In September 1981 police were on the lookout for a man wanted for questioning about the abduction and possible attempted rape of a woman near Hervey Bay.
Sergeant 1/c Des Rodgers of Hervey Bay and Constable 1/c Leonard Bickoff of Dimbulah, were manning a roadblock when they stopped a car. As they began to question the male driver, he produced a knife and stabbed Sergeant 1/c Rodgers 11 times. Constable 1/c Bickoff went to the aid of his colleague but was also stabbed a number of times.
Constable 1/c Terry Hill arrived at the scene to find Des Rogers lying on the ground, critically injured and covered in blood and Len Bickoff still being attacked. Without hesitation Constable 1/c Hill grappled with the offender and managed to restrain him with handcuffs.
Both Sergeant 1/c Des Rodgers and Constable 1/c Leonard Bickoff were rushed to Maryborough Base Hospital. Len Bickoff recovered well but Des Rogers suffered 11 stab wounds and spent a considerable amount of time in hospital.
There was a an astonishing surge of public sympathy and support for Des and police officers in general as a result of this incident. One touching letter was received from the children (aged from 14 to 5 years) of the Sinclair family of Tannum Sands.
Their letter read in part-
“Our parents told us how you were hurt when you and your partner tried to help a lady, from a bad man. You were both very brave. We hope you get better very soon and will be able to be at home and play with your children. We are all terribly proud of you. Please get better soon. All our love.
A footnote from their parents said:
“Unfortunately, sometimes the police get an unfair rubbishing. Through you and your friend, the children know that police always try to help. They respect that. Our sincerest, warmest wishes to you for a quick recovery. God speed. T. and K. Sinclair.”
On April 8, 1983, Sergeant 1/c Des Rodgers, Constable 1/c Leonard Bickoff, Constable 1/c Terry Hill, were all awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct (Imperial Award) for the courage they displayed in disarming and apprehending a man wanted for the abduction and possible attempted rape of a woman near Hervey Bay.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM THE VAULT: A very close call” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode