergeant Dan Lawton from Canningvale Police Station. Thank you so much to you and your team. And uh it's safe to say that this case is now closed.
SPEAKER_02Well, one last thing, actually, now I think about it. Obviously, um the world this week is mourning the passing of Dolly Parton. I feel like she would have had a potentially had a big pink suitcase. Um, just you know, a big, loud, beautiful personality.
SPEAKER_04Bejazzled.
SPEAKER_02Bejazzled. And so what what does that mean?
SPEAKER_04Bedazzled, like when you put little sequins all over it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay. All right. Well, here's here's a song for you, Dan. And um I I guess because you guys are working working nine to five, and this one's for you and in memory of Dolly Parton.
SPEAKER_04Welcome back to Confidential. Just when you think you've seen it all, a seemingly ordinary breakfast item serves up a surprise nobody ordered. We're hungry to know more, so senior constable Ben Lucas from Broom Detective joins us to serve the details. Ben, what did you find in this breakfast order?
SPEAKER_08We found approximately three and a half grams of methylamphetamine uh secreted between the bacon and egg of the bacon and egg McMuffin meal.
SPEAKER_02Whoa. Okay, all right. Hold on. Let's let's rewind just for a second, if we can. So was this just a was it a random stop or or how did you come to be um, I guess, um inspecting the muffin, the meth muffin?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, it certainly wasn't random. So as part of an ongoing operation uh targeting the selling supply of illicit drugs in the West Kimberley broom detectors were conducting surveillance of a target address. Uh a vehicle was observed pulling into the uh an address of interest, and a male was sighted walking to the house and the vehicle drove away. That mail was collected a short time later. Uh police from the broom detectors' office conducted the vehicle stop a number of streets away. And the off prince of the vehicle was subjected to a search as section 23 of the Misuse Drugs Act. The bicycle surges of the off-prints of the vehicle, the surge of the vehicle was commenced, and a bag of hot, fresh chicken tree was located between on the rear floor between the drivers and the facilitator of the vehicle. Uh that bag was found to contain uh fresh, hot, warm, uh, lovely smelling uh chicken tree. But at the bottom was a cold, discarded um McMuffin burger, uh McMuffin, um, that had been secreted at the bottom of the bag. Uh that obviously drew it, was um drew our attention. And it was when it was unwrapped, it was found to contain that uh clip tilt bag containing the methyl amphetamine.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I have questions. Number one, what time was this roughly?
SPEAKER_08Uh it was during the afternoon that there was a lot of.
SPEAKER_02Well, straight away, suspicious, because that was a McMuffin. What were they doing with the McMuffin in the afternoon?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, obviously being discarded and uh yeah, it hadn't been consumed, so it was cold and it was wedged in between the hot food.
SPEAKER_02Also suspicious. I mean suspicious. Who leaves a McMuffin behind for starters? Also, um, was it you said egg and bacon, which is clearly the inferior muffin of the two, because sausage McMuffin, as we all know, is is the best muffin going.
SPEAKER_08Um, I don't I don't um I get a bacon and egg and a sausage and egg, so I don't uh okay. Yeah, go both.
SPEAKER_02Okay, all right. So okay. I I will say, did do you think that there's any um chance of you know I I I guess um any redeeming qualities for the uh crooks involved in given that they clearly recognized what we should all recognise here in Western Australia and hopefully one day the rest of the world, chicken treat is actually the best fast food going around.
SPEAKER_08Most definitely. Uh that's one of the only fast foods in Britain.
SPEAKER_02Fair enough. But how good is it? Very popular.
SPEAKER_04Ben, is this one of the weirdest places you've found meth?
SPEAKER_08Uh yeah, it caught us all by surprise.
SPEAKER_02Okay, meth burger. Um, so I'm thinking there's a few things, and I'm I'm wondering if maybe you guys had any thoughts at the time or back at the station, but uh I've got like uh did did you find any secret herbs or spices with it? Uh did you sort of know charge them and then ask them if they wanted fries with that?
SPEAKER_08I thought that was a funny packet of salt, but it was obviously meth.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah, that makes sense.
SPEAKER_07I'd be more like they got my order wrong again.
SPEAKER_08Certainly more than they'd uh expected.
SPEAKER_10That's actually that's interesting. That's very interesting.
