Bankstown Police officers recognised for service
The hardworking police officers of Bankstown have been recognised for their selfless commitment in keeping the community safe. Meet the brave officers here.
The Express
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The men and women in blue who risk their lives daily in Sydney’s southwest often fly under the radar. However, on Thursday, a dozen officers have been commended for their bravery.
Twelve officers from the Bankstown Police Area Command were recognised at an awards ceremony at Revesby Workers Club for their heroic dedication to protecting the community.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said it was a pleasure to acknowledge the officers’ achievements.
“You have all displayed an incredible passion for policing and protecting the people of NSW and your years of service demonstrate that entirely,” she said. “Thank you for the work that you do, thank you for your courage.”
Bankstown PAC superintendent Adam Johnson said his officers were “ordinary people doing extraordinary work”.
“It’s important that we highlight and celebrate the daily good work that happens across the state and with my staff in Bankstown because they have a tough job and they do it very well,” he said.
Meet some of Bankstown’s everyday heroes below:
Constable Lucy Browne, 22
Constable Lucy Browne only joined the force two years go, but she’s already made a lasting impact in her community.
Ms Browne was the recipient of the Region Commander’s Commendation alongside Leading Senior Constable Roger Chau, for her role in locating a missing person.
“We received a call from a non-English speaking female who had her son on the phone who was translating and said his mum was upset because the dad had disappeared with the car,” she said. “I asked her if anything was off and she remembered he (her husband) was on his computer crying.”
Constable Browne searched through the man’s search history – all in Mandarin – and found coordinates to Bicentennial Park and a scheduled email for his son about where to find him in the morning.
“I had a gut instinct and I knew we had to go there immediately,” she said. “We found him sitting in the car unconscious and he had covered all the vents with a blanket and had a hose with exhaust feeding gas into the car.”
The man was removed from the vehicle and regained consciousness when police found two notes with his wife’s and son’s names and numbers on the centre console.
Constable Browne said her job was very rewarding and she looked for the positive in all situations.
“You have to take everything that happens in a positive way, you have to think ‘I just helped a person’ instead of thinking ‘wow I just saw that’,” she said.
Leading Senior Constable Timothy Carlile
After 11 years serving tBankstown, Leading Senior Constable Timothy Carlile was awarded the Region Commander’s Certificate of Merit.
The Leading Senior Constable was recognised for his role in a job where a woman had overdosed inside her home and he assisted in administering CPR for emergency services to transport her to hospital.
When it comes to tough experiences, Sen Const. Carlile said it was just a part of the job.
“You can’t win every battle but as long as you try your best the rest you can leave behind.”
He joined the police force after following in his father’s footsteps, Anthony Carlile who has worked for 35 years in Sydney’s inner west.
Senior Constable Kate Fuller, 41, and Sergeant Wayne Fuller, 52
After years in the force, Senior Constable Kate and Sergeant Wayne Fuller have plenty of stories to tell about the streets of Bankstown.
But the greatest spiel of their career is how the pair found love at the station.
“We worked in the same team for a year before dating and we got engaged three years later and now we’re married for 12 years,” Snr Const. Fuller said.
The pair have two children, a nine-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl, who supported their parents at the ceremony.
Snr Const. Fuller was awarded the National Police Service Medal, National Medal and NSW Police Medal 1st Clasp alongside other members for ethical and diligent service in protecting the community and completing fifteen years of service.
For Sergeant Fuller, he originally worked as a computer programmer for four years before becoming a police officer.
“I wanted something interesting and not a desk job working nine to five,” he said. “My brother was and is still a cop and since then I’ve never looked back.”
Sergeant Peter Johnson, 49
After 27 years working in various areas across NSW, Sergeant Peter Johnson has been awarded the National Emergency Medal for his work in the 2020 bushfires.
The National Emergency Medal recognises the contribution and commitment of those who have provided significant service in response to nationally significant emergencies.
Sergeant Johnson said he was deployed with fellow officers Senior Constable Stephen Jacka and Constable Jesse Volarich to Cooma for the bushfires.
The trio coordinated responses and updates with landowners, emergency services and the Cooma command centre.
“We worked for a few days with the RFS crew where we mapped out where the fire was going to be and touched base with landowners on where they could seek shelter,” he said.
Sergeant Johnson said people were “devastated” from losing their homes and cattle.
“When we spoke to them (land owners) they were in a stressed state because some of them had avoided death when the flames missed them,” he said.
Sergeant Johnson said he joined the force because he always enjoyed volunteering and community service, after serving a stint as a volunteer surf lifesaver.
Sergeant Lauren Watling, 39
For Sergeant Lauren Watling, she joined the force 16 years ago with a passion to make a difference in young people’s lives.
Serg Watling was awarded the National Police Service Medal, the National Medal and the NSW Police Medal 1st clasp for ethical and diligent service in protecting the community and completing fifteen years of service.
The mother-of-two said one of the biggest moments in her career was working in Camden and Bargo during the 2020 bushfires.
“We were evacuating hundreds of people and a lot of them were made homeless because Bargo went up in flames,” she said.
But one of the most rewarding parts of her job is reuniting missing kids and learning from the diverse community of Bankstown.
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