Ron Iddles#Retirement

Ron Iddles was born in 1954 in central Victoria. He is the son of William "Bill" Iddles and Phyllis Iddles.[https://issuu.com/policeassociationsa/docs/pasa_policejournal_oct2015_4 "The Great Man," Police Journal, October 2015] He has a twin brother, Barry Iddles, and an older sister.Ford, J., "Homicide cop Ron Iddles prepares for Victorian Police Association job," Sydney Morning Herald,

23 March 2014, [http://www.smh.com.au/national/homicide-cop-ron-iddles-prepares-for-victorian-police-association-job-20140322-35afb.html] His early years were spent growing up on a dairy farm in Rochester, where he assisted his father milking 120 cows before school each day, and on the weekends carting hay and driving tractors.ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2016/08/23/4524861.htm He played football, as a ruckman, for the Echuca Football Club in the first XVIII while in his teens."From Rochestser to the Homicide Squad," 'Bendigo Advertiser,'' 27 February 2017 Online: http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/2170593/from-rochester-to-the-homicide-squad/

His interest in police work came from watching a long-running, local television drama series, Homicide (aired 1964–1977). He attended Echuca Technical School and after completing his secondary education, became a police cadet at the age of 18.Broadhurst, M., "Iddles to Talk about the Good CopEuroa Gazette, 18 January 2017, [https://www.pressreader.com/australia/euroa-gazette/20170118/281655369773886]

Iddles joined the Victoria Police in 1972. His early police career was in the uniform branch working in and around Collingwood, one of Melbourne's inner suburbs and he was later transferred to Fitzroy Criminal Investigation Branch. He became a homicide detective in 1980, and his first case was the murder of 38-year old Thornbury resident Maria James on 17 June 1980 (which was covered in detail by the ABC podcast Trace in 2017–2021{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/trace/|title=Trace|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en|access-date=2020-03-09}}{{Cite news|last=Valentish|first=Jenny|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/24/trace-who-killed-maria-james-podcast-book|title='I started having nightmares': behind the scenes of Trace, the hit true-crime podcast|date=2018-08-24|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-03-09|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/trace-podcast-subject-maria-james-murder-case-to-re-opened/10569792|title=Maria James murder case reopened by coroner after ABC's Trace podcast|last1=Trace|first1=Rachael Brown for|last2=staff|date=2018-11-30|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-03-09}}). During the 1980s, he was seconded to the National Crime Authority.

In 1989, he retired from policing altogether and began his own trucking business. In 1994, he returned to policing, starting out as a constable again. Within three years, he worked his way back to his former rank as a detective senior sergeant with Homicide Division where he was involved in investigating serious crime."Former homicide detective Ron Iddles Reflects on His Police Career, Bendigo Advertiser, 27 February 2017, [http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4494073/ron-iddles-reflects-on-his-police-career] In 2012, he headed up the Cold Case Homicide Division.[http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781743534403 Ford, J., The Good Cop, Macmillan, 2016] The same year, he was involved in solving the 1983 cold case murder of 16-year old Shepparton resident, Michelle Buckingham.{{Cite web|date=2019-01-30|title=Looking back at murders|url=http://www.sheppnews.com.au/@lifestyle/2019/01/29/420500?slug=looking-back-at-murders|access-date=2021-02-24|website=Shepparton News|language=en-AU}} He left Homicide Division in 2014 and became the Secretary of the Police Union, where he was instrumental in raising awareness of mental health issues for serving police officers.Shepparton News,27 August 2016, https://www.pressreader.com/australia/shepparton-news/20160827/282046211521170

In 2015, Iddles was made a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the community.[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-14/police-association-boss-ron-iddles-stands-down/7931992. ABC News, 14 October 2016] He is widely known as "Australia's greatest detective."[http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2016/08/23/4524861.htm ABC Radio, Conversations with Richard Fiedler,]"Former Homicide Detective Ron Iddles Reflects on His Police Career," Bendigo Advertiser, During his career, which spanned 37 years, 25 of which were spent in homicide, he investigated more than 300 murder cases and hundreds of suspicious deaths. His homicide conviction rate was 99%.Cowie, R., "Former homicide detective Ron Iddles steps down as police union boss," The Standard, 15 October 2016, [http://www.standard.net.au/story/4228607/former-homicide-detective-ron-iddles-steps-down-as-police-union-boss/?cs=7]

He retired from the police in 2016, but was enticed to come out of retirement to take up the position as Victoria's inaugural Community Safety Trustee, a role that involves serving as an independent voice for the community and overseeing the state's community safety budget.Gray, D., "Retired police officer Ron Iddles to be state's first Community Safety Trustee" The Age, 19 April 2017 [http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/retired-police-officer-ron-iddles-to-be-states-first-community-safety-trustee-20170419-gvo42y.html] In 2017, he finally retired and moved to a township near Cairns in Queensland.{{Cite web|url=https://play.acast.com/s/australiantruecrime/43890dc0-454a-42fe-84eb-a76e00622125|title=Ron Iddles: Australia's Greatest Detective - #9|website=acast|language=en|access-date=2020-02-27}}

Iddles is also the subject of a 2017 book, The Good Cop, written by Justine Ford and published by Macmillan. In 2019, Iddles starred in a Foxtel Crime + Investigation series based on the book,{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/foxtel/a-life-in-murder-ron-iddles-the-good-cop.html|title=A Life In Murder - Ron Iddles: The Good Cop|last=|first=|date=18 July 2019|website=foxtel.com.au|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}} which won a Silver Logie for the TV show (Logie Award for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program) in 2019. He also features in a podcast series titled Ron Iddles: The Good Cop.{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/show/4ihSwxaZOzgz5wdRK1rDef|title=Ron Iddles: The Good Cop - Foxtel|website=Spotify|language=en|access-date=2020-03-09}}

In 2021, Iddles starred in a six-episode series named 'Homicide by Ron Iddles' on Channel 7.{{cite news |last1=Willix |first1=Pierra |title=Ron Iddles retraces murder cases in new series |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/ron-iddles-looks-back-at-his-career-in-new-true-crime-documentary-series-homicide-with-ron-iddles-ng-b881965324z |access-date=17 January 2023 |url-access= subscription |work=The West Australian |date=15 August 2021 |language=en}}

{{reflist}}

• {{LinkedIn URL|https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-iddles-oam-apm-741b6524}}

• {{Cite book |last=Ford |first=Justine |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/963805020 |title=The good cop : the true story of Ron Iddles, Australia's greatest detective |date=2016 |isbn=978-1-5252-2889-6 |location=[Strawberry Hills, NSW] |oclc=963805020}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1954 births

Category:Australian police officers

Category:Recipients of the Australian Police Medal

Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia