FOUR of the state’s newest police officers began their new careers at Dubbo on Monday.
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The probationary constables, who graduated from the police academy at Goulburn last week, will spend the next few months learning from senior officers as they are exposed to a variety of scenarios within the Orana Local Area Command.
Among them was Greg Hull from Dubbo, who at age 47 held the honour of being the oldest recruit in Friday’s graduating class.
Probationary Constable Hull, who had previously worked in the real estate, banking and automotive industries, said now his family had grown up he was excited to be embarking on a career he said he “should’ve done years ago”. He said he hoped to become a highway patrol officer.
A desire to contribute to the community and help others had also been strong motivators that attracted 32-year-old Vanessa Menzies from Sydney, 30-year-old Kaiti Moon from the Hunter Valley and 29-year-old Melinda Brown from Penrith to join the NSW Police Force.
Probationary Constable Brown, who was interested in specialising in forensics down the track, said a desire to make her children proud was another reason she had decided to become a cop.
Being a detective or working in the homicide squad was a role Probationary Constable Moon said she aspired to, while Probationary Constable Menzies said she was looking forward to experiencing a range of things during general duties training.
Orana Duty Officer Andrew McKittrick said the recruits’ first day would be spent showing them around the station and introducing them to their senior “buddies” who would show them the ropes.
He said Dubbo Police Station was an excellent place to start one’s policing career.
“There’s not much they won’t be exposed to here, you get a bit of everything” he said.
“These recruits are a welcome asset to the Orana LAC and we welcome them as they start their exciting journey in policing.”
In addition to the new recruits, yesterday also saw Dubbo Police Station welcome Inspector Dan Skelly, a 20-year veteran of the NSW Police Force, who has moved from the Tuggerah Lakes LAC to take up a duty officer role in the Orana LAC.