SPEAKER_02Um, and uh well, I guess look, I mean, we are talking about drugs, so that's very serious. Um, and clearly, um if it was Hungry Jacks, of course, it wouldn't be drugs, it'd be the burglars are better at Hungry Jacks.
SPEAKER_08Definitely better. Unfortunately, we don't have paid shows up here.
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, yeah, okay. Um so I guess cautionary tale, these people are facing serious charges now.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, so the adult male was arrested and charged uh with possession with intent to sell a supply of that prohibited drug, and the adult female was released after a lot of uh series of questions.
SPEAKER_07Meth meth is obviously um very damaging, especially in our regional communities. What's your message to those out there that uh are peddling this stuff?
SPEAKER_08Uh obviously it's uh not acceptable within the community. It is a scourge on society, and um I'll always be looking over your shoulder because we're anywhere, anytime.
SPEAKER_02Destroying destroys lives and and um breakfast items. Ruining ris it ruins everything, really, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_04Really damaging the reputation there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Well, uh just desserts is probably what we're looking at here. Um I probably should have stuck to dessert. Um mate, thank you so much um to to you guys in in all seriousness up in Broome um and in the Kimberley in general. Um yeah, we know that it can be a really dynamic policing environment, really unique, has its unique challenges, this being just one of them. Um so yeah, uh I thank you with the lot from us here at uh uh police confidential.
SPEAKER_08Thank you, guys. And uh we'll keep up with the work.
SPEAKER_04This is confidential.
SPEAKER_07You're listening to WA Police Confidential. A routine welfare check in Gosnalls quickly turned into every police officer's worst nightmare. When officers entered a bedroom to check on the welfare of a man in crisis, the situation escalated without warning. Within moments, Sergeant Steve Miller found himself fighting for his life. Steve, you join us today. Uh, recent recipient of a bravery award. Congratulations. Yeah, thank you. Thanks. Um tell us what happened on that uh on that night back in October 2021.
SPEAKER_03Uh well, obviously, we're coming back a good four or five years ago now, so it's um it's still quite well, I still remember everything. Pretty straightforward. Um it was one of those routine sort of jobs, I suppose, that everybody gets. It's a standard welfare check um that unfortunately is a dime a dozen. Um and it's in this case it was a the caller was a roommate of a man who was we found out later is very mentally unwell. Um, and the initial call came through as if they wanted police to come and help evict him from the address, uh, which unfortunately is not it's what we get a lot, but um not quite our job to actually do that. So um we spoke to spoke to him uh and then worked out very quickly that this might be more than that, it's just amidst such actual mental health situations. So um you make reports of his roommate was threatening to burn the house down and um just little things like that, which is a little bit more than just a tenancy dispute, I'd say.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, so in hindsight, do you you look back and you all those kind of comments and that bit those bits of information kind of make sense now as to how the situation played with?
SPEAKER_03Well I th I think at first um and so in this situation, again, we're like it's another roommate that just wants us to evict their um evict their tenant. Um but then again, as as soon as we started speaking, you kind of switch on a little bit more because as soon as you get those keywords when he starts talking about mental health and um again trying to threatening to burn a house down, that kind of changes everything a little bit.
SPEAKER_07So So you get there on the day, um, what do you see?
SPEAKER_03Uh so we originally met up with uh roommate um around the corner and got a little bit more information before we went in. Um when we went to the house, there were four of us for the actual address. Um the front door was locked, um, and the housemate led us around the back to the um to let us in through the back. Um there was no ent there was nobody answering to the door. We had no idea actually who was inside. Um all we knew was that he was inside somewhere. Um again at this point it's still just your standard welfare check job, um, in which case our initial thoughts were to make contact with this fella and have a chat with him and try and work out what the next steps were. Um so we've gone through the back of the address. Um it's a very, I suppose best way, it's not less like a cluttered address. Um there's stuff everywhere. Um we made our way through the back to the front door, kind of reversing it, I suppose, as you'd normally go through a house. Um and it was pretty clear that this um male was in the front bedroom. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_04As you um mentioned, you were with a team of people. Um when the situation escalated and you realized that it wasn't potentially gonna just be a conversation to get this guy out of the house, how important was it to have kind of your team behind your back?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's good because uh it was a bit of a unique situation in this one because um so we kind of amalgamated um into night shifts. Um so there was three of us from my team and then there was another officer from Canningvale. Um the good part about it is that for a lot of us, the three of us had worked together, or two of us, me and um Harry um offside had worked together for a long time um before that. So we kind of knew a lot about what each other were thinking before we even went into the house. So we'd go to a lot of different jobs um and we could do we could resolve stuff without even really thinking about like we just kind of knew what the other person was gonna do. Um so yeah, that teamwork part of it makes a huge difference, especially with jobs like that, because when you can kind of know what the other person's about to do, you can resolve stuff a lot quicker without even having to like actual verbalise anything, really, and we all and you know what the other person's doing.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, of course. Uh in this scenario, you were put in a position where at one point you were unconscious and um Harry has come through and basically taken the um suspect's kind of attention, yeah, attention on you to um himself. What was what was that situation like?
