Meet Charleville Police Station’s newest recruit Marco Reynke

Meet Charleville’s newest officer, who has traded the tools for a career in policing in the Queensland Outback. Here’s why the 24-year-old flipped his life upside down.

Meet Charleville’s newest police constable Marco Reynke who has just passed the one month milestone in his new career.

The 24-year-old former Royal Australian Navy technician made the bold move to switch careers after serving in the defence force for seven years, most recently in Canberra.

Constable Reynke said this new chapter in his life was a natural transition now that he’s looking to get married and find some stability.

“I’m from Yeppoon originally, but I have done a lot of travel,” he said.

“I was in the navy for seven years and was posted in Canberra. I’m getting married soon and really wanted to move back to Queensland and settle down.”

Both he and his partner relocated to Charleville four weeks ago and love the interconnectedness of small town living.

“It’s very community-centric,” he said.

“Community policing is very different to how it’s done in the city.

“It’s more challenging because of how you need to approach different things, you have time to build a rapport with locals and understand what’s going on in people’s lives.

“We have more time to dedicate to helping them, rather than in the city where you go from dot to dot.”

Constable Reynke said he valued contributing back to the community, which was the underlying reason for working in the navy and now the Queensland Police Service.

Meet Constable Marco Reynke the newest recruit at Charleville Police Station. Picture: Queensland Police Media.

“The police do more than just running after bad guys, we want to show the community we’re there to support them in all aspects,” he said.

“We run a program with the local school in the mornings where we go and run drills and engage with them, and I’ve gone to a few community events where I’ve been introduced to the town.

“One of the biggest challenges is trying to remember everyone’s names and faces and in such a tight knit community. People tend to be a bit hesitant around you because you’re the new police officer in town and they don’t know what to expect.”

Constable Reynke said living in the outback has taught him to be patient considering the nearest major town was Roma which was about three hours away.

“It’s a little bit healthier, there’s no fast food. There’s such a huge distance between the localities so if you need something that’s not in town, you have to hope Roma has it,” he said.

“There’s only three or so coffee shops in town, so they get to know you and your order pretty quick.”

Constable Reynke said when he was assisting in the 2020 bushfires he had a realisation he wanted a job primarily helping the community on the ground.

“Policing sounded fulfilling. It’s one of those things, if you can help just one person that’s something that appeals to me rather than just fixing machines,” he said.

“I wanted a more people role. We do a lot of listening and talking, and I really enjoy listening to people’s problems and trying to fix them.

“My family were quite supportive, naturally the transition was a lot easier than it would be for some. I’m very fortunate that they’ve always been very supportive no matter what my goals are.”

Constable Reynke is looking forward to completing his training in Charleville and has goals to work in QPS’ forensics, following in the footsteps of his father and brother who are chemical engineers.