Speaker 1: Time for one of our favorite segments, Lawrence.
Speaker 2: Tell me what you know.
Speaker 3: We love this.
Speaker 4: We do it every second week. We catch up with
Speaker 4: a member of the Victorian Police. We love our victpol, don't.
Speaker 5: We We do?
Speaker 1: Indeed, and from the Search and Rescue crew, a leading
Speaker 1: senior Constable Steve is joining us a k A. Scuba
Speaker 1: Steve School Steve, damn you, Good morning Steve.
Speaker 6: Good morning, j San clin and rescue Lauren at good Now.
Speaker 2: This is a hardcore job, well can be, can be,
Speaker 2: but we make it fun.
Speaker 4: We make it enjoy So to simplify you, guys go
Speaker 4: out deep dive or go into lakes, waters, oceans, all
Speaker 4: sorts of waters and search for weapons, evidence, sometimes bodies.
Speaker 6: Yeah, look, we rolls to help out the local police
Speaker 6: have they've got a job and they've got a body
Speaker 6: of water they obviously can't get into and can't get
Speaker 6: to the bottom of. We literally put on some dive
Speaker 6: coopment and get to the bottom of it and find evidence,
Speaker 6: like you're saying, and unfortunately sometimes it's people as well.
Speaker 4: So do you have to train like the regular police,
Speaker 4: get into the police force, do that and then become
Speaker 4: a diver or you're already a diver, and then they
Speaker 4: hire you and bring you into.
Speaker 2: The police now so general duties policing. Everyone starts there.
Speaker 6: From there, you make an application to come to the squad,
Speaker 6: do a selection process, and then if you're successful, you
Speaker 6: come along and you've to be trained like us.
Speaker 1: Steve was running me through some of the training and
Speaker 1: things they do. I know the part we would fall
Speaker 1: flat on. You make them fast for a little bit too,
Speaker 1: don't you? Just to see if the recruits fast, would
Speaker 1: they handle the pressure, not being able to have a
Speaker 1: break and eat and stuff like that, because you're working
Speaker 1: under extreme circumstances.
Speaker 2: So we try and stress our participants if you like.
Speaker 6: So we sort of give them without food, without sleep,
Speaker 6: give them challenges, see how they cope under those stresses.
Speaker 7: Speaking of coping under stress, lung capacity. Talk to me
Speaker 7: about lung capacity with all things diving, and is that
Speaker 7: something you need to train for.
Speaker 5: You worried about your vape history?
Speaker 7: Yeah, everything else.
Speaker 6: Faith in my help, but I think look, as a dive,
Speaker 6: you've got you've got to ever on your back anyway,
Speaker 6: So if you can breathe and.
Speaker 3: Relax, you're not free diving.
Speaker 2: You can dive, but.
Speaker 7: You're a fit man, you need to have a good
Speaker 7: level of fitness.
Speaker 2: I dare say absolutely so.
Speaker 6: So fitness is something that we take pretty serious. It's
Speaker 6: an important part of the job and we'd like to
Speaker 6: keep fit.
Speaker 4: Yeah, the equipment's pretty full on. You brought a helmet
Speaker 4: in with you this morning? Is it caught helmet?
Speaker 2: Helmet's a hard hat helmet to kill?
Speaker 3: How heavy is all the gear that you carry that
Speaker 3: you wear?
Speaker 6: So the scuba unit's two different types of dive in
Speaker 6: one scuba one is SSPA, which is supplied from the surface.
Speaker 2: The scubary units sound.
Speaker 3: Like a snorkel. You guys aren't snorkling.
Speaker 5: They're not up in the grape berrier reef out look
Speaker 5: at cloudfish from.
Speaker 3: The sky from the world. That would like.
Speaker 5: A giant pipe going back to the truck.
Speaker 6: So then we can't run out of here. So yeah,
Speaker 6: it's about thirty.
Speaker 5: Can I pay this unit credit?
Speaker 1: Though, because like you know, when we think about TV shows,
Speaker 1: like we're only chating the other day, I remember like
Speaker 1: Gary Sweet Police Rescue Days and they're in the wide
Speaker 1: overalls and stuff like that. So that's New South Wales
Speaker 1: and they've got a police rescue crew goes out and
Speaker 1: does like land rescue and stuff like that, and then
Speaker 1: they've got the divers like water routes. The unit Steve
Speaker 1: is in does it all. You don't just do diving,
Speaker 1: you do land rescues, snow rescues. Here in Victoria they
Speaker 1: do it all.
Speaker 4: Wow.
Speaker 5: And how many of you are there in the.
Speaker 2: Unit twenty four at back strength?
