
Armed robbers and detonating bombs: Inside the elite police squad
From Naked City by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
February 17, 2026 · 28 min · Season 7 · Episode 6
About this episode
John Taylor discusses his experiences as a bomb disposal expert in the Special Operations Group and shares insights into the elite police squad's operations.
John Taylor is one of the longest-serving and smallest (in stature) Special Operations Group members, and its longest-serving bomb disposal expert. Taylor was part of a crack team of officers who had to respond when "troubled genius" and self-taught bomb expert Glenn Saunders sparked a police stand-off, and then, a massive explosion in country Victoria. In this episode of Naked City with John Silvester, Taylor talks about the life and perilous times of the elite police squad. And what he does for fun outside of work, including climbing six of the seven major summits. You can read the story here: https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/never-try-to-shoot-a-man-through-a-fridge-sog-veteran-s-perilous-life-and-times-20250625-p5ma7k.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: John Silvester
Guest: John Taylor
Topics covered
- police operations
- bomb disposal
- true crime
- law enforcement
- personal stories
Keywords
- bomb disposal
- police squad
- John Taylor
- Glenn Saunders
- explosion
- law enforcement
- true crime
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Special Operations Group
Places: country Victoria
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