Five new officers have begun on the beat at Hawkesbury Police Area Command (PAC), the largest contingent of rookie police to start in the region in years.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Probationary Constables Kylie Giammarco, Georgia Hunt, Zahlie Furrer, Michael West and Joel Casey were inducted at Windsor police station on Monday, February 25, to complete 12 months on-the-job training and the Associate Degree in Policing Practice via distance education before being confirmed to the rank of constable.
The five were part of a 49-strong contingent of new officers for the North West Metropolitan Region - of which Hawkesbury is a part - following an attestation ceremony at Goulburn Police Academy on February 22.
Probationary Constable Furrer originally hails from the Hawkesbury and Probationary Constable West's family have ties to the area, with the other three rookies coming from as far as Port Macquarie to start their careers in the area.
"I made my choice for Hawkesbury PAC, because of its location and the variety of work it provides," Probationary Constable Casey said. "Inside the Police Area Command has both metro and country aspects, as such I made this choice to enable me to learn this aspects of policing."
Probationary Constable Giammarco agreed.
"I wanted to stay close to home and be a proactive member of a close community," she said. "Hawkesbury also has a diverse community and great scenery to work within."
The new officers come from a variety of different backgrounds, bringing a wealth of life experience to their new roles.
While Probationary Constables Hunt and Furrer have always wanted to work with the NSW Police, others started careers in other industries before making the move to law enforcement.
Probationary Constable Giammarco worked in the real estate industry and had a family prior to joining up, while Probationary Constable West was a school teacher.
"I have been a high school teacher at various schools in western Sydney for the past six years. My subject area was PDHPE and Learning and Support," he said. "I have always had an interest in policing and decided to become an officer, as it is an exciting career."
Probationary Constable Casey said his only regret was not joining the police sooner after starting out as a light vehicle mechanic.
"At a young age I always wanted to a police officer but thought I never made the marks at school," he explained. "Being a mechanic wasn't the right career path as I wanted something more challenging and exciting.
"In 2017 I decided to join, I enrolled to the IPROWD program which is a pathway for Indigenous people to enter the NSW Police. Now as a probationary constable my only regret is that I wish i joined sooner."
The five were welcomed to the fold by Hawkesbury PAC Commander Superintendent Jim Stewart.
"This is the largest number of probationary constables we have been allocated in some years that will create operational opportunities to deploy police. ," he told the Gazette.
"They are still in learning phase so it is important that we provide the best support and Field Training Officers. They are operational and will be working general duties attending all incidents and calls for assistance [including] domestic violence, car accidents, RBT, lost bushwalkers, [and] marine incidents.
"This ensures what they are taught at the Police Academy is reinforced and assessed by their trainers. One of the most important aspects of their training is officer safety, which is critical to their training.
"I met with the five probationary constables at the Police Academy prior to the attestation parade and I must say I was impressed by each of them. They bring diversity, enthusiasm and the genuine need to help the community, which is the main purpose of police.
"They have embarked on the one of the most difficult and rewarding careers. I welcome them to Hawkesbury Police Area Command and looking forward to seeing them progress through their training to becoming a constable."
