JOB security initially drew Murray Sleep to the Victorian police force more than 40 years ago.
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As time went on, the satisfaction of providing victims with justice instilled a burning passion for police work.
“I realised I was doing an important job that's not about me, it’s about the people in my community,” Mr Sleep said.
The Detective Leading Senior Constable at Wodonga will be farewelled next Saturday, as he says goodbye to a long and challenging career.
Mr Sleep was accepted to the force in 1975 and started at the academy at Glen Waverley.
He was first posted at Russell Street before an eye-opening experience at the city watch house, where numerous high-profile criminals were detained.
Norlane, Geelong was his next posting where Mr Sleep worked his way into the special duties squad – a time which he reflected on fondly.
“We did a lot of work, we were a small group but we worked pretty hard and got some good results,” he said.
“It didn't matter which door you knocked on - you got a result.”
Twelve months later he became a detective.
As a country boy who grew up in the Mallee and Wimera regions, Mr Sleep was happy to have been accepted at Wodonga in 1988.
He and his wife, Christine, packed up their things and moved to the Border with their daughter and son.
“City life did not agree with me and I always felt it was better for a family and young kids to grow up in the bush,” he said.
It mightn't have been his favourite time, but the most interesting work happened during Mr Sleep's 36 years as a detective.
“I was the primary investigator for four child deaths - three being homicides,” Mr Sleep said.
“They have an impact.
“It’s one thing to investigate serious offences such as murder and assault, but when it involves kids ... anything to do with kids is always hard to deal with.
“Especially when you have such distraught families and friends involved – you have to speak to everyone.”
The detective said he had faced fear, concern and uncertainty on many occasions.
He was confronted by a man with a hunting knife, who he managed to talk down.
On another instance, he went to assist with a man suspected of having a firearm at Towong.
“When we found him he was up the back with a cane cutter chopping up the woodshed,” Mr Sleep said.
“He walked out to the front on to the street and was walking toward me.
“Me and my partner were separated at that stage.
“I got him to throw the cane cutter away eventually.
“He was about one metre away when he reached for something from his back.
“I thought oh strewth he's got something in his back belt, so I sprayed him - but nothing happened.
“I thought ‘oh no, sometimes it doesn’t work on people’.
“As I went to grab my baton, the spray took effect and he went down.
“I was a little bit concerned for a split second or two, but everything worked out alright.”
Mr Sleep spoke of big fraud cases, which sometimes took up to a year to investigate, only to find no offence had been committed.
He had experienced nerves right before barging through a door as part of a search warrant – never knowing what he would be confronted with on the other side.
Then there was the time he had a NSW prisoner, convicted of serious sex offences, transferred.
Mr Sleep said management wouldn't let him cross the Border to interview the offender.
Determined to get a result, he went through the attorney general’s office to have the offender moved through the prison system to Victoria.
“I thought if i'm not going - no one’s going,” Mr Sleep said.
“He (the offender) ended up pleading guilty to the Victorian matters and got an extension to his prison term.”
And when asked if it was worth it, Mr Sleep replied “bloody oath”.
Through it all, office humour helped the long-time detective cope.
He said a sense of humour kept most members from going “gaga”.
“It's very stressful - you've only got to look at what's going on at the moment with police and mental issues,” he said.
“It does build up - I watched Four Corners the other night and just about everything every police member who spoke had done, I’ve been there and done that too.
“Everybody deals with it in different ways - I always looked at it as a job, it's got to be done and not take it home and take it out on the family.
“Again, it comes down to having a sense of humour, you have to learn to joke about things to ease the pressures I guess and the stress.”
Mr Sleep's last official day at Wodonga was on July 4 after taking some sick leave.
He hoped the force would look after it's front line troops.
“I think, in recent years, police command seem to forget we are a service to the community and they are trying to run us like a business,” Mr Sleep said.
“You've got to get back to basics.
“Provide your members with the resources and things they need to serve the community.”
As far as retirement goes, Mr Sleep hoped to enjoy time with his wife, daughter, son and five grand kids.
He hoped the house, garden and some travel would keep him busy.
Throughout the highs and lows, Mr Sleep said the best part of his career was working with a lot of really good people and “good operators”.
“Wodonga has been a great spot to work,” he said.
“I suppose I have lived my life as trying to balance work, with family with leisure.
“It can be a hard balancing act sometimes and unfortunately things have to give, so something else takes precedence - but I always tried to put family first where I could.
“I just want to say a big thank you most of the colleagues I have worked with, they are all out there trying to do the same job.
“We are there working for the community, not for themselves.”
- Anyone who wishes to attend the farewell should contact Wodonga CIU on (02) 6049 2600.