IT IS a long way from the world of underground mining to donning a uniform to serve the community, but it is a change one of Katherine’s newest police officers is embracing with vigour.
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Probationary Constable Jeremy Cross began his policing career in Katherine with eight Squad 128 classmates on May 23 and explained to the Katherine Times that a family link to the town had provided additional enthusiasm for his professional switch.
“I spent 14 years in the mining industry, the last three or four of which were with BHP Billiton in a supervisor's role at Olympic Dam,” the 38-year-old said.
“My wife’s family is from here, so we have a family connection to here and Darwin.
“The Territory is a place we hold close to our hearts.”
The Katherine region will gain 10 new officers over the next fortnight and Probationary Constable Cross said he believed his life experience and previous career would assist him on the beat.
“With the rotations and roster changes it will be pretty similar, but it’s a totally different environment.
“I can’t wait to get out to communities and meet the traditional owners, and understand the challenges remoteness brings.
“I’d like to be able to use my life experience to help people to help themselves.”
Superintendent Lauren Hill welcomed the probationary constables on their induction day and said they would be deployed across the sprawling Northern Command – for which Katherine is the hub – after they learnt the ropes.
“The new police officers will be able to go to remote stations within Northern Command once they embed some practical policing and become more familiar with policing requirements across a range of incidents,” she explained.
“Working from Katherine provides our police officers with the chance to enhance their policing knowledge and skills by having opportunities to relieve at the various remote stations.
“They will get to see some spectacular parts of the Northern Territory.”
However, Supt Hill added that the probationary constables did not represent an overall boost to the Katherine region’s thin blue line.
“This group of officers are not actually extra police resources for Katherine,” she said.
“We have officers who transfer in and out for various reasons, and the Katherine station provides relief to a large number of remote stations.”
The new additions to Katherine’s policing ranks are probationary constables Jeremy Cross, Parveen Kumar, Panielis Pizanias, David Hughes, Ben Evans, Luke O’Connor, Rebecca Crossingham, John Ebery, Daniel Leivers and Aaron Muller.