SPEAKER_03Uh it was it was daunting because obviously when we first opened the door again, um when we've opened the door and found this, um he's kind of barricaded himself inside the room. Um and initially it was just two of us that went in, um, and I've kind of gone into the corner of the room um and one of my offsiders was talking to him, trying to um just work out what's going on and calm him down. Um, and even at that point, it's still for me, it was still just a heightened individual. Um, so I was looking at different threats, but I wasn't really picking up on some of the stuff that was around the room. Like I was looking at threats that were down by his feet and how if we had to go hands-on with him, how we're gonna safely get him out of the room um without hurting him, without hurting anybody else really. Um so at that point I was kind of my whole role was just uh kind of be the third eye in the room. Um by the time it went a little bit pear-shaped, I found myself on the ground. Um, time sort of slowed, I suppose. Um I think the whole incident was about a minute and a half, two minutes long. Um from contact to finish. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. Yeah. So you've you your team, yourself and your colleagues have confronted this individual um in a room. He's barricaded himself.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so he's managed, so we've knocked on the door, um, and then at that point we've heard um, I suppose, like the door's still being shut, so we could hear movement inside. So we knew he was inside, and I could hear furniture um kind of being moved around. So when um George, who one of my offsiders, has opened the door and made initial contact, um, he's kind of barricaded himself around furniture. Um so to that point, he's kind of the lead officer at that point. Um, so his whole job is to talk to um this individual, try and calm him down, try and work out a way that we can, again, it's tactical communication. We're trying to resolve the situation without using force, without going hands-on or anything.
SPEAKER_07It's important to note that that is a really important skill that police officers have is to de-escalate situations, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, I mean, people think that you can just if you look from the outside, you're gonna kick the door in, um, everyone's gonna go hands-on, we have a wrestle, and then um everyone high-fires and we go home. But the reality is 90% of jobs, your your first level of force is gonna be that um a physical presence and be um the ability to actually communicate with people. Um, if you don't have that, then you kinda you're always stuck at that high level. Um, and yeah, you've got to work on your communication. That's one of the main things for being a police officer, I'd say.
SPEAKER_07We can s skip forward the the communication side of it failed that night. Yeah. Or d it didn't work, I should say, is a better way of uh wording it. Um and it it resulted in you being um pretty seriously injured.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So um so the male has managed to um he's picked a knife up from in front of him. Um and I don't think anybody has any of us picked up where that knife actually was. Um at first, again, we'll look around everywhere else. Um now at that point I'd I had my OC spray out anyway, um, because as I was clearing through the house, it was kind of that easy threat just in case something was there. Um so I've deployed my OC spray um and that's had no effect on him. Um if anything, it's kind of made him angrier. Um at that point he's picked up uh like a bookshelf um and he's hit me over the head with it, which has forced me backwards. Um my offsider is kind of like his stay buried to that point. Um, and then the male's come over the top um with his knife. I've put my arms up and then he's stabbed me through the tricep. Um, and then I think he's got me on the body armor as well. Wow. At which point I think my camera shuts off.
SPEAKER_04So what were you kind of thinking at that time?
SPEAKER_03So when I first went down, like I realised I'd been stabbed, but I didn't know it's weird, I didn't have any feeling as in there was no pain, there was no anything like that. The adrenaline, um, they talk about like when you're in a heightened situation where you can kind of see everything through like a little tunnel, and you and that's exactly what it was. I was kind of hyper-focused on one thing. Um, and to be honest with you, for what felt like well, it was three, probably three or four seconds, but what felt like minutes, um, I couldn't do it, there was nothing I could do. I was on the ground. Um, and at that point, um, yeah, I was I was looking at my arm, I could realise that um there was no like I couldn't get this fella off or do anything to stop him. Um so yeah, at that point I thought that's I was dead. So I thought that was it.
