Mackay police force welcomes 12 new First Year Constables

One of the Mackay region’s newest faces on the police beat is living his dream after looking up to the men and women in blue as his “heroes” when he was a child.

Ex-cop and local MP Nigel Dalton was there to welcome the 12 new constables.

After studying psychology and touring schools as a youth ambassador for domestic and family violence, First Year