Tales of brilliance and heroism from the crime-fighting dogs at the Police Dog Squad—told by the passionate cops who handle them. Brilliant and heroic, the police dogs and handlers of the Dog Squad put themselves on the front line every day to fight crime and keep citizens safe. Meet Ruger, the go-get-'em police dog that bit through a couch to catch a cat burglar, and Butch, the courageous dog that put its life on the line to take down a man armed with a knife. There's Michelle, the police detective turned Dog Squad handler, whose expertise as a trainer earned her an unbeatable two-dog tracking team; and there's Digger, the police dog so loyal it stood guard over its handler, Gary, after he was gunned down by Mad Max. These stories of the Victoria Police Dog Squad's courage in the face of danger give a rare insight into the high-octane world of police dog work, and into the bond that exists between a police dog and its handler. Handlers share stories of training some of the best and brightest canine cadets, then taking them out onto the job—where dogged pursuits save lives.

Dog Squad

Children's Books

Petraitis, Vikki

Animals

Michael Joseph Australia

Once a Copper: The life and times of Brian `The Skull` Murphy

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Wild Dingo Press

Twenty-five years ago, serial killer Paul Denyer terrorised the bayside suburb of Frankston.
It began on 11 June when Elizabeth Stevens was murdered on her way home from the library. Then, on 8 July, Debbie Fream left her new baby boy with a friend while she dashed out for milk. She was abducted and killed. Three weeks later, Year 12 student, Natalie Russell, was brutally murdered on her way home from school.
Melbourne residents lived in fear, as the Frankston area was flooded with police hunting the serial killer.
When Paul Denyer was arrested the day after Natalie's body was found, the police and public were shocked by his lack of emotion. Denyer, 21, spoke of the three young women with contempt as he described their final moments. Their deaths had simply fuelled his bloodlust.
Eleven years later, convicted serial killer, Paul Denyer, made front-page news with his quest to become a woman.
Twenty-five years on, the trauma of his seven-week killing spree still haunts the community. The spate of murders in 1993 touched many more lives than just the three young women he killed.
The Frankston Murders: 25 Years On is a revised edition of the bestselling book by Vikki Petraitis. It details the shocking crimes and explores the lingering effects of what Denyer did.
Debbie Fream's son Jake, now 25-years-old, speaks for the first time about the loss of his mother. And Carmel and Brian Russell share their dream for Denyer's ongoing incarceration, as the killer of their children will be eligible to apply for parole for the first time in 2023.

The Frankston Murders: 25 Years On

True Crime

Clan Destine Press

The discovery of the body of Beth Barnard in her Phillip Island farmhouse in 1986, began a homicide investigation that rocked a peaceful community.It also created an enduring mystery, for no one was ever brought to trial for her brutal death, and the main suspect disappeared - never to be seen again.Beth Barnard, a popular and attractive 23-year-old, had been having an affair with a local married man.On the night of her brutal murder, a car belonging to Vivienne Cameron - wife of Beth's lover - was found abandoned near the bridge that connects the famous tourist island to the mainland.No trace of Vivienne was ever found, and her disappearance has never been adequately explained.Nevertheless, a Coroner's Court found that Vivienne had killed her rival then jumped to her death into the waters of Westernport Bay. The case was closed but not forgotten.Ever since their first edition of The Phillip Island Murder, in 1993, Vikki Petraitis and Paul Daley have been regularly contacted by people wanting to know more; people who, like the authors, let the case get under their skin.More than three decades later the mystery, rumours and arm-chair solutions continue.

The Phillip Island Murder

Daley, Paul

Police Stories

Lake Press

Victims, crimes, and investigators: True crime stories from behind the scenes

Victoria Press

'How did a kid from the country who dreamed of joining the Victoria Police, end up on the wrong side of the bars? There are a lot of reasons, and I hope this story will help clarify some of them, not only for you, the reader, but for me too, because a lot of the time I am left shaking my head, wondering how things went so wrong.' Paul Dale knows he is tainted. After almost fifteen years as a cop, working in Homicide and rising to the rank of Detective Sergeant in the Victorian Drug Squad, he saw the worst of what people can do. But when he was accused and jailed firstly for drug offences and then for murder, Dale realised the murky world he was navigating was going to take him under too. Dale dealt with crims like Carl Williams, Terry Hodson and Tommy Ivanovic on the Melbourne streets. But when a burglary ended in Hodson's arrest, Dale's life started to unravel. He turned to Nicola Gobbo, a lawyer and friend he thought could help: the lawyer who became known as Lawyer X. Eventually exonerated of any crimes, Paul Dale's story reveals the shocking deals done at the highest levels of the Victorian Police Force and the damage wrought by Victoria Police's use of Lawyer X.

Cops, Drugs, Lawyer X and Me

Dale, Paul

Hachette Australia

Salvation : The true story of Rod Braybon's fight for justice

Jewel Publishing

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Books by Petraitis, Vikki