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September 3, 2024 15 mins

Ian 'Dilksy' Dilkes, former SAS interrogator joins us to chat about his time in the military. We learned a lot of surprising facts behind the different roles in the Army along with how interrogators master their skill. Have a listen for all the juicy details...

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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Former sas interrogator. Ah this blog Ian man, what a
what a tough gig he's had. Jackie his forty seven,
was in the British military for twenty four years, served
as a member of the Parachute Squadron posted during his
time serving in Cyprus, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, where he joined

(00:23):
up with the US and Canadian German Special Forces. On
doing these secret missions behind enemy lines, he interrogates the
worst of the worst and teaches other military specialists how
to interrogate the worst of the worst of walk amongst them.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'd love to know how to interrogate and I don't
know wert.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Dilk see Is that how you say your name?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah? That's it?

Speaker 1 (00:49):
How are you, hey, jack on the show? You're welcome, Jackie.
Try and control yourself. I know you're a fan of
British I know you love a military man. Oh hit
some fellow okay Ian? So how do you start? How
do you get into that line of work where you're
teaching people how to put up with Like if I

(01:11):
was caught captive by terrorists and put in a cave somewhere,
you would teach me how to get through that, because
that feels like hell on Earth, the worst possible scenario
any human can be. And where do you start teaching
someone how to put up with that?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Yeah, it's tough because you've got to be selected to
be excuse me, you've got to be selected to go
through that training because we can't train everybody, so it's
only people that are going to go behind, only Belgnes,
you know, like special Forces pilots and stuff like that.
And then you go on a course, you get taught
how to behave certain ways and.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
People do you beat them? Do you when you put
them in the scenario, you tie up and beat them?

Speaker 2 (01:59):
I mean you have to make it uncomfortable. You can't
make it nice.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah, you can't just go in and go, oh, we're
going to give you a cup of tea and we're
going to do this to you.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
But you know we're not pretty soon. When I watch
it in the movies, right, I do like, it doesn't
matter who how bad the person is, there is a
point where you think, lash sheit, I feel bad for
that person. Do you have to get into a completely
different headspace so that you never have that thought like
a disconnect, like a disconnect, so you're not thinking I
can't put this person through that much, you know, torture

(02:31):
or whatever you want to call it.

Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, it's yes or no because you have to put
them through that situation because you want it to be
as tough as possible for that person and you want
it to be as real as possible. But also if
you see them sort of going the other way, they're
going to have a breakdown or they're going to you know,
go totally off the rails. You've got to have that
empathy as well. That's why we get interrogated ourselves. We

(02:55):
have to go throughout twenty hours of interrogation and loads
of training so we can do that to all the people.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Do you if you have a girlfriend and she's like
complaining of period pain, do you think tough enough hard
to be with you because you've been through so much
and had to withstanding know what, Yeah, I think it would.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Be really difficult.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Yeah, it would be.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
I'd have to be quite careful because it depends how
much I like that girlfriend, So it depends on the
answer the giver. But yeah, that's a sort of unless
a lot you're in a dog cage and do this here,
I think you'll be all right.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, I get it, because what's worse your own misses
on the period or a terrorist holding you? What is worse?
You've got to ask yourself.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
I'd rather be held hostage or.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
Your trained I'd probably give up now, Jackie, before Ian,
you might be able to help us here with your
interrogation skill.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
No, please, don't go here, No no, no, don't.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Let me just see if he's interested in whether it's
something he could achieve. Jackie I claimed just before minutes
ago on the show that no one's ever told me, Oh,
you're the best lover I've ever had. You're the best
sex I've ever No one's ever said it. I'm happy
to say it. I asked my co host here, Jackie,
who's only slept with about thirty blokes, not all at

(04:20):
once either, over the years, and she refused to answer
whether anyone's ever made that claim to her. Would you
be able to interrogate the answer out of her over
the phone?

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Good luck.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Boyfriend as well.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
He's softening her up here.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
I'll see what he's doing making my guard go down.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, you've had no compliments or it's not that good,
So what's going on?

Speaker 2 (04:55):
I see what you're doing your neck and me yeah, yeah,
I got you aren't here. You needed to up your
game a bit.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
How good are you? Lot's changed since Iraq? My friend?

