Where are you from originally?
I grew up on a farm in Te Anau and did all my schooling there. I’ve been up in Wellington basically for university and then recruited into the police force from Wellington. That was in 2006.
Did you always want to be a police officer?
Yes, I did. A detective in particular. That was always my goal in the police and I achieved that in Wellington. I did most of my policing in Wellington Central, where I trained and became a detective, then I was promoted to sergeant where I was a frontline uniformed sergeant in the Hutt Valley and Wellington. I did that for 18 months, then got this job here.
What attracted you to the idea of being a police officer?
I guess for me I always loved the idea of the investigation side and I guess the interesting nature of the job caught my attention, so that’s why I wanted to do it.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Definitely the variety. Already in my career I have dealt with so many aspects of policing, and coming here to Oamaru, it’s quite a unique job because being in a small town you can deal with everything, essentially. You’re not specialised like up in the big cities. It’s great for me because it helps my development and I’ve got lots to learn. It’s a massive learning curve and that’s good for me.
How did the Oamaru opportunity come up?
I think I got to the point in Wellington where I was quite keen to head back down south. This job came up, so I applied for it and got it. Being a detective sergeant was my dream job. Now I’m in my dream job I’m loving it and really enjoying it.
How have you settled in so far?
Good. We’ve been here since September. My husband moved down as well, so we’re both settled in a house and are really enjoying it. I’m loving being back in a small town. Everybody’s been very welcoming and really kind since we’ve been here. It feels like home, so it’s really good.
What are some of the major crime-related issues facing Oamaru?
There’s always the worry of volume crime with a small town. We like to keep a cap on that, but Oamaru is quite a transient town and being on State Highway 1, we tend to get a lot of people passing through. For us, it’s about knowing what’s going on, who’s coming to town, keeping on top of that and reducing volume crime. Another concern for the town as well is drugs.
What are the main differences between policing in a small town and the main centres?
You are a lot more community-orientated here and I’m really enjoying that. I guess in a big city you’re just another number, whereas here I’m enjoying working in a smaller station because you can use so many other different people’s skills. In a larger city you’re quite isolated to your one squad. There’s a great team here.
Do you have any higher career aspirations?
My goal at this stage is to know this job really well. For me I’m quite happy getting my head around it while I’m here.
