Policeman’s life goes on the line

By Matt Trotman
AS A member of the West Australian Police force for more than 10 years, Berwick resident Stephen Caple witnessed a lot.
In a new book, Blood on a Blue Line, Mr Caple has written about his experiences in Western Australia in an attempt to paint an honest picture of life as a policeman in Australia.
“I decided to write the book because I was sick of all the stereotypes about coppers being lazy, incompetent people who hated the world,” he said.
“The reality is we are just ordinary people. I wanted to give people a broader look at what it’s like being on the police force.”
According to Mr Caple, the book reveals a side of police work that is often pushed into the background.
“I wanted to show the other side of being a police officer such as fatal traffic accidents and domestic violence which are often not featured in crime books.
“The book gives people a closer look than they have had before and shows how these issues impact on families and the community.”
The book took Mr Caple 10 years to compile, but he said it was worth the effort.
“Writing is like painting, it takes a while to get to a certain level and you have to improve your skills as you go,” he said.
“I needed to write a book that was hard-hitting and truthful, and that took me a while.”
Mr Caple published the book himself and had it edited by an English professor.
“I know some published authors so they took a look at it after I had written it. I then had to have it edited. It was quite a process.”
Mr Caple said people would be interested in the book because it gave a realistic view of issues affecting many Australians.
“The book is a hard-hitting account of road trauma and domestic violence,” he said.
“It puts the reader right in the middle of the situations, which makes it much more exhilarating.”
Mr Caple, now with the Victoria Police and stationed at Morwell, plans to release another book in the future.
“It’s about the armed robbery squad. I won’t tell you the name yet, you’ll have to wait until it comes out.”