Inspector Pat Swindells retires after long career in Bundaberg and Queensland

He helped steer Bundaberg through some of its worst disasters and made no apologies for cracking down on crime. Now, Inspector Pat Swindells is hanging up his hat after four decades on the force but his service to the community isn’t over yet.

Bundaberg bid farewell to one of its best two years ago as Inspector Pat Swindells made the move further south.

Now, he’s bidding farewell to the service altogether after a stellar 41-year career.

Insp Swindells left Bundaberg to live closer to his wife’s parents and at the time said he would miss the Bundy life after working in the region from 1988 till 1993 and again from 2016 until he left.

During his tenure, the inspector achieved a lot for Bundaberg, including a noticeable reduction in crime.

In 2020, Insp Swindells told the Bundaberg NewsMail that in four years he’d witnessed a decline in serious assaults in Bundaberg, as well as a decrease in drugs.

He said he made no apologies for enforcing the law where it would benefit the community.

“In the four years … we witnessed a decline in serious assaults, as well as an increase in drug detection,” Insp Swindells said.

Inspector Pat Swindells was passionate about smashing the crime rate in the Bundaberg region over a number of years.

“The implementation of safety campaigns for working tourists has also helped to ensure our backpackers are well looked after.”

Inspector Swindells had been the disaster co-ordinator during major emergencies and incidents, including devastating bushfires, the FV Dianne sunken trawler which claimed six lives and safety campaigns to tackle road death tolls.

Insp Swindells was sworn into the Queensland Police Service on February 27, 1981, at just 18.

He followed on from his dad who was a Detective senior constable in the Bundaberg Criminal Investigation Branch from 1965 to 1972.

Insp Swindells achieved his Detective appointment in 1987.

A promotion to sergeant in 1993 resulted in his transfer to Longreach, before he returned to the Bundaberg region as Bundaberg patrol group inspector after serving many years in the Logan district and transferring to Gympie in 2020.

Insp Swindells officially retired on February 26, 2022 after 41 years.

He said he was looking forward to spending his free time with his family and still hoped to keep active by finding work in disaster management.

Originally published as Inspector Pat Swindells retires after long career in Bundaberg and Queensland