General News
12 December, 2025
Shayne Riggall signs off
Beulah Police Station will mark the end of an era on Friday, December 12, as leading senior constable Shayne Riggall officially finishes his final day of duty after 37 years in policing.
Snr Const Riggall, who has served the Beulah community since 1999, will begin 12 months of long service leave before formally retiring.
Reflecting on his career, he said the decision to step away came with mixed emotions.
“It’s the end of an era,” he said.
“All things must come to an end, whether they’re good or bad, and it’s time to move on.”
Originally from East Gippsland, Snr Const Riggall joined Victoria Police in 1988 after graduating from the police academy in Glen Waverley.
“My first day on the job was in the city,” he said.
“I graduated in 1988 and went straight into city traffic policing.”
While he never planned on spending a lifetime in the force, his passion for service kept him in the job.
“I didn’t always intend to stay in policing,” he said.
“But I’ve enjoyed it and that’s what made me stay.”
One of the most significant chapters in his career was his involvement in the investigation during the early 1990s.
“I was privileged to have some involvement in the Mr Cruel investigation and attended three out of the four suspected abductions,” he said.
“It was a very interesting case and was a very sad case.”
Throughout his career, Snr Const Riggall said policing had given him exposure to both the best and worst of humanity.
“You get to see people at their absolute best and their absolute worst,” he said.
Among his proudest moments was assisting a sexual assault victim during his time in Swan Hill.
“I had a lot of involvement with a 15-year-old rape victim,” he said.
“Working with her and her mother, we were able to turn that kid’s life around, and now she’s quite successful.
“That was the proudest moment of my career.”
As policing evolved over the decades, Snr Const Riggall said technology dramatically transformed the job.
“Everything was paper-based when I started,” he said.
“Technology has changed everything.
Our ability to catch offenders has increased incredibly, but it’s also increased the workload.
Looking ahead, he plans to travel, renovate homes, and spend more time with family.
“The plan is to travel Australia in a caravan,” he said.
“We’ll renovate a couple of houses and spend more time with the kids.”
He also paid tribute to the Beulah community, which he described as instrumental in his family’s life.
“I’d like to thank the community for being so warm, generous and welcoming to me and my family,” he said.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to have raised a young family.”
Though the family plans to relocate closer to Ballarat, he said Beulah would always remain close to his heart.