Blue Heelers

Ben's responds to graffiti attacks on Mt Thomas signs and icons by suggesting a policy of zero tolerance to all minor offences. Ben and Jo certainly do not see eye-to-eye on zero tolerance and its effectiveness, and when they become involved with a group of young street kids squatting in a house, their differing approaches are put to the test.

Jack and Jo combine their detective skills with some old fashioned fishing expertise to investigate an allegation of cheating during the annual Mt. Thomas fishing competition. Compo Hayes, known well to the police as a highly seasoned scam merchant, just happens to win the competition which is worth a cool $10,000 gold ingot, and an incensed fellow angler makes an official protest.

A much loved elderly woman dies while under the care of Doc Bourke who sets broken legs in paddocks and accepts cuts of meat in lieu of payment. At the reading of the will, it is discovered that the elderly women left her considerable estate to Doc Bourke. The disinherited relatives call foul and accuse him of murder. Tom was delivered by Doc Bourke and has regarded him as a hero all his life.

Jo gets herself into trouble with Tom when she accuses his accountant of being a drunk driver. Her problems escalate when a young driver she has previously cautioned is involved in a serious accident. If Jo hadn't been so easy on the girl for the first offence, would the accident still have happened? Ben, meanwhile, has his hands full with cramming for the Sergeant's exam in St. David's.

The new sergeant, Tess Gallagher, starts work in Mt. Thomas. Ben, in particular, doesn't find it easy dealing with her presence as she took the job that he feels should be his. When a newborn goes missing, Ben and Tess are thrown together to investigate and the race to find the child only serves to highlight their difficulties.

The Heelers are settling down into their new way of life with Sergeant Tess Gallagher in charge. Accepting the new system is not so easy. Tess has brought with her a new style of policing which doesn't sit comfortably with the old-fashioned country way of doing things. A suspected greyhound ring puts pressure on the new and old ways.

The local timber workers are besieged by a group of environmental protestors. Spiking logs is a potentially lethal deed, and Jack, the son of a timberman, needs no evidence to convince him that the protestors are to blame. When Tess discovers that an old university foe is one of the protestors, she is as certain as Jack of their culpability in the spiking.

Mt. Thomas's resident witch, Siobhan Kennedy, is back in town. Her arrival coincides with rumours that someone is taking money for lifting curses on people in Mt. Thomas. Ben is horrified to discover that a pregnant woman is paying someone so that she will bear a healthy child. At first, he is convinced that Siobhan is dealing in the evil eye but soon realises that she is worried as he is.

A young Chilean backpacker goes missing, and PJ is called in to investigate. Another young female backpacker went missing a few weeks ago from Mildura, and there is fear that they may both have met the same unpleasant fate. But PJ has more than just a missing girl to deal with. Archie Garrett has been engaged by her parents to find the girl and is all too keen to join forces with PJ.

Accompanying each of her workmates as they go about their work in an effort to get to know them better, Tess quickly finds her attention drawn to a girl who keeps stealing to feed her brothers. Police intervention escalates the volatile situation, and Tess is forced to reveal her difficult past to save the lives of the kids.

A night of innocent fun at the Mt Thomas Blue Light Disco goes horribly wrong when two of the participants are found dead soon after in a horrific car smash. Jo is immediately under pressure from her superiors to find the truth about the driver. Everyone seems to be protecting everyone else, but Jo must fight to save her own neck as she chooses to pursue the case over her own best interests.

Relations between Tess and Jo are becoming more and more strained. Tom suggests Tess give Jo a case of her own to prove herself. When a theft at a local factory is reported, it seems the perfect opportunity for Jo to save her skin and her career. But a straight forward theft turns into a professional nightmare and Jo soon finds herself facing possible criminal charges.

Jo is hauled out of bed to join Ben in attending to a burglary in the middle of the night. The victims are a badly shaken elderly couple, the man horrifically pistol-whipped. One of the suspects gets away by car. Jo goes after the other, chasing him through backyards and over fences until he falls whilst jumping a fence, hits his head, and is caught.

Ben is being worn down by nightmares after attending the scene of a Gothic teenage boy's death. It appears the teenager killed himself by jumping into the path of a logging truck. No one has an answer for why this boy would take such desperate action, as he showed none of the classic signs of suicide. But in Ben's dream, it's his own teenage daughter waiting for the logging truck to hit her.

Tess is working hard at managing the workload in Mt Thomas but it isn't easy when the station is understaffed and underequipped. Tess doesn't take kindly to PJ being critical of her when she uses his car in an emergency. The situation doesn't improve when PJ and Tess are forced to work together investigating a mysterious bank robbery.

Jo becomes involved in the plight of a struggling cosmetics rep whose car has been stolen. The culprit turns out to be an angry teenager from a broken family. Not only has the car been written off, but $2,000 worth of cosmetics in the boot has been destroyed and a family's livelihood is gone. The resulting financial crisis is too much for the victim's husband.

Tess hears about the Running of the Rams, an event involving naked men and four rams running down the main street of Mt Thomas. It is being organised by two well-known con artists; Compo and Richo, supposedly to raise much-needed funds for the CFA. Tess handles the situation the only way she knows how - by the book. She warns that anyone running naked will be arrested for indecent exposure.

Ben is concerned when a boy he coaches throws a tantrum during a basketball game, kicking his mother in the shins. The next day the same boy, Jay Holbrook, is reported for an assault at school and Ben starts to worry about where he is learning this aggressive behaviour. Ben is fond of Jay's mother, Jeannette, and suspects they may be victims of domestic violence.

While out patrolling the streets on bikes, Jo and Jack are surprised to see a letterbox explode in front of them. A neighbour quickly confesses to the offence and accuses his target, the local postie, of stealing his mail. Jack seems to be settling in happily with Letty and her infant son - until an old flame of hers turns up and Jack doesn't know where he stands.

Tom and PJ head off for a fishing weekend - leaving Tess in charge for the first time. All seems to be going smoothly until some prisoners prove they are a violent, unruly group which takes Tess to the edge. The bashing of one of the inmates uncovers a web of deceit and provides a vital clue to the identity of a murderer.

After a stakeout fails to intercept a drug shipment into Mt. Thomas, Jack's involvement is questioned. Anxious to put an end to the corruption allegations against him, Jack comes up with his own theory. But things take a dangerous turn when the body of a girl is found and the Heelers start a full-scale search for her murderer.

As they await word on the condition of their injured colleague, the Heelers work to identify the person responsible for the shooting. Determined to clear Jack's name, Jo puts her career on the line as she goes up against an uncooperative detective who is sure Jack is to blame for the drug shipment.

In the aftermath of the shooting, life at Mt Thomas is changed forever. While his prognosis for recovery is good, Jack's biggest challenge is his attitude. When his mother becomes the victim of a robbery, Jack may lose the one source of support he can tolerate. In taking an active role in solving the case, Jack soon learns there is far more (and less) to it than he thought.

After the shooting of one of the team, the Heelers pull together to get through the tough times ahead. Meanwhile, life in Mt. Thomas must go on and Clancy Freeman, a mentally disabled man, wants to be the town's new school crossing supervisor. The local council and parents aren't so keen, but at Tom's urging, they decide to give him a go.