Australia "The Great Man" takes a desk job

I can't help being a little saddened to hear that Melbourne's hero of homicide has accepted the position of secretary of the Victorian Police Association, and won't be actively working cold cases any more.

Ron Iddles is an amazing cop. One of those cops you just wish there were more of, working those tough-to-solve cases. After making an arrest in the oldest cold case in the state, the 1983 murder of Michelle Buckingham, he's moving on from his 20-year career in homicide.

I spoke to Ron myself once, having heard of a new cold case unit he was heading up, regarding the status of Michelle's investigation. He told me her case was a top priority, and I did not doubt him for a moment. He's got a wonderful manner with people. As it turns out, Ron's team did indeed make the case a top priority and finally, after 31 years, Michelle's family and friends saw justice come to her killer.


I hope the men he's inspired continue to solve cases as doggedly, and with as much care for victims and their families.

A "Great Man" indeed.


"Iddles is so committed to the truth that he once charged a man with murder - then proved he didn't do it. Armed with enough evidence to charge him, Iddles arrested Peter Smith over the brutal 2002 murder of security guard Slawomir Tomczyk. But after the arrest, Iddles had a niggling feeling he'd pinched the wrong bloke. He dug further, realised he'd made a mistake and set about clearing Smith's name. During the 2007 inquest, Coroner Peter White commended Ron for acting "in the best traditions of the force''.

Exonerating Smith took a load off Iddles' shoulders and made The Great Man weep in court."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/homi...ciation-job-20140322-35afb.html#ixzz31xq3MBOP

CRIME READS


Book extract: Homocide detective Ron Iddles really has seen it all
Justine Ford
The Courier-Mail
July 31, 2016 7:40am

'“YOU have to be prepared to lead your staff even if it means stripping down to your jocks to retrieve a body from the river.” — Ron Iddles

What does a murderer look like? Victorian detective Ron Iddles learnt early in his career at Homicide that wherever there are humans, there are disagreements, grudges, jealousies and murder and neither geography nor any amount of fresh country air can change that.

“Sometimes the motive for murder is revenge, sometimes it is lust, sometimes it is broken relationships, sometimes it’s over finances,” Iddles says.

“But sometimes you can look deeply for a motive and it can be obscure or minor.” He harks back to the Christmas Day murders where everyday people slaughtered family members because they didn’t like their presents.

“I’ve even investigated a murder that took place after an argument over the music being played on the CD,” he adds, shaking his head.'

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...l/news-story/15b1046dbd7a3b3a51acb85221102020

The Good Cop
Justine Ford
PanMcMillan

'A - Assume nothing. B - Believe nothing. C - Check everything.' Ron Iddles

'In an incredible twenty-five year career as a homicide detective, Ron Iddles' conviction rate was 99%. Yet that only partly explains why Iddles is known to cops and crims alike as 'The Great Man'.

Tough, inventive and incorruptible, stoic in the face of senseless horror yet unafraid to shed tears for a victim, Ron has applied his country cunning and city savvy to over 320 homicide cases - some of them the most infamous, compelling and controversial crimes in the nation's history. To the victims of crime, Ron is both a shoulder to cry on and an avenging angel.

Ron Iddles never gave up on a 'lost' cause. He became a regular on the nightly news - the dogged face of Australian justice. Working long hours, dodging bullets, chasing leads and outwitting killers, Ron would tell his teams: 'The answer is just one call away'. And in 2015, that belief saw him crack Victoria's oldest unsolved homicide, yet another remarkable feat in a life devoted to keeping the public safe.

This is the extraordinary inside story of a real crime crusader. Ron Iddles. The Good Cop.'

http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781743534403