Picture: TODD LEWIS
A MOUNT Gambier Police highway patrol officer hit national television screens on Thursday night when he was involved in Channel Nine’s Random Breath Testing (RBT) show.
Limestone Coast traffic service branch first class Senior Constable Dale Fox jumped at the opportunity to be involved in the reality television show last year, which finally aired last week.
Driving around the streets of Adelaide, Snr Cnst Fox and his police colleague went through the normal police process of patrolling the roads.
The only difference was the cameras were rolling.
“I really enjoyed it – it was a great experience,” he said.
“Nothing really changes, you have just got a camera crew with you, you’re mic’d up and you have always got it in the back of your mind to be mindful of what you’re saying because it is all being recorded.”
The pair pulled over an unsuspecting tradie, who had drunk a few too many beers.
Snr Cnst Fox’s moment of stardom in the episode was diligently using his torch to find some empty beer bottles in the rear seat of the utility.
“I was interested to see how they would cut and paste everything and it was essentially exactly how it happened,” he said.
“Some parts are a little bit staged because there is only one camera crew, for example I located those beer bottles and then called the crew over and re-enacted it.”
While having a camera watching his every move was unique, it was not the only new experience for Snr Cnst Fox.
“I had actually never worked in the area before, so I did not even know where I was going,” he said.
“I was going into a police station I had never worked at before, so that was an interesting experience.”
Giving insight into how the show is produced, he said the offenders had no choice about being recorded.
“Because it is in a public place they are allowed to record and then at the end they will ask for permission to use the footage,” Snr Cnst Fox said.
“In this case, the man in question agreed to have the footage used, but asked for his face and the company shirt to be blurred.”
He said it was amazing to be involved in the production and see the work that goes into making a television show such as RBT.
“It’s a great show for viewers because we are not actors and what happens is exactly what would happen in real life,” he said.
“Channel Nine are playing a role in trying to reduce the number of lives lost on our roads and helping get our message across to the public.”
