Former Detective Narelle Fraser provides a spine-tingling account of what it was like to work on a child grooming investigation in her live show titled The Groomer.
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Ms Fraser, who lives in Rochester, is not the only prominent law enforcer to come out of the town — high-profile detective Ron Iddles is among Australia’s best known policeman and has featured on his own television show.
He also has the popular Iddles Lane mural in his honour.
After spending 27 years of her life as a police officer and 15 of those years as a detective, it is fair to say that Ms Fraser has seen a lot in her time on the force.
The impact of working on several high-profile cases such as the killing of Maria Korp later resulted in Ms Fraser being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She left the police force as a result of her diagnosis.
After a chance meeting with Australian True Crime podcaster Meshel Laurie’s brother, Ms Fraser was invited on to the show to discuss some of the cases she had worked on.
She was invited time and time again, as the audience appreciated her willingness to discuss the emotional side of police work.
“You don’t see the human side of police,” she said.
“The police have to put on this façade because people look at you for help, for direction, they look at you to protect them and you can’t have somebody that is over the top with their emotions, crying.
“You have to build this wall. A wall so tall, so thick, so strong that in the end the wall doesn’t come down.”
After realising that she had become quite popular in the podcasting space, she decided to start her own podcast, called Narelle Fraser Interviews.
Each episode is a case study of an investigation that she has personally been involved in.
The podcast attracts thousands of listeners per week.
“What I’m trying to do, my mantra and my theme is about exploring the human side in the impact of crime,” Ms Fraser said.
“I want to talk to everyday people who are in an extraordinary event.”
As to why her show has become so popular — “I think people appreciate hearing how a cop really feels without all the façade and bravery,” she said.
Ms Fraser’s newest endeavour involves presenting a live show called The Groomer.
Ms Fraser explained although grooming is a subject that could be uncomfortable and confronting for people to hear about, it was still something that people should pay attention to.
“People groom for a reason. It’s not to go out and take you out for a cup of coffee,” Ms Fraser said.
“It’s a subject that we need to discuss because it’s about the safety of kids.”
“It happens to adults as well — they also get swindled on the internet.”
The Groomer follows a child grooming case that occurred in Bendigo while Ms Fraser was working with Bendigo police.
Both the offender and the child were living in Bendigo at the time of the grooming.
Ms Fraser explained that as a result of the investigation the offender was now in jail, having been sentenced to 12 years.
The offender will be named in the show, as his name has been revealed in court documents.
Ms Fraser explained that in the show she talked about her part in the investigation.
“I talk about the job and the investigation,” she said.
“I don’t have any videos or photos because the subject is a child. I do talk about how he was groomed, why he was groomed and my role with this young boy.”
Susan McLean, a renowned cyber safety expert and former police officer, is a special guest who has been invited to appear in the second half of the show.
“She’s going to talk about her experience with grooming and child abuse on the internet,” Ms Fraser said.
In the live show, Ms McLean will discuss the warning signs to look for if you think your child is being groomed.
She will also delve into where and how groomers find children on the internet.
“Her interest is a real passion of mine — the safety of kids,” Ms Fraser said.
“She travels the world, she’s been on committees, and she’s helped change cyber safety laws.”
Ms Fraser explained the importance of having open dialogue about the topic of grooming.
“We need to have these difficult conversations, we really do,” she said.
“A lot of people don’t know how to protect themselves.”
“We need to protect those more vulnerable members of our society.”
“If we don’t talk about this stuff, people aren’t going to know the signs to look out for.”
There are approximately 30 tickets The Groomer tickets left to purchase at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/narelle-fraser-the-groomer-tickets-216705029577
The show will be held at the Village Road Show Theatrette, State Library of Victoria Conference Centre, 179 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, on Saturday, March 19, at 7pm.