SPEAKER_04And then uh you had your partner, Harry, come through. Yep. And what what did he do? How how did he kind of so I didn't know it?
SPEAKER_03I didn't know at the time I've seen the body one camera footage since um so Harry, um, thank God he was there, he's kind of pushed past um and he's fired a taser to try and um taser this fella. Um but unfortunately, knowing now, so from their coroner score inquest, we know now that the tasers actually hit and both prongs have connected, but I think they worked out that it missed um by about three mil for to completely incapacitate him, which is nothing. So um unfortunately all that did was cause localized pain. Um and when you've got someone who's having a psychotic break, um, we've already shown OC spray wasn't working. Um again, the taser was just going to annoy him. Um so at that point, if nothing else, it's distracted him from me. Um so Harry's fired off a taser, and then um this fella's kind of distracted from me and then gone after Harry.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and I mean, like you don't go to a job thinking that something this horrible could potentially happen to you at all, really, ever. Um, but for Harry to also step in and show his bravery in that aspect of it, that was quite remarkable as well. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03I mean, he didn't you'd like to think that somebody would push through the door, um, but you don't know until you're put in that situation, do you? Um and obviously at that point Harry's shown that when the proverbial hits the fan, um, he's rushing in. So whether he knew it or not, um, I don't know. And honestly, I don't care because he did exactly what he needed to do on that night, um, which was save me. So um, and at that point it's distracted um this fella from me. Um, and then Harry's kind of obviously once he's realised that the taser was ineffective, um, the mouse then started chasing him with the knife um and swinging wildly for him. Um so Harry's kind of again, I described it many times as parkour, like he's it's incredible the amount of rolling and tumbling he could do to get away from a knife-wielding man. Um, he's managed to make it to one end of the room to the other and then back to where I was. Um, and at that point I've kind of managed to pick get to my senses. Um, I've got up and realised that this fella's still swinging Farry. Um, and that's when I've withdrawn my firearm um and I've fired three times at him. Wow.
SPEAKER_04So it's not really a choice that anybody ever really wants to be put in the position to make. Um, and you had to make it to obviously save your life and your partner's life, and the other two officers who were um there in the house that day. How how did you kind of feel after the incident?
SPEAKER_03Uh I think everything it kind of went a bit robotic to be honest. Um again, it's the first step from there was rendering first aid um and trying to save this fella, um, which unfortunately wasn't successful. Um, and then from there it's just it's going through the process, and it's a very long process for that. Um I think it's happened about two o'clock in the morning. Um, and then I think by the time I made it back to the station was about eight o'clock. Um, so we ended up eventually we had like everything, the cavalry comes pretty quick from there. Um so the it was what started with four of us ended up with, I think by the time I left that place, there was another four cars, roads had been blocked off, um, and other officers had come to take carriage of the scene and um kind of relieved me and my offsiders. Um I ended up going to hospital um to get my stitches um for my arm um and my head, and I'd also um one of my front teeth had been um smashed in so um and then I believe Harry had hurt his hand as well in the like altercation. So um it was just a matter of getting that sorted, um, knowing obviously from there you're gonna go through the internal side of things, um, which rolls around pretty quick.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, of course. Um, after the incident, how did it feel kind of going back to work? Um, we've spoken before, obviously, and you mentioned that you kind of went back to work as normal and then it didn't kind of hit you till later.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like honestly, uh people would ask me all the time, they'd go, How are you? And honestly, for like a year, six months to eight months, I'd be like, No, I'm fine, like no issues. As in, like I was comfortable with the situation, I was comfortable with decisions made on the night. Um, I was comfortable with how everybody operated. Um so with that side of it, I honestly had no real issues in my head for a good six to eight months. Um, and it's uh history will tell me now, it's probably a good year and a half later, um, that everything just slowly um built up to the point where it's taken some a good three weeks off work um to try and reset everything a little bit.