Speaker 7: Wow? Wow?
Speaker 4: Do you find it more enjoyable During the summer months,
Speaker 4: water is very odd.
Speaker 5: You're going to get lost?
Speaker 6: Can you do it in feb it's nice today? So that, Yeah,
Speaker 6: summer's great for diving.
Speaker 2: But then we diving. Water cold ASoft dived in is
Speaker 2: probably at five degrees.
Speaker 4: And I see you guys getting in there sometimes on
Speaker 4: the news at night time.
Speaker 2: If the job dictates, Yeah, we'll go wherever and whenever.
Speaker 3: Are you scared about what lives in the deep depths
Speaker 3: of the ocean?
Speaker 2: Just trying not to think about it.
Speaker 7: So what's the craziest thing you've found?
Speaker 2: Crazy? Well, we find all sorts, so treasure. I wish
Speaker 2: it'd be nice, wasn't it.
Speaker 6: Look often we'll get called to go through the body
Speaker 6: of orders to look for a person call or coming
Speaker 6: to local police.
Speaker 2: They call us. Often we turn up and it's not
Speaker 2: a person, but it's a mannequin of some sort. Someone's
Speaker 2: just sometimes inflatable.
Speaker 5: But that's where I left it.
Speaker 2: We get all sorts of dogs and they threw it.
Speaker 3: Out the window before they went home.
Speaker 1: On a serious note, though, when you do have to
Speaker 1: recover bodies, how is that feeling? So I was chatting
Speaker 1: with the guys about it, and you were saying, it's
Speaker 1: almost huge. The enjoyments not the word, but closure. You
Speaker 1: guys get them r inclosure.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I look for the families. I think it's really important.
Speaker 6: There's nothing worse. I can only imagine there'd be nothing
Speaker 6: worse than not having that closure if a loved one
Speaker 6: has gone missing. So for us to be able to
Speaker 6: provide that closure to families is really important and our
Speaker 6: office takes great pride in, you know, being able to
Speaker 6: provide that the families if we come across a deceased
Speaker 6: person here.
Speaker 4: But you must also have happy endings where you've rescued
Speaker 4: people who are lost at sea and you get to
Speaker 4: bring them home alive and well as well.
Speaker 2: At that sea generally not Laarene.
Speaker 6: If look, because we're the divers, So if a person's
Speaker 6: in the water unless they're a breath of breathole champion.
Speaker 2: You get underwater on top of the water.
Speaker 6: We've got the water police and our other and sorry
Speaker 6: volunteers as well. Yeah, they go out and rescue people
Speaker 6: live in distress. However, if it's more protracted and there's
Speaker 6: thought that the person's in the water, unfortunately it's off
Speaker 6: on a final what's.
Speaker 7: The bay like Port Philip Bay because it's a dark, old,
Speaker 7: crappy sort of Yeah, body of water, isn't it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's sandy.
Speaker 6: There's not much down there, isn't there?
Speaker 3: You must find weird.
Speaker 1: There was footage floating around over Christmas where someone reckons
Speaker 1: they saw a juvenile great white.
Speaker 7: Like what works beneath beneath beef?
Speaker 5: Would we get any many great whites in the bay?
Speaker 6: Look, that's where I live, Jason, they're there. Have I
Speaker 6: seen them firsthand?
Speaker 2: I haven't.
Speaker 6: That's said this members of the squad that have been
Speaker 6: diving and had encounters.
Speaker 1: Oh no, I'd be like Jesus running on that water.
Speaker 1: So would you guys work with water police and say
Speaker 1: the air wing if you've got to be put into
Speaker 1: a location to rescue someone.
Speaker 6: Yep, absolutely, we work with the water Police. They can
Speaker 6: take us on their on their boats too wherever we
Speaker 6: need to go. And then if we need to get
Speaker 6: somewhere in a hurry, will utilize the air wing.
Speaker 1: And what do you guys refer to them as unofficial?
Speaker 1: Unofficially are they oruba off?
Speaker 2: I'd never say that.
Speaker 4: Par the love that and do you find like this
Speaker 4: is so gruesome, but you must find like bits of
Speaker 4: things and bits of bodies. Remember that woman's foot washed
Speaker 4: up on the shore once.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's not it's not pleasant, but that's it. It's
Speaker 6: not for everyone either, this job. And this is why
Speaker 6: we do part of our selection process to really make
Speaker 6: sure we're getting the right people.
Speaker 2: Because we don't have people to wi get effectively if
Speaker 2: they're underwater.
Speaker 4: Stanngsters really dump people in concrete boots? Is that a
Speaker 4: thing to make them think all sorts, all sorts true?
