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 which appear in the March 2023 issue of the APJ, which has been posted to subscribers and can be r ..read more

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 Callaghan, talk to podcast host Jason Byrnes about AFTER and the training exercises designed to p ..read more

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 titled Tasmania’s Last Hanging. The article is written by historian, Reg Watson. Host: Jason Byrnes Gues ..read more

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 birds) talks to podcast host Jason Byrnes about ‘the Devil in Disguise’ – his excellent article about the ca ..read more

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 the prints could not be easily identified. Justice was eventually attained, but only after many twis ..read more

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 undertaken to find key evidence, the challenges of dealing with the offender (a sociopath) and lessons regarding ..read more

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 lates 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 polygraphs/lie detector tests. Sean also mentions how his police canine became injured during a drug search a few yea ..read more

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 anti-money laundering legislation. Nathan’s book ‘The Lucky Laundry’ has just been published. You can ..read more

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 Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), and managing the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit ..read more

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 briefs of evidence, the strategies used to get the cases to court, changes to legislation that partly arose ..read more