Backup is three hours away. Part 1

·28 min·2 clips

A policeman discovers a man shoveling out an occupied grave at midnight in a remote cemetery.

This episode of Life and Crimes is an interview with Mark Tregellis, a former policeman who served in remote areas of Victoria. Host Andrew Rule introduces Tregellis as a guest with many country copper stories, compiled into a book titled 'Backup is Three Hours Away'. Tregellis explains he was stationed in Malacoota for 16 years, often patrolling vast areas alone with backup hours away. He had jurisdiction in both Victoria and New South Wales but faced logistical challenges like extradition across borders. Tregellis shares humorous anecdotes from his early days, such as living in a dilapidated farmhouse where a horse drank from his shower, leading to a comical encounter. He tells of Gunter, a German tourist who burned out two car clutches because he couldn't drive manual, then read a pornographic magazine in the police station. The episode builds to a suspenseful story about investigating a light in a cemetery at midnight, where Tregellis and his partner found a man digging in an occupied grave, only to discover it was a gravedigger who had dug the wrong hole. Another key story involves Tregellis forming a posse with a New South Wales rugby team to arrest five thieves in a caravan park, using their assistance under police authority. The conversation touches on legal nuances, like public assistance counting as acting police for assault charges but not qualifying for workers' compensation. Tregellis reflects on the uniqueness of these experiences, noting he never studied posse formation in the academy. The episode concludes with a promotion of his book and a tease for a follow-up interview next week.

As heard by us

A bush-policing yarn that ends with a car, a pole and a deadpan shrug.

Backup is three hours away, and Part 1 opens with an arresting image: an occupied grave, a headstone and a man shoveling from inside, before settling into Andrew Rule's conversation with former Malakuta policeman Mark Tregellis.

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Why you'd press play

When backup is four hours away, even a remote shift turns comic.

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