Lady Justice Podcast: Episode 6 Carlene York Escape Route

From dangerous kingin ‘The Chemist’ to fugitive killer Malcolm Naden, Carlene York has been at the front of some of Australia’s most dangerous police ops. Listen to the Lady Justice podcast.

When a dangerous drug kingpin nicknamed The Chemist was nabbed importing a huge amount of methamphetamine, he was out for revenge and Carlene York’s family were in his sights.

The angry drug smuggler wanted to kill the cops that busted him, sparking a police operation that sent Ms York and her family into hiding, the Lady Justice Podcast has revealed.

“Even though I was a police officer at the time, it doesn’t make the fear any less,” Ms York said.
“You’re always looking over your shoulder wondering what could happen. Worried about your children.

“But you know and understand the seriousness and the risk and the positions you place yourself into by taking on a role in law enforcement.”

Carlene York was the NSW Police Assistant Commissioner in charge of Northern Region.

Abe Saffron, businessman and racing identity, was a Sydney nightclub owner and property developer who was reputed to have been one of the major figures in Australian organised crime. He was convicted of tax evasion in 1987. Picture: Supplied

The police had become aware The Chemist had issued death threats and had to act fast.

“You don’t know what they (the Chemist and cohorts) would have done, whether they would break into the house or whatever … they didn’t want to stay in jail … so I think they thought that they’d remove that threat.”

Ms York has had a long and varied career which included working as a police prosecutor where she foiled a number of prisoner escapes – leaping courtroom barriers in heels to chase fleeing crooks.

She notched up her first murder arrest while still a rookie at Darlinghurst – the police station referred to as “the punishment station” which took in the Kings Cross strip at a time when Abe Saffron loomed large, and she went on to head up the Forensic Unit and oversee the introduction of new DNA and fingerprint technology.

As Assistant Police Commissioner, Ms York also ran the successful strike force responsible for Australia’s biggest manhunt for rapist and killer Malcolm Naden who was armed and dangerous.

Malcolm Naden, a murder suspect and one of NSW’s most wanted criminals.

Police had been looking for Naden for years when Ms York got the news one of her police officers had been shot in the shoulder by the fugitive.

“I set up a taskforce, so it was 24-7 and it went in the end for four months,” she said.

“It was quite a difficult case because we had had lots of evidence of where he had been and he used to travel between Nowendoc and Gloucester up towards Port Macquarie, depending on the seasons,” she said.

“We knew he had stolen a lot of things. We knew he had a gun because he showed the police officer, there had been reported thefts of other firearms as well. And in the end, we found that he had put bush camps all the way along his route.”

Specialist officers from the state protection group at the Nowendoc police command post for the Malcolm Naden search. Picture: Supplied

It was dangerous for everyone involved in the hunt – even the technicians that put cameras in the trees who missed running into Naden by only a few minutes.

“Now we also had some radio techs go up and pick up that film after he was arrested, and it turned out … that they’d put the film in, and he only walked past there half an hour later. So it brings it home again how dangerous it was, because they weren’t expecting to come across him.”

Off to inspect the search area, Assistant Commissioner Carlene York (right) prepares to board a police helicopter at the Nowendoc command centre where the search for fugitive Malcolm Naden was co-ordinated from.

Ms York remembers how wet it was and said the conditions were atrocious and “the rivers came up very quickly.”

She said the officers had to hold their guns and their police dogs above their heads while they crossed the water.

When they finally arrested Naden, police had to take the dishevelled fugitive straight to hospital with a dog bite.

SES Commissioner Carlene York at McQuade Park Windsor, helping load food supplies into helicopters with volunteers and SES. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

After more than 40 years in the police, Ms York was appointed as the first female to head up the NSW State Emergency Services overseeing more than 10,000 volunteers.

And the timing couldn’t have been better or worse depending on how you look at it – to test her decades of experience – it has been a never-ending baptism of fire, flood and pestilence.

She will never forget the black summer bushfires.

“The fear that must have been in those community members was just terrible. The damage to the electricity, power lines, communication. So you know, not only the fear, but then not being able to get information or not being able to contact anyone to say that you’re safe.”

To listen to episode six of Lady Justice, go to ladyjusticepodcast.com.au

Originally published as Lady Justice Podcast: Episode 6 Carlene York Escape Route