Manningham police: Sen-Sgt Russell Langley retires after 46 years in the force

After almost half a century serving the community, a veteran Manningham copper reflects on the vast changes he has seen in policing.

He started out in the 1970s driving patrol cars with a siren in the bonnet, and now one of the stalwarts of policing in Manningham is cruising into retirement.

Sen-Sgt Russell Langley, 63, was farewelled by his colleagues at Doncaster police station on Wednesday after more than 46-and-a-half years in the force.

He began his career as a 16-year-old cadet in February 1976 based in the CBD, with an aim of joining the forensic team due to his love of science.

“But as soon as I got out onto the street, I just enjoyed working the ‘div van, and from there I became a detective and off we went,” Sen-Sgt Langley said.

The veteran policeman says officers’ equipment and their cars have come a long way from the Valiants, Holdens and Fords he drove back in 1970s.

“There was no airconditioning, a siren on the bonnet, the Valiants didn’t have any brakes, and we had to turn the wheel about 20 times to get around the corner,” Sen-Sgt Langley said.

“We used to also have semiautomatic pistols but they were manufactured around WWI, the oldest one I found was in 1911 … they weren’t very effective at all.

“Our guys carry a heap of gear (today), by the time you put your baton, vest, radio, firearm, you’re adding considerable weight to your movements.”

After a brief placement as a detective at the station in the late 1980s, Sen-Sgt Langley returned to Doncaster in 2007 and served as Officer In Charge until he retired in October.

Manningham police Inspector Luke Kirkton with retiring Sen-Sgt Russell Langley at his farewell on Wednesday, November 24. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Among the most bizarre jobs he has attended was a car becoming airborne at an intersection and flying through a carport and into a house’s back fence, with the driver surviving.

He also has been called out to four incidents involving people trying to go down Warrandyte’s Pound Bend tunnel in inflatables, one of which was fatal.

Sen-Sgt Langley said Manningham was a safe area due to its affluent demographics, and had worked hard to squash perceptions of crime locally.

“The biggest issue is not so much the fact the place is unsafe, it’s combating the perception,” he said.

“This is a very safe community and I always knock my head against the wall when people say it’s not safe … we’re very well resourced and that gives you the capacity to do what we should be doing.

“It has a good mix of hardworking, good people, and I think the area attracts the like.”

Sen-Sgt Langley plans to spend his retirement travelling with his wife and looking after his grandchildren and extended family.

But he said he would miss working alongside his fellow officers, which made his job so enjoyable across more than four decades.

“Generally speaking, at Victoria Police, you work with really good people,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed catching crooks and having fun here and there, but I’ve enjoyed the company even more,” he said.