People you meet along the way - Episode Ten - Roger Rogerson Part Two

Terry Galloway shares the remarkable story of Roger Rogerson, a former detective sergeant awarded the Peter Mitchell medal for bravery. Rogerson plays a key role in capturing dangerous criminals involved in a series of robberies. Despite challenges, including a tragic hotel robbery that results in a fatal shooting, Rogerson's determination shines through as he confronts suspects and builds informants to combat crime.

Transcript

1:19

Hello, I'm Terry Galloway. The second part of the life and Times and crimes of Roger Rodham, A cop you probably know as disgrace, former detective sergeant. But I remember as a moat of 30 years standard, No matter a few short years to use the cliche, Roger Rogerson went from hero to zero. In 1918, new South Wales police honored Rogerson with the Peter Mitchell medal, the highest award available to any serving officer. The medal is given for the most outstanding act of any police officer doing any police duty during the year. In Rogersons case, his outstanding bravery and dedication to duty in the face of extreme danger in the capture of Killer and Armand at Gary Purdy and his co offenders at Gray Stains in Sydney's West in a dramatic end to a hotel robbery and chased that included the murder of a young man who worked at the hotel, Patrick Steven Harland, Golburn Prison Es Capis Purdy. Peter Haggard and Larry Foley had each been serving sentences for crimes of violence and armed robbery. They made their way to their home turf. The Fairfield cab matter area of the western suburbs of Sydney. The trio staged a number of bank robberies in daylight hours and hotel robberies at night, each accompanied by assaults and threats of violence with the men at all times. Armed with shotguns, rifles, and pistols, rogerson worked the armed hold up squad, colloquially known as the stick ups with the squad determined to track down the trio described as highly dangerous before any innocent victim died. Rogerson assigned 12 detectives to the task force, including some of the most experienced in the Stickups, detective sergeants, Bob Godden, Brian Harding, Peter Wick Graham, Fritz Fraser, rod Moore, Arnie Ts, as well as local detectives who knew the area well. Every holdup squad detective carried a Remington 8 70 12 gauge shotgun with either SG or SSG ammunition, as well as his service revolver. Rogerson also arranged exclusive use of their poly helicopter. They mounted nightly operations in and around the district, and several times came close to capturing the wanted trio. But on each occasion, the fugitives managed to escape and make it a safe houses. At midnight on a Saturday night, a call came over the VKG Police Radio, a holdup in progress at the Grey Stains Inn on Marilyn's road and attack that proved tragic. After shutting up shock at midnight, the staff had gathered in one of the bars for the traditional after work Staffie, the managers shout of an after work drink. The official report of the robbery says the locked door of the hotel had been kicked in with a crash. Two men ran into the bar, the first brandishing a shotgun, the second pistol, Purdy and Haggett shouted vicinities and demanded the manager open the hotel safe. He complied. The men threw money into a bag. Then Purdy bashed the unfortunate manager with the butt of the shotgun, ran out to the car park where their getaway holding statesman stood. Witnesses told detectives the car backfired as it left. Prompting 21-year-old casual barman university student, Patrick Harland and his moat to jump into Patrick's Volkswagen Beetle to give chase records show that the Volkswagen caught up of the statesmen a short distance away. The Holden obviously limping along and weaving across the roadway. At one point, crossing to the incorrect side of the road, Harlan accelerated the beetle pulled alongside the getaway car and met his death as the Volkswagen appeared alongside the Holden Purdy in the front passenger seat wound down the window, pointed the shotgun and fired the blast of shotgun pellets. Hit Patrick Harlan in the face, almost decapitating him, killing him instantly, the Volkswagen crashed into the bushes at the side of the road. The Holden struggled on the driver, turning the car into a quiet street where they saw a Ford. Fairmount parked outside a home. Lights burning in the building. Purdy and Haggett burst into the home. Purdy threatening the elderly Italian residence with a shotgun and demanded the keys to the Ford. Detectives had previously identified a safe house set up by Purdy in Hamilton Road at Fairfield, the nearest to the Greystones Inn. There Rogerson and the other team members headed, believing the wanted men would want to lie. Low overhead. Pollier picked up the Ford on Hamilton Road. Tracking it. The detective set up a roadblock of six vehicles forming a funnel through which it would have to make any escaped attempt. Rogerson called later in a memoir that the car suddenly appeared caught in the beam of the helicopter search light. He says he opened fire and the car's right front tire by his side only tees also opened. Fire the car ground to a halt. Purdy jumped out and ran into the front of a darkened house, haggett to the other side of the road. Rogerson made his way cautiously up the driveway, teased in Godden, following slightly behind, checking the building. For any side of Purdy, there was a padlock garage at the back of the house, but with a side door in the pitch, black rogerson opened the door slowly holding onto the handle. He heard the distinctive double click of a shotgun being loaded, and the trigger pull crashed. Open the door, trapping purdy behind it, unable to raise the weapon, Rogerson screaming. Drop the gun. Drop the gun until he heard the metallic clang. As the shotgun hit the concrete tee, grabbed the weapon, Rogerson pulled back the door, calling on Purdy to hit the floor. He would later be criticized for forcibly crashing purdy down onto the concrete. An examination of the killer's gun showed that he jammed the weapon as he attempted to reload it. After shooting young Patrick Harlan. There's little doubt. Had the gun not jammed, Roger Rogerson would've been his next victim. Rogerson charged Purdy with escaping lawful custody, armed robbery, and the murder of Patrick Harlan. Seven months later, Roger again hit the national headlines. In an incident that led to my getting to know him personally as a news source and as a moat, I formed a deep appreciation of rogersons, courage, tenacity, and fearlessness in the face of danger. A cop who never took a backward step, he followed the mantra, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Big Tim Bristow, our stand over man and enforcer, convicted criminal. And in his spare time, the owner of the racehorse Bill, Gole boy, found out the hard way when he fell foul of Rogerson one evening at Darlinghurst police station, where Roger at the time was the detective sergeant in charge. Bristow approached the front desk with a, don't you know who I am? Attitude, and began to make demands for information from a young police woman behind the counter. His towering six foot, six inches, 20 stone physique, dwarfing the young woman as he began his ide using expletives and threatening language. Rogerson came down the stairs from the detective's office, papers in hand to use the office photographer and without a word, grab Bristow by the short front, haul him over the desk and onto the floor, haul him back onto his feet and thrust him into the dock. Uttering his first words, your charge, Bristow. Turning to the constable, Roger, and rattled off a number of charges, assault, police, resist, arrest, unseemly language, fail to obey lawful command, threaten and intimidate book him. Rogerson also cultivated known criminals that came within his command, organizing where he could informants or fiz gigs among them, thereby earning a reputation for keeping on top of crime within the king's cross command. Many of the informants were unofficial, not registered with the police hierarchy. One Arthur Neddy Smith would prove to be both an ally and an enemy to Rogerson. I'm Terry Galloway, and as always, there's more to come in the story of Roger Rogerson.