SPEAKER_04And how how was that process of kind of you know, did you have lots of support around you?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like family-wise, I had heaps of support work-wise was incredible. Um, everybody um around, I can't speak highly enough of the actual agency as far as that's concerned. Um, and yeah, family-wise was great. I think the biggest thing is it's such a 1% job that nobody really knows how to deal with it. Um, and unfortunately, the only way we're as an agency we're gonna learn how to deal with it is more of them, and nobody wants that. So um, yeah, it's it's as an agency I can't fault them enough. Everybody checked in on me. Um Yeah, it was basically and again for me in my head I was traveling fine and I was for a good year, no issues at all. So when people say, Hey, you're traveling, I'm I'm fine, there's no issues.
SPEAKER_04So And you know, how important was it for you to go and receive some help once you realised that maybe you weren't as fine as you Yeah, well I tried probably I think maybe about six or seven months in I worked out that things weren't quite like things weren't quite travelling as well as I thought.
SPEAKER_03Um and there's the little things like they can talk about. Like again, I think I'm quite a calm sort of person and I found myself I was getting angry, easy. Um, little things that would set me off that um shouldn't have set me off, like like family and um kids stuff sometimes, like instead of being able to talk through it, I'd just explode. Um, and then I'd realise like you'd you're just being irrational, like um, and that was probably about six or seven months in. So I sort of I reached out and I'd went to go external to get some help. Um, and the biggest issue I found externally was trying to find somebody that understands the actual job. Um, so the biggest issue I had is I went to an external site to say, look, I'm not sleeping well, trying to deal with it early on. Um, and unfortunately, there might be great people out there, and I think one of the things about psychologists is you've got to find the right one for you. Um, and one that might work for some won't work for others. Um, but for me, my first external psych appointment kind of led with like, well, you've just got to like stop seeing the threat in every room, you've got to and unfortunately for officers, you can't do that. Like you've still got to you've still gotta look for yeah, you and you've still gotta think about the threats and you've still gotta like look at where the issues are when you're going to a job. Um, it's just being able to deal with it before I got to the job, which was one of the hardest things for me. Um, I found probably about so I reached out about eight months ago and after that first initial external appointment, I didn't I wasn't really happy with it. I didn't get what I w wanted out of it, and I kind of just put it to one side and went, well, psychology doesn't really work. Um, and I'll just deal with it myself. Um and unfortunately I didn't really deal with it myself. I just buried myself back into work and there was no and just trudged along for another probably six, seven months. Um, and then yeah, probably I'd say, so this incident was 2021, and I think it would have been, I want to say maybe, maybe two years thereabouts to the day. Um I was on a course and I remember slowly I just couldn't I was struggling to get out of bed. Um, and I was and I couldn't put it down to anything. Like so, so when we were out with the family, things were great and stuff, but I could just feel you're just not firing. Um and I remember one day I was heading for this course, and the first day I got there and I did it, and then the second day I called in sick because I just I just couldn't bring myself to get out of bed or anything. Um and then the third day, I kind of that's when everything kind of hit me a little bit. I realised that things weren't quite right. Um, and so I went in, I spoke to my OIC. Um, it was basically like every OIC's scenario, if they're gonna get promoted, I suppose you've got a um colleague who or you've got a subordinate that comes in and um grown man in tears saying, mate, I'm not okay. Um, I need help. Um, and it just came out of the blue for them, obviously, because out open outwardly I'd be fine. Um I was going to the jobs, there was no problems. Um, but yeah, eventually I realised that was it. I needed something because um again I wasn't sleeping properly. Um I found my alcohol use was going up. Um, and I could go, oh, it's fine, like I'm just having a beer a night. And I'm not a drinker, really. Um, like I like to go out and have a beer with the boys, but um, I don't drink every night. Um, I could go six months to a year without having a drink and there's no issues. Then suddenly I'd find at eight o'clock at night, I was like, I'll just have a beer. Well, I'm you know, I mean, play the PlayStation, and then a week later I was like, I'll just have two beers and then three beers, and then suddenly it's like, yeah, when are you not gonna have a beer? So it wasn't really a it wasn't a drinking problem as such for like getting drunk or anything, but it was just again, my alcohol use went up, my anger went up, everything was just built up to the point, yeah. Um, and then I was having like nightmares and things like that.