Speaker 1: Bricks found those little bricks wrapped in glad wrap that
Speaker 1: look like they've fallen off a boat.
Speaker 2: We have actually sorry about that.
Speaker 5: We've got time.
Speaker 6: We work pretty closely with the Australian Border Force and
Speaker 6: they'll check any ships coming into the into port.
Speaker 2: And that are suspect.
Speaker 6: Now that don't have divers, so we die for them
Speaker 6: and wouldn't Was it probably two years ago we found
Speaker 6: a substantial amount of contraband on the underside of that vessel.
Speaker 3: Attached They struck it under the vessel.
Speaker 6: Well I can only assume, yeah, and then that's a
Speaker 6: job being run by AFP, that's yeah, and you.
Speaker 2: Have to do that too, we do.
Speaker 3: Are we under resourced?
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 5: I think twenty four people for the whole state. I
Speaker 5: think were hard.
Speaker 1: Is it like in police academy? You get it back
Speaker 1: to the boat ramp busted open and try it with
Speaker 1: your finger Beverly Hills cotton stuff or you've got little
Speaker 1: testing touches and yeah, yeah right Victoria Police value. Yeah right, Hey,
Speaker 1: only twenty four in the state. They've got to take
Speaker 1: year home with them as well, so you're ready to
Speaker 1: go from your house at any point.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 6: So we have an on call crew, they have equipment
Speaker 6: with them, ready to respond statewide if we need to
Speaker 6: go anywhere.
Speaker 5: What the hell?
Speaker 1: I got to see firsthand the remarkable job these guys.
Speaker 5: Speaking of recruiting, Yeah, coming up.
Speaker 4: This would have been the hardest day on the job
Speaker 4: for years, having to train you.
Speaker 5: Yes, she's right coming up next, I joined.
Speaker 2: I can only imagine the search and rescue crew.
Speaker 7: I just see the photo. You're ridiculous.
Speaker 5: Way do you see the video?
Speaker 1: We'll go there next or you've got a leading senior
Speaker 1: Constable Scooba Steve in this morning, the search and rescue divers.
Speaker 1: They will be back at the base listening to this,
Speaker 1: no doubt, all the boys ready to give you a
Speaker 1: ripping when you get back.
Speaker 2: I'm sure they'll taking notes.
Speaker 3: They're doing a great job.
Speaker 1: And they are a great crew. I got to spend
Speaker 1: last Wednesday with them going diving.
Speaker 4: Yeah, now I feel for them having to deal with
Speaker 4: you A tagle on Steve, I mean, before we even
Speaker 4: get him into the.
Speaker 3: Water, how did he go?
Speaker 2: You went right? I think he's to carry on to
Speaker 2: carry on luggage. You mean carry on from Jase.
Speaker 3: To carry on from Jays.
Speaker 2: Look, he's he's quick witted. Also that how.
Speaker 3: Did he go getting the wet suit on?
Speaker 5: Well, it's funny you say that.
Speaker 1: So they decided to give me the varietist orange wet
Speaker 1: suit available. Why are you guys all dressed in black
Speaker 1: and looking cool as like you're in mission mission impossible?
Speaker 2: And can you imagine if we lost you, that'd be
Speaker 2: embarrassing for us.
Speaker 3: Have you got board shorts on underneath?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I didn't want to get there's the rig. But how
Speaker 1: calls this my wetsuit? Said Victoria Police on the back?
Speaker 3: Your owl plates on?
Speaker 7: Dar that is toy.
Speaker 3: How is the carry on in the wet suit? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Substantial. I'd have to.
Speaker 4: Say Steve's being very nice because off air jas when
Speaker 4: you went in here, I said, how did he go?
Speaker 4: And he goes, Oh, he asked more times about how
Speaker 4: he looked in the wet suit than actually carrying about what.
Speaker 3: He did in the water. Did you say that, Steve?
Speaker 1: Over the footage I'm showing you now is the giant
Speaker 1: police rescue truck that these guys travel with. Now you're
Speaker 1: mentioning earlier. You guys are the unit that sort of
Speaker 1: takes care of all of Victoria. If you guys get
Speaker 1: dispatched for a job, let's say a missing person.
Speaker 2: On a Murray, a microwave for because the truck.
Speaker 1: Goes there and they stay at that location until the
Speaker 1: job is done.
Speaker 5: Is that right?
Speaker 2: That's right?
Speaker 6: So not only microwave, but a fridge and a coffee
Speaker 6: machine as well.
Speaker 3: Before the essential.
Speaker 2: That's important.
Speaker 3: What about a shower and a bathroom.
