Given Australians consume crime podcasts faster than seagulls steal hot chips at Bondi Beach on Boxing Day, here are the top 10 highlights from
LISTNR’s Crime Insiders: Detectives for holiday listening.
This breakthrough podcast series takes audiences beyond true crime and into the real experience of those trying to solve crimes and analyse crime scenes. Any closer, you’d be at the scene. The 10 highlight podcasts involve major crimes and also notable figures in the sporting world, including how Australia’s most wanted man was finally caught, the truth behind the Lindt Cafe Siege, the Death of cricket legend David Hookes and the drug trafficking case that landed NRL player Danny Wicks in jail, as well as talking about how cases affected those involved.
Crime Insiders: Detectives is hosted by former police officer and author of bestselling book How Dangerous Men Think, Brent Sanders. While in the police force, Sanders was deployed in riot control, investigated sexual assault cases, and studied the methods and psychology of rapists. He now uses his research and policing experience as a full-time educator. Sanders’ aim with this podcast is to share the experiences of individuals in different areas of law enforcement – their experiences of the complexities of trying to solve their biggest cases, and the safety tips they gained through this work, that they wished the public knew.
Listen now: Crime Insiders – LiSTNR Podcasts
LiSTNR’S Crime Insiders: Detectives – 10 top stories, in case you missed it!
The Hunt for Malcolm Naden: how Australia’s most wanted man was finally caught
After a vicious double murder, Malcolm Naden ran from police and hid in the Australian bush for seven years. His survival tactics were shocking, and arcane, but impossible for police to track. That was until a covert operation led by Special Operations Officer Ricky Hennessy triangulated Naden’s position, allowing them to move in and attempt an arrest. What followed was a sting of the highest stakes, as one slip up, one wrong move meant Naden would vanish into the bush. Listen to the firsthand account of the operation in search of Naden from Ricky Hennessy, and understand the toll it took on him and his team.
The Lindt Cafe Siege, Danny Mikati: the truth behind the Lindt Cafe Siege
The Lindt Cafe Siege is one of Australia’s most high profile criminal situations. It began with a man, a gun and 18 hostages, and ended with three dead and a country in shock. But, according to those on the ground, the public haven’t heard the full story. Understand what really happened inside Martin Place, as former Detective Danny Mikati recounts the operational tactics in the war room and explains exactly how he contributed to the cases’ infamous outcome.
The Death of David Hookes: the death of an Australian sporting icon, and an investigation which almost broke a detective.
In 2004, outside a busy St Kilda pub, Australian Cricket legend David Hookes died. A manslaughter charge was laid, and a trial ensued, but no one was ever convicted. Understand why, and hear the story of David Hookes’ death first hand from one of Australia’s most legendary detectives, Charlie Bezzina.
The Danny Wicks Drug Trafficking Case: a high-profile drug investigation involving an Australian sporting star
In early 2009, Danny Wicks was considered one of the best players in the NRL, and was a highflying celebrity in the coastal town of Newcastle. It’s around this time that police began covertly surveilling him, listening to his calls and tracking his location. Later that year, after an extensive investigation, he was arrested for drug trafficking, and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Hear from the operation’s lead Detective Craig Semple and understand how the investigation began and the dramatic moment police finally raided the house and arrested Danny.
Surviving a stabbing: bleeding out on a Sydney back-street, but alive to tell the tale
A regular night early in NSW Police Officer Jason Semple’s career ended with him stabbed and bleeding out on a Sydney backstreet. As Jason was rushed to hospital, a city wide manhunt erupted across Sydney as detectives rushed to track down the offender. Understand how police finally caught the man responsible, and what happened next for Jason as he slowly began his road to recovery.
Investigating Filicide When You Are a Parent: how police who are parents deal with horrific crimes
On September 2nd, 2001, a father murdered his three children. Jackson, six years old, Taylah, 11 months, and Mikaylah, 11 weeks. Still to this day, police don’t have a motive. Former NSW Detective Carla Tomadini was one of the first to the scene, and the lead investigator. Hear how she convicted the killer and executed the investigation, but also understand the toll it took on her as a mother to her young children.
Sex Crimes: how police profile and recognise patterns in the behaviour of sex offenders
After a string of sexual offences of similar modus operandi, Detective Anthony Macklin recognised a disturbing pattern in a particular offender’s behaviour. However, after flagging with his superiors, he was told to hold and maintain regular operations. Frustrated, he obliged. But, as the offender remained on the streets, Anthony took matters into his own hands, analysing and building a profile of who this person might be and how he could catch him. Understand how police profile sex offenders and what makes certain behaviour problematic and how it could lead to serious offending.
The Eastwood Shopping Centre Shooting: the toll that policing can have, and the role partners play in dealing with PTSD.
After a critical incident at a shopping centre in Sydney, where a shooter committed suicide in front her husband, former police officer Beth Docksey found her life entangled in the world of PTSD, the troubles of policing and tragically, suicide. Understand the role of partners in policing, and how policing relationships can be positive for some, but tragic for others.
The Children in the Pictures, Jon Rouse: how working in child protection affects you as a parent
Taskforce Argos was built to catch the worst of the worst – to infiltrate and stop child exploitation material networks. Its former head, Jon Rouse spent years in the operation, and became entrenched in the world of saving children from abuse and sexual exploitation. Now, he’s got some distance from the front-line, but, questions still linger. How does it all affect him? And as a parent, what is he doing now after leaving the force? Hear how Jon’s work affected him now he’s left the force, what lingering feelings he has, and how they pop up in unexpected ways.
From Social Services to Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner: what it was like as one of the highest ranking officers in Victoria Police, who just happened to be a woman
As the Assistant Commissioner at Victoria Police, Sandra Nicholson was under intense scrutiny. But, as the first female Assistant Commissioner in a male centred industry, she was judged in a way no one had been before. During her time in the force she was at the heart of chaos. Whilst Melbourne was under siege during the Gangland Wars, and bushfires wreaked havoc across Victoria, those at the top of Vic Pol were forced to front the media and take responsibility for the intensity surrounding the city. Hear from Sandra as she unpacks what life was like as a woman in policing, and how things changed for her once she took such a high ranking position.
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