SPEAKER_04So and then um, you know, you finally got support and you know, you've been recognized for a bravery award for your actions on that day, and Harry's actions on that day and the other officers' actions on that day truly show why people like you need to be in this job.
SPEAKER_03Thank you.
SPEAKER_07I think it's important to acknowledge that the fact that you recognise there was uh things weren't right and um that you put your hand up and said, I need help. I think there's still that stigma around mental health and and um you know, if if you're not right, especially officers that wear the uniform, they come in day in, day out, they deal with all the stresses and the challenges, and then it takes a critical incident to push you over the edge. Um and like you said, you you bury yourself in your work and you you just keep plugging away. But um no, I think it's really important to acknowledge that you made that call and um congratulations on doing that and um and then you've bounced back.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think it's I think you're right. It's one of those things where I think everybody would if some if one of their work colleagues come to them and said, I'm not okay, I've would find it very hard to believe there's anybody in this agency that wouldn't go out of their way to help that person. But if you're that person that wants help, that's the hardest part is to turn around and say, Hey, I'm not okay, I need some help. Um, and for me, it wasn't even it wasn't necessarily psychology or anything like that. It was the moment I said, Hey, I need some help. Um again, I was like I said, I was getting panic attacks at work, I was any jobs at all that became a little bit dicey, I was overthinking things. Um and as soon as I asked for help and I took that time off work to really reset everything, um, and I really just took it back to basics, to be honest with you. Um, I went back to training hard, eating clean, um, and just taking breath when I'm at work and just trying to if if a job was a little bit dicey or something, having w learning how to breathe before I actually got to these jobs and things like that. Um, so I think just building that fitness back up and mentally building that mental fitness back up, it's that's that's the main thing.
SPEAKER_04So if today's topics brought up something heavy feelings, or if you or someone you care about is simply going through a difficult patch, please know that you do not have to carry that weight by yourself. Support is available right now, and you can reach out to Lifeline at any hour of the day or night for free. And you can call them on 13314 or visit them on lifelineastralia.com. And this is confidential.
SPEAKER_02And now for the bad news. Claire, what have we got this week?
SPEAKER_01Well, thanks for having me, Joey. I've actually got some pretty good news from the Rapid Apprehension Squad this week. Um, earlier this week, you may have seen we were appealing for public information after uh an alleged stabbing and home burglary that occurred in Warnboro on Monday, the 24th of August. So four men have actually been charged in relation to that aggravated home burglary. Um it will also be alleged about 11 pm on Saturday, the 22nd of August. Four men attended a residence on Curry Street armed with weapons and attempted to gain entry into that property. Um so that happened, allegedly happened again on the 24th, a couple of days later. And two men, both aged in their forties who were home at the time, were physically assaulted and struck by weapons and you know, and fists of those um alleged offenders. So um detectives established that the two incidents were linked and they were targeted in nature and subsequently commenced an operation in response. So um, with assistance from the other specialist units, they executed search warrants at addresses in Inglewood, Canningvale, Kelmscott, Perth, and Highgate and apprehended four men. So a 26-year-old man from Inglewood and a 23-year-old man from Kelmscott have been charged with two aggravated home burglary and one attempt to unlawfully kill. Um, so some really serious charges there. Uh 25-year-old man from Highgate and 21-year-old man from Allenbrook have also been charged. So they're due to appear at court um in at a later date.
SPEAKER_07Thanks, Claire. This is WA police confidential.
SPEAKER_00All units. The WA police forces are looking for people, all kinds of people. People in the tech, in the comedian, into four-wheel driving, dog people and horse people, people who like motorbikes, pushbikes, planes, helicopters, and boats, people who are big on community, helping others and solving true common, not just watching it, you know. Ordinary people who are up for doing extraordinary things. If you can be one of these people, you've found your people. Search, let's join forces.
SPEAKER_02Thank you very much for joining us for another episode of uh Confidential. Maya. Yes. Before we get to the history fact, you have uh some some burning questions, maybe even a quiz.
SPEAKER_04A little quiz, another quiz we're coming in with. So this quiz is I'm gonna call it the fast food quiz. Okay. Well, that makes sense. Do you know your food?
SPEAKER_02How fast do you know your food? Okay.
SPEAKER_04All right. So the first question. How many secret herbs and spices are in the Colonel Sanders' original recipe for Kentucky fried chicken?