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Yeah, so feature on the phone either in the I
didn't call them up ago what you're going to tell
me that.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
This is the first stage of interrogation, the phone call.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
I know, the phone call? You do you want double
blazing interrogation?

Speaker 2 (05:28):
So you were supposed to be on Essays Australia, right,
what happened there?

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Oh? COVID COVID ruined everything? Nice u K and then
phone me up and went right, we've got Australia. Do
you want Australia? What do you think? Mate? And a
drop a vip' as well. I was in New York
at the time when I was going to fly out,
so I'd arranged business class flights from New York to
Australia up and and COVID happened, ruined everything?

Speaker 1 (05:56):
What about now?

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Like?

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Are they still doing essays now?

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Or I think are? I know?

Speaker 2 (06:02):
I don't think they are.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
The interrogation a trick. No, they still do sas Australia
because it's going I think they've got another four or
five seasons because it's going really well, but yeah, they
don't do the interrogation, which I think is a really
important thing because it's everything s as normal is physical,

(06:24):
it's all physical task physical physical, but interrogation just it's physical,
but it's also it's hugely mental.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
What is the plan here? Do you break them down slowly?
Is there is there like a is there a formula
for it to work?

Speaker 3 (06:41):
It's no in formative on anyone because we try and
do it. We'll stick to a format, but each each
individual reacts totally differently how you think they may do.
Because if especially if you get celebrities and you'll see
a celebrity, you'll do the research on them. You look
at them and think, yeah, then this, but celebrities are
quite tough because they got everything. Don't go through all
the or they have to go through. And it's certain

(07:04):
things that you'll say to him and you'll see a
little thing, you'll see a.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
Little micro reaction and then on that.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Yeah, but if it's too obvious, if it's add like
troubles in the past, it's easy because they've got the
guard up for that. But you'll try and go in
the back door and if you find a bit of
a weakness where they're not expecting it. Not that way,
not that.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
That that sort of abuse. SI thought that'd be outlawed
by the Geneva convince.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
If he's frowned upon to be honest with you, and
if you, by.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
The way, if you've got out newsreader, he wouldn't have
any problem with that. Yeah, interrogate me in that blindfolded
and guilty. It's a fascinating job. Is there any part
of the essays stuff that's not fun? That that is

(07:55):
like that was the worst part of the training.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
Yeah, when I was going through training was okay because
you realize you've got to do it to go through side.
It's when we debrief people that have been took hostage
and been in captivity. So as soon as they come
out of captivity, we'll debrief then, you know, to get
information out there where they've been holding and stuff like that,
and when you speak to them, some of the stuff
they go through is just harrowing.

Speaker 1 (08:21):
Well, we've got we've got We've got a next soldier
that works for us running security and audio here at
the radio station. He's riddled with the PTSD and like
at any stage he could probably just bring him machine,
get in and kill everyone here, but we are very
open and diverse. Were diverse, and we're open every little
disorder that everyone's gone, because that's the way society.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
I'm surprised he's got two jobs because a paratroopers can
only us to do one thing.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
I'll introduce you to him. Hold meet sa s interrogator Dilsey,
you'll see what's going on.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
Brow Are you mate? You all right?

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Doing well? Man?

Speaker 4 (08:58):
Doing well?

Speaker 1 (08:58):
That's not true. You don't have the night terrors and everything.

Speaker 4 (09:01):
Well, look these days I'm doing pretty well. Some of
the stuff in the past, like has been a bit
of an issue, but it's mostly been a dressed now.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
And you know onwood and upward. Do you still think
of everyone on the kill list? Or you put that
behind you? I put it behind me, mate, See that's
the way kill and move on.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
That's we've always got bullshit. We've always got a kill list.
We just don't show it to people.

Speaker 4 (09:25):
Mate, you're breaking breaking our own rules here, dilxi.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
On.

Speaker 1 (09:30):
Have you guys got your own code? Like we just denied, denied, deny.
Circle of trust? I love the circle of trust. Do
you hold hands in the circle of trust and all
tell each other things? No holding hands.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
You might keep a throwdown.

Speaker 1 (09:45):
He knows what I'm talking about. What's that is?

Speaker 3 (09:48):
Drink about? We have a good wrestle.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
Here we go, gay adjacent again, always much love.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
Us paratroopers are a bit like that, he gets.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
Then you jumped out of planes the whole jump with
that gigantic body. Yeah, bro, So do all parachutes work
the same? Or like, if I'm a thirty kilo weekling,
do I use the same size parachute as whole care
who six foot nine and built like a skyscraper?

Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah you do. Yeah, you all have the same postute.
I'm one hundred and twenty kilos, and yeah, you've still
got the same postchute totally.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
One hundred and twenty kilos. You must be so.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Tall, yeah, I'm I'm about six foot four, so yeah, literally.

Speaker 4 (10:36):
The same as me Dulsey sixty four hundred and twenty kegs.
The good thing about being in this size when you're
a para is that there's kind of a loan limit
for jumping. So if you're a big rig like us,
you get to piss off all your AMMO and bombs
to the smaller box and we just pretty much.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
Without so the week. So the weakling of the paratroope
to a donkey. Everyone carries everyone in the sky exactly,
not exactly the weakning, but just the skull. Yeah, yeah,
that's crazy. So if we were, if we were all
Sairs troopers, Locky the geek would be carrying. Look, do

(11:16):
you want to say a to the s A S
guy the complete opposite guy to you?

Speaker 5 (11:19):
Yeah, Hi, Dolxy, how are you?

Speaker 1 (11:25):
How do you guilty? Sorry? You know when you when
you use an old laptop and it buffers, that's him
in real life. So I don't think it's a delay
in the satellite, it's a delay in his brain. Actually
have a question.

Speaker 5 (11:47):
Jumping out of planes to me, particularly if you're in
an unfamiliar area, terrifying, more of a statement and you
get like the self confidence and get over that feet.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
They also do that, I reckon.

Speaker 2 (12:01):
That's the least of his worries.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
Jumping out of the planet.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
Reckon, It's just stupidity. You just do it because everyone
else is doing it. So all your brothers are going,
so you just follow them. Is great?

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Do you ever think while you're going down into enemy
territory on a parachute someone might just shoot me? In
the sky.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, that's not cricket.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Though.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
It's not fair, is it to do that?

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Oh, there's a fair like, there's fairness on that.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
I don't think it's fair. But if I was some
guy waiting for the paratroopers, I just pig you out
on the in the sky. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (12:38):
In terms of being a paratrooper and ways you can die,
like being picked off in the years, not so bad.
There's worse ways to go, I recognize, is that right?

Speaker 1 (12:47):
You agree? Deal?

Speaker 3 (12:48):
See, if you're if you're under canopy and you get shot,
you're a bit of a legend to be honest, is
that right?

Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, but you're not even alive to know that you're
a legend. Yeah, but still you just in there?

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Are you looking cool?

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Yep? I love it. Military. My grandfather, my grandfather was
a lieutenant colonel, lost an arm in the in the war.
Have you guys ever lost any body parts? He looked
pretty fit.

Speaker 3 (13:16):
No. I've been stabbed twice though, stabbed in commedy. No,
just on the piss on the.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
Why would anyone stab a six foot sort?

Speaker 3 (13:28):
Yeah? Gone, I know it was on two different occasions
as well. Yeah, when I was about nineteen, I got
stabbed in the back. And then I was doing a
bit of moonlight and doing a bit of security work
on the door, and this is this is story. We
are liberated. We liberated Kosovo. Yeah, when the Serbs attacked it,

(13:49):
so I liberated the country. A lot of the Cossovans
come over to the UK get jobs and stuff working.
I won't let one of them in the night club.
They stabbed them with the screwdriver for gratitude. Tarma coma country.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, but maybe he was on the wrong side of
that liberation. Oh well, if he knew about world news,
would probably be able to understand that. But we've been
dumb all the way down here where we are. Life's good.
You're in the Pacific and silence and a lot of
a lot of fishing and swimming. Man, you're fascinating. Man,

(14:26):
Thank you, Tankulk sorry whatever your name is. Yeah, thank you, thanks,
quite fascinating. You're welcome.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
Oh he's gone.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
Yeah, well their essays they're here, then they're gone. The
fantoms and linger around like some disease. That's quite interesting. Yeah,
it is, isn't it. Fo Old Hulk in there with
all the bloody PTSD.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
Keeping it to himself that's not good.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
If he carries that kill list around in his wallet,
is it photos or just names? Is there a spreadsheet
we can look

Speaker 3 (14:59):
For Kyle and Jackie Oh,
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