What were your first thoughts as you arrived at the murder scene?
Maddie Ives: It was just such a mess. I mean, they always are, but you can get used to it; you have to find a way to switch into work mode. There’s a manual that is standard issue for that first moment when you step into a crime scene and I remember in training, how we all rolled our eyes and scoffed. But since that day I’ve read it enough times to memorise it so that now, whenever I walk into a scene, I can set about ticking things off. It stops you being overwhelmed it keeps you sharp and you have to be. That first assessment, that first moment walking into a scene is so important and you only ever have that once. You seeing the direct aftermath is the closest you will ever get to being a witness. In my training they used an analogy: they said that a murder scene is like inspecting the crumbs on someone’s plate to work out what they had for dinner. I think that’s a good analogy; the longer you leave it, the less it looks, smells and feels like the meal it once was.
But these scenes were different. Memorising the basics doesn’t help when you’re faced with the bodies of people you know. And there were other factors too, other elements that had me fighting off the panic. The brutality for one, the red blood against a stark white backdrop in that kitchen, red blood that had transferred as a smear on a child’s nightie. And then there was Harry Blaker. The moment I saw him standing among that carnage and knowing how similar it was, how it would be bringing back the memories of the worst night of his life . . .There was a lot of emotion. Everyone was shell-shocked and everyone had a different reason.
What do you get out of being a detective?
Maddie Ives: Answers. That’s all being a detective is. You’re putting a puzzle together, working backwards from something you couldn’t stop, something you didn’t stop. I always have a moment or two of feeling bad about that, but seeing as I can’t go back in time and fix it, I might as well be a detective, tasked with finding the answers.I see family members of the victims and, more often than not, I see them utterly destroyed. You’re talking to a shell of a person with eyes made of glass and it’s difficult to see a way back for them. But then you come to them with an answer, with what happened and why, and it’s a reanimation that happens right in front of you. Still, those people and those lives will never be the same, but a detective . . . we can breathe some life back in. Harry talks about small victories a lot. Major Crime is not what people think, it’s not about ‘gotcha’ moments, big celebrations or tears of joy when a big case is solved. In our area of the business no one wins. Instead, you have to take the small victories, you have to console yourself that you were part of bringing the answers. In my experience, people need that more than they need justice.
How long have you been working in Major Crime?
Maddie Ives: I think it’s seven years, just over. I worked undercover before all this and I can’t tell you how different those two worlds are. You hear a lot said about undercover policing, from colleagues and the public who will talk about how brave UC officers must be. There’s an element of truth to that but I do miss the lack of any accountability. As a UC officer I put myself in harm’s way a few times to get the information I needed, but then I was handing it over and disappearing again. Major Crime is different. Major Crime is standing in front of a shell-shocked father or mother and telling them that you’re the one who is going to find the person that murdered their child. I don’t promise that, by the way, not ever, but that’s what they see and that’s what they hear. The moment you introduce yourself as the person leading the investigation is the moment that you become that promise, the moment you become accountable and there’s nowhere to hide. For me, that’s real bravery.
How have your relationships with your colleagues affected your work?
Maddie Ives: Cops get a bad rap. The media, they love to show us in a certain light and it’s got even worse since everyone stopped buying newspapers and news outlets started earning their money from headline clicks. Write something negative about the police and we’re all clicking. There have been some bad eggs, no doubt about that, but I’ve also met some of the most incredible people as colleagues, bosses, peers and . . . well, whatever Eileen Holmans is! Harry Blaker has had more of an influence on me than I would ever admit to his face. He’s the pillar that stands strong in a department that is shaken on a regular basis and I know he suffers under the strain sometimes. This job has a way of attracting those with the biggest hearts and it can fill them with other people’s worries and woes and it can be overwhelming. I worry about Harry, I worry about Vince too, who’s so similar. I guess the only person I don’t worry about is Eileen! She affects us all, she’s another part of propping the department up, utterly unflappable — I mean, is it even possible to panic in slippers?
Overall, I think those close-knit relationships make us better. I go to work desperate to do my part in that team, to impress, to not be the weak link and I have no doubt that the others have the same determination. But it’s a fine line and sometimes we need to be aware that being as close as we are can cloud judgements and influence decisions. This latest case pushed us to our limits, beyond those limits even and if I’m honest, I really don’t know where it goes from here.
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