SPEAKER_02Seven. Eleven.
SPEAKER_04Nate, you are correct. What? No, you don't get the there is eleven secret herbs and spices. But no, isn't it the seven secrets? No.
SPEAKER_07You don't get a body like this by not knowing those. Oh, the Colonel. We salute him.
SPEAKER_04Now, what are kids' meals called at McDonald's?
SPEAKER_02Uh McCaffi meals.
SPEAKER_04Yes, correct.
SPEAKER_02Oh, okay, cool.
SPEAKER_10There you go.
SPEAKER_04Great job.
SPEAKER_02Just a little snack. I call them snacks.
SPEAKER_04Now, this one is a new restaurant, a new fast food place in that's opened up in WA. So, you know. What family restaurant is known for its rodent mascot, pizza, and games?
SPEAKER_06Meth burger. Ooh, Chuck E. Cheese.
SPEAKER_04Nate, you are correct. That makes this week's winner, Nate.
SPEAKER_06Bing, bing, bing, bing. Like I said, you don't get a body like this by not knowing fast food facts. Uh, you're McLeovent that. Don't argue with me. Don't argue with you. Okay.
SPEAKER_02All right, I see what you did there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Nate. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04History facts.
SPEAKER_07History facts. History facts, yeah. So uh so your history fact for the week. While the WA police force was only formally established in 1853, we did have part-time officers from the start of the colony. And by 1841, we did have at least one full-time salaried officer. Okay. Yes, that's right. I believe they were working unpaid at one point in time. Uh, the salaried officer's name was Constable John Chipper, and for his big case, it was a bit of a doozy. Okay. He investigated a break-in and a robbery at the Perth Treasury, where a chest had been stolen containing a hundred pounds of silver coins. Ooh. Uh, it's about $25,000 in today's money, but more significantly, significantly, yeah. Yeah, it was considered the property of the Queen.
SPEAKER_02Well, we can't have that. Continue. Yep.
SPEAKER_07So we did say it was a doozy. Chipper, Constable Chipper, he stayed Chipper, arrested a military officer named Private William Longworth. Who served some time in Fremantle jail uh with the alleged mastermind John Wade. That sounds like a very masterminded name. John Wade, John Wick. I don't know. Uh after his arrest, Longworth turned Queen's evidence against Wade and testified about their plan to get the treasury guards drunk to commit the robbery.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_07But even with Longworth's testimony, Wade was found not guilty after an 18-hour trial. The jury found that they couldn't convict him because he was the only witness. Uh, in the end, the only person held accountable for the treasury robbery was the guard who was on duty. He was convicted of being drunk and asleep on the job, and he was sentenced to get this 14 years jail. Ho ho! Whoa!
SPEAKER_04Being asleep.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And drunk. And being drunk. That is wild. I don't know how the other dudes got off, but also did they get the Queen's Silver Debloons back? It doesn't say. It doesn't say. They could still be out there somewhere. Um Maya, you made an interesting point when we were reading this before.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um I think it would have been a lot easier to be a thief back in the day. It sounds like all you have to do is get people drunk and walk right in. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Take the coins.
SPEAKER_04Take the coins. And you're only stealing like $100, not $25,000, you know?
SPEAKER_07I think well one thing that hasn't changed is that the law is the law and it's still stealing is stealing. But um, yeah, I I agree, Meyer. I think, you know, no CCTV back then, no uh electronic records or anything like that, and it'll be very easy to fly under the radar.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um so look, if you or someone you know is thinking about getting someone drunk and stealing the Queen's Silver, forget about it, because you're not gonna get away with it. Not in this day and age, not if your name's Long Man, Long March, Long Meyer, whatever, whatever that guy's name was.
SPEAKER_07The only long you're gonna get is a long sentence. Boom. That's exactly right. There you go.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh and uh no McMuffins, I'm told, reliably, uh, in um in our correctional facilities. Uh, from silver to gold, uh, I'm pretty sure Dolly Parton definitely had a few gold records. Um once again, thank you for your service, ma'am. And thank you to all the police officers out there helping us nine to five and five to nine.
SPEAKER_04And next week we're gonna go back to 1932 in the outback. A WA police officer awarded a unique medal. Not going to be bad.
SPEAKER_01I don't know, it is not pretty.gov.au.
