The Crime Couch with Rochelle Jackson

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 i...

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 secr...

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 d...

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 specialis...

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 off...

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....

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...

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...

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 Serge...

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...

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. H...

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...

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 Childr...

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 commemo...

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,...

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 ye...

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".  Th...

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,...

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...

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 und...

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...

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...

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 pres...

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 P...

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 he...