Behind the badge

Editorial: Emily Wan

Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

DETECTIVE SENIOR SERGEANT STEPHEN SHEAHAN

Graduated: 8 March, 1996

Station: Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit

Why did you join Victoria Police?

I wanted to be a policeman ever since I left school. Former Belgrave Senior Sergeant Bill Sharp, who was my best mate’s father, gave me the best life advice I’ve ever had. He told me in 1978, “Stephen, get an apprenticeship, then consider joining the police force”.

So, I went and got an apprenticeship, and I stayed in the building industry for 15 years. I had my own business until I joined the police force in 1995 at the age of 32.

Tell us about your career.

I worked in general duties at several Melbourne stations, then got my first detective position at Malvern Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) in 2002. From there, I worked in two organised crime taskforces and joined the Homicide Squad in 2005.

I got promoted to sergeant at Yarram in Gippsland in 2010. I’ve got wonderful admiration for country policing and the people who do it. My first call-out was a fatal helicopter crash in a logging coupe. I also had a couple of bushfires and a flood.

I moved to Sale as an acting senior sergeant, then back to Crime Command to the drug taskforce as a detective sergeant in 2012 before returning to the Homicide Squad in 2014. I got promoted to Professional Standards Command investigations in 2019 and spent two years there before landing my current role in 2021.

What work does the CIU do?

CIU detectives are responsible for initial action and investigation for every type of offence involving serious crime against a person and property. This could range from the offences of murder, assaults, and theft of property.

CIU detectives ensure the crime scene is secure, take charge, take notes, and speak to witnesses. We work through all avenues of inquiry and determine whether the job becomes a category one offence, where the relevant crime squad takes over the investigation, or a category two offence, which stays with the CIU to investigate.

It’s a challenging space to work in where investigative techniques are changing all the time, inspiring detectives to think outside the square to keep ahead of criminals.

What's one of the most memorable jobs you've worked on?

In 2006, a real estate agent named Lorelle Makin was murdered by a stranger at a house inspection. We had no idea who was responsible, so it took a considerable amount of investigation to identify a suspect.

Most homicides you find the people are known to one another. But this was a random killing of an innocent lady, a well-respected community member, the mother of two adult children.

It stands out to me because she was a normal person, and her life was just taken away in a minute.

Is there a stand-out experience of your career so far?

Working at the Homicide Squad was probably the pinnacle of my career. I had very good mentors and colleagues that I worked with and learned from. To investigate and solve someone’s murder takes a lot of time and passion.

Also, working at Yarra Ranges CIU with a team of motivated people who I admire. It makes me proud and inspires me to see them working productively together to make a difference for the community.

What's your advice for people considering a policing career?

The sky’s the limit. When I joined, I always wanted to be a detective and I always wanted to work at the Homicide Squad, and I was able to achieve that.

If you set yourself goals and work hard, you stand a very good chance of being able to live out your dreams.