Sergeant Liam Cook and Constable Angus Hill say the unexpected birth showed them how unpredictable policing can be. “Nine times out of 10, we’re dealing with people on their worst day, so it was lovely to deal with someone on their best day,” Constable Hill said. Sergeant Cook agreed the moment would be hard to beat. “[It was] certainly a career highlight that I don’t think Angus and I, we won’t top it,” he said.
The pair were on patrol on the Princes Highway near Dennington, near Warrnambool, just after 2am on Monday, October 19, when they stopped a blue SUV travelling slightly over the speed limit. As soon as the car came to a halt, “Both the driver and passenger side door flew open, which to us as police officers is a bit of a red flag,” Sergeant Cook said.
The reason became clear quickly. The driver, Joel, asked if any fines could be dealt with later because his wife was in labour. Then, as the situation escalated, he looked to the officers and asked, “Are you any good at catching babies?” Sergeant Cook said his response was less than polished. “To which I think I had some expletives in my reply,” he said.
Sergeant Cook radioed for an ambulance, but there was no time to wait. Jamie-Lee, who was in labour, said Constable Hill offered to hold her hand while Sergeant Cook helped Joel deliver their second child. Within two minutes, baby Ashlee was born.
Over police radio, Sergeant Cook reported the scene as it unfolded: “We’ve got the little girl all wrapped up, nice and warm.” He then told Jamie-Lee the baby was a girl. “It was a really special moment for us to be involved in as well, to share the news that they had a daughter,” he said.
The family, who live about 50 kilometres outside of Warrnambool, had nearly made it, reaching within 4 kilometres of Warrnambool Base Hospital. Joel said his mind was fixed on getting there right up to the moment he heard the sirens. “We were going to get there as far as I was concerned,” he said. “Until they said the ambulance was coming, that was the first time I thought, ‘Well, it’s happening.’”
When paramedics arrived, the healthy baby and her parents were taken to hospital “just to be safe.” A week after the birth, Ashlee has been a calm and “cruisy” baby. She also has an 18-month-old sister, and Jamie-Lee said that first birth took a “lot longer.”
Jamie-Lee and Joel met Sergeant Cook and Constable Hill yesterday for the first time since the roadside delivery, thanking them in Warrnambool and giving them chocolates. Jamie-Lee said, “We’re lucky we had such great fellas to experience it with us.” She also reflected on how quickly the night changed. “You hear the stories and you never think it’s going to be you, but unfortunately it was us,” she said.
Back at the station, Sergeant Cook said colleagues were thrilled. “Everyone was ecstatic. It was such a good energy in the police station,” he said. The reaction at home was just as strong when he rang his wife, who is a midwife. “She was just in disbelief that if it was going to happen to anyone, it happened to me,” he said. He added that she approved of how they handled it: “She said we did a good job. She said everything that we did [was] almost textbook.”
Although delivering a baby is not part of police training, the two officers said the experience underlined how wide ranging the job can be. As for Joel and Jamie-Lee, they are not planning a third child any time soon, but they have already decided what would change if there is a next time. “If there is, we’ll be staying in town,” Joel said.
