The Sharp End: Inside The High-Risk World Of Australia's Tactical Law Enforcers by Dodson William

Author:Dodson, William [Dodson, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-03-23T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

T he Tactical Operations Unit regularly conducted armed escorts of cash from Sydney Airport to the Reserve Bank, and the sum of money involved was often as high as $500 million dollars. The first time I worked on a Reserve Bank escort I couldn’t believe it, it was like something out of a movie.

The money was flown in from the Federal Mint in three large containers and once the plane had touched down at the airport, the containers were loaded on to three tabletop trucks. Our brief was to make sure that the $500 million dollars arrived at the Reserve Bank vault intact. For the escort we used eight unmarked vehicles, each one manned by two fully geared-up operators armed with MP5s, shotguns and Glocks. Three additional operators were placed in the cabins of the money trucks for added security .

Once the trucks were loaded and ready to go, the field supervisor, Sergeant John Rhodes, checked with the Brisbane Street traffic controllers to make sure they were ready to regulate the traffic lights along the route. The team leader also conferred with the police helicopter pilot hovering overhead and the team leader of the police VIP motorcycle team. The chopper’s job was to follow the escort and monitor it from the air while the motorcycle team would leapfrog ahead of the escort and ensure that each of the upcoming intersections was properly blocked off.

With all the checks confirmed, the green light was given and the thirteen-strong motorcade rolled out of the airport like a big express freight train. As the escort proceeded, it was amusing to see the looks on motorists’ faces as the motorcade sped through the various intersections unimpeded. There’s no doubt some of them thought they were watching a scene from a James Bond movie. As the escort continued, it was being carried out with all the precision of the workings of a Swiss watch, and it was good to see the various sections come together and work so cohesively.

As the motorcade approached the entrance to the Reserve Bank, our vehicles peeled off and allowed the money trucks to enter the complex. Once the trucks were safely inside, the job was done and we headed back to the office and stored our gear. The Reserve Bank escorts happened regularly and, naturally, we’d often joked about what it would be like to hijack the money and what we would do with it all.

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