The Cop Who Fell to Earth

(Paperback)

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When a young eighteen-year-old Craig Semplejoined the New South Wales Police Force in 1988, he generally preferred tosteer clear of trouble rather than turn and face it. But like so many youngpolice officers, through a process of intentionally and selflessly turningtowards danger, he gradually built resilience to fear. By the time he startedlocking horns with some of the most feared members of Australia's outlawmotorcycle gangs, Craig thought himself completely bulletproof and fearless.



During a career spanning a quarter of a century,Craig Semple saw just about everything: murder, drug addition, suicide, fatalaccidents, armed robbery, organised crime and much more. Trained and shapedduring a pre-Royal Commission era of alcohol abuse and loose culture within theforce, he then survived a post-Royal Commission purge - when those tasked withcleaning up corruption themselves became corrupted.



Craig's life and natural career progressionsuddenly jumped the tracks when his brother, a rookie police officer, was near-fatallystabbed by a drug dealer on the streets of Sydney. Now driven by a deeplypersonal motivation, Craig's obsession with fighting drug crime took him to thebrink of personal, professional and marital destruction. Attempting to give hisfamily and career a new start, Craig moved to the New South Wales north coast,where he soon became the victim of violent crime at the hands of outlaw bikies.This was the catalyst for a ten-year personal battle between one regionaldetective and several outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The Cop Who Fell to Earth gives rare insight into the difficulties anddynamics of criminal investigation. Crime scenes described in vivid detailprovide a front-row seat to the challenges of trauma. Detailed accounts ofinvestigations into crimes including child abuse and homicide highlight theimpact on victims. Gripping narratives of covert, often dangerous,investigations into drug and organised crime shine a light on the shadows castby despair, greed and power at all levels of society. From the rolling hills ofthe Riverina to the sugar cane fields of the Northern Rivers, Craig shares hisjourney in law enforcement right across the state of New South Wales.



TheCop Who Fell to Earth is Craig's story of transformation and profound personalgrowth through exposure to extreme life events. Ultimately, it is a story ofhow human endurance, tenacity, sacrifice and belief in something beyond the selfultimately lead to the triumph of good over evil.

Author Bio

Craig Semple was a career detective in the New South Wales Police Force for twenty-five years, investigating homicides, outlaw motorcycle gangs and hundreds of other serious crimes. Medically retired from law enforcement in 2013 due to psychological injuries, Craig is now a sought-after keynote speaker and mental health advocate.




Craig is the foundingdirector of Mentality Plus, through which he has developed and delivered mentalhealth, wellbeing and resilience education to thousands of people all overAustralia. He is a master instructor with Mental Health First Aid Australia andan ambassador for the Black Dog Institute.