- Published:
- Friday 24 April 2026 at 9:00 am
| Sergeant Jason Flinn found his calling in highway patrol. |
Content warning. This story contains references to people who have died as a result of road trauma.
Driven to reduce road trauma
Fourteen years passed between Sergeant Jason Flinn’s first attempt to join Victoria Police and his second application.
“I wasn’t long out of school and I had always wanted to join Victoria Police,” he said.
“It was back in the old days where you went down to St Kilda Road for your interview.
"They sat you in front of about probably six or seven senior sergeants and inspectors and they just fired questions at you.
"Funnily enough, they said, 'Look, Jason, I think you're probably very young for your age and you should probably go out and get some life experience'.
"And I thought, 'what do they know?'"
Reflecting on their words all these years later, Sgt Flinn now agrees with their assessment.
“Most young men are overconfident and under-experienced in life.
"You think you can do everything, and you can't, so it was probably a good call on their part.”
Exploring new opportunities
After spending a few years working for Australia Post and saving as much money as he could, Sgt Flinn was ready for new challenges.
“I had saved enough to get a commercial helicopter licence," he said.
"That took me all over Australia and I was able to have some amazing experiences.”
After a few years Sgt Flinn settled in Queensland, flying marine pilots to and from the off-shore coal-ships.
“You'd land on the ship and then you'd come back to base and you'd do that basically night and day,” he said.
After several years of living in Queensland his home state was calling, and when he landed a job with Air Ambulance Victoria he and his family moved back to Melbourne.
But still in the back of his mind was the idea of joining Victoria Police.
“We had settled back in Melbourne and I thought, you know what, I might give it another shot.”
| In the pilot's seat: Sgt Flinn trained and worked as a pilot before becoming a police officer. |
A second career
After graduating from the Victoria Police Academy in 2012 Sgt Flinn worked at Heidelberg and Fawkner police stations, before transferring to Fawkner Highway Patrol where he found his passion.
“It was there that I learnt my craft," he said.
"We were still working one-up at that stage and it was an interesting environment to work in with an interesting demographic that was something I'd never been exposed to.
"Having joined later in life I'd learned a lot more about communication.
"At the Academy they say the most powerful tool you have is your voice.
"I never understood what they meant until I worked in highway patrol.
“You intercept all sorts of characters on the road. You need to know how to de-escalate situations and how to deal with people.”
Ripple effect of road trauma
Having now worked in highway patrol for more than 10 years, Sgt Flinn has seen the tragic outcome of road trauma up close more often than he would like.
“You’re there when people are going through a significant life-changing event," he said.
"And I think it's important to know, especially as a police officer, that you can leave a positive impact on a person in really tragic circumstances.
“I went to a double fatality in Attwood one night, and we arrested the offending driver who killed two elderly people.
"It was an horrific collision.
"I probably spent a good eight or nine hours with the daughter who was in the car behind and actually saw it happen.
“She was in a state of shock, she was just so distressed and so traumatised by what occurred.
"We sat with her, kept the media away to just keep her protected.
"Once we got her home, we made sure she had support.
"We notified the coroner to say the family needed to bury the body within 24 hours in line with their faith.
"We visited after the accident to make sure she was still OK.
"And she thanked us for it later on. A simple thank you for what was probably the worst day of her life."
Caution urged around e-bikes
Sgt Flinn said one of the most concerning trends he has seen is the booming popularity of e-bikes.
“We're seeing more and more serious injuries and fatal collisions as a result of these bikes," he said.
"Parents are buying them, not really knowing what some of them are capable of.
"Some can reach tremendously high speeds and they're giving them to their kids.
"These devices are manufactured for private use on private land, not on public roads, but kids and adults are now seeing them as a means of transport.”
Late last year a 14-year-old lost his life riding an electric motorbike, which Sgt Flinn said had a huge effect on the Diamond Creek community, where it happened.
“Since then, we’ve been working with the local council looking at not only enforcement but also an education program,” he said.
Sgt Flinn’s advice to parents is to check whether the bike complies with the regulations, doesn't exceed the maximum speed limit, and ensure the rider is wearing the appropriate safety gear.
“Kids are not meant to be riding them until they're 16 years of age,” he said.
Safety and support still top of mind
Sgt Flinn’s passion for road policing is shared with many of his colleagues in highway patrol.
“I've done escorts for the governor and gone to events and they're all fun and exciting but in the scheme of things, it's not important," he said.
"What I think is important is the little things you can do to support somebody who has gone through a life-changing event and providing families of those involved in fatal collisions with the answers they need.
“Road policing is more than just issuing penalty notices.
"We're there for education, we're there for safety.
"Drink driving, people on phones, distractions, seatbelts - they're the basics of our job that we do in order to try and keep people safe on the roads.”
As a supervisor, Sgt Flinn says one of his most important jobs is to look after his staff.
“We're obviously seen as an enforcement agency, but we also need to look after our people, who are often the first on the scene.”
Sgt Flinn said while there's always going to be room for improvement, he thinks the organisation is making some good inroads in providing support for members after they’ve attended traumatic events.
“People need to realise that road trauma affects everybody, and it affects the police who respond.”
And the final message?
“When you’re on the road, take a step back, take your time and get yourself and your family safely from A to B.
"And, wherever you're travelling, our guys and girls are out there doing their best to keep you safe.”
Find out more about Victoria Police's commitment to keeping people safe on our roads by visiting Road safety.
Editorial Nadine Lyford
Photography Lane Mihaljevic and supplied
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