Speaker 5: In the shower Pizza Roven Pizza the list.
Speaker 3: Jake, you deserve it.
Speaker 5: Okay, So.
Speaker 3: He got wet suited up.
Speaker 5: All right, this is us.
Speaker 3: Now where are.
Speaker 4: You by the way, because it must have caused many
Speaker 4: people to be scared that there was like.
Speaker 1: Here's ago, there's a lot of people on the beach
Speaker 1: in Williamstown. And then we just rock up in the
Speaker 1: giant truck and then start walking into the water. There
Speaker 1: was a few looks like what the hell is going on?
Speaker 5: Now?
Speaker 1: We went scuba diving? Can we talk visibility? Most places
Speaker 1: you dive?
Speaker 3: Would you say, you look like you're in pain just
Speaker 3: getting the thing?
Speaker 5: Very heavy equipment. I don't know how you do it.
Speaker 4: Steve found the body and that the policeman behind you
Speaker 4: looks like he has had a gutfull.
Speaker 3: The guard trying to put it on. Who's that Steve?
Speaker 5: Behind us?
Speaker 2: We've got Senior Cusple, Mike and Sena.
Speaker 4: Seen your comfortable. Mike looks like he's out a gut
Speaker 4: for a jas. He's just like it's like dressing a
Speaker 4: child to go swimming. Did you put the sunscreen on
Speaker 4: you too?
Speaker 1: As we were diving. Can we just show you the
Speaker 1: visibility here, because yeah, most places you dive you wouldn't
Speaker 1: be able to see anything right now.
Speaker 6: We call it zero visibility or black water diving. You
Speaker 6: can't see within Oh.
Speaker 4: My god, you look in the god so he went.
Speaker 3: All the way to the bottom of the ocean.
Speaker 5: But here's the go.
Speaker 1: They gave me a mask that was blacked out, so
Speaker 1: I couldn't see anything under there.
Speaker 3: So then that word zero visibility zero, so I do.
Speaker 3: So they've pushed the back sharks.
Speaker 1: And then what they do is they actually throw out
Speaker 1: a plastic gun into the water, and then we had
Speaker 1: to go searching for it to see if we can
Speaker 1: find it.
Speaker 4: Oh my god, thank god they gave you that orange
Speaker 4: wetsuit because we can see you, yeah, flapping around like
Speaker 4: a wounded pelican down there.
Speaker 1: They stand out of it, don't I Is that what
Speaker 1: you you guys will do for training though, You'll throw
Speaker 1: out fake weapons and then.
Speaker 5: You've got to go diving from them. You found the gun,
Speaker 5: found the gun.
Speaker 3: That's not you, that's Steve.
Speaker 5: Yeah, okay, we want We're a youn, Lauren. We work
Speaker 5: as a team. It's not individual, is it.
Speaker 2: It's not our team support.
Speaker 6: So yeah, well we'll throw props out and put our
Speaker 6: dives into my tone out training.
Speaker 3: And in all seriousness, Jase, were you nervous? Did you panic?
Speaker 3: I wouldn't have coped with the blackout mask?
Speaker 1: Well, when I was under there and I put the
Speaker 1: mask on, I actually found it easier just to shut
Speaker 1: my eyes.
Speaker 3: We had a blackout mask. You didn't need to know.
Speaker 2: But now that was a tip. I think I gave
Speaker 2: you that tips yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And then pretty much you're just moving around with
Speaker 1: the hands.
Speaker 5: Trying on.
Speaker 3: Do you wear head torches or any such thing?
Speaker 2: If the water is dark enough, you won't do anything
Speaker 2: that would just.
Speaker 7: So did you find your inflatable?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Found the inflatable. Also, you've got to have a good
Speaker 1: sense of humor to be a part of this team.
Speaker 1: Because one of them thought it would be hilarious to
Speaker 1: can'ts and grab grab our legs.
Speaker 3: Good one. You would have screamed like a bunchees.
Speaker 1: So I am now an official member of Photo.
Speaker 5: Can I point out.
Speaker 3: You look like mister Potato?
Speaker 1: The equipment you guys wear, it's not the most flattering.
Speaker 5: Is it.
Speaker 2: Are you talking about the wet suits.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you've got a rig like Steve. It's fine, comes
Speaker 4: into it.
Speaker 7: You peel your wet suit off and straight up the beach.
Speaker 5: It took me a while to get it off, and
Speaker 5: it took two people.
Speaker 3: Oh, he's no David hasselholf Our Jayson.
Speaker 5: We're going to need the jewels, Lauren, wake up feeling
Speaker 5: good on No.
Speaker 3: One hundred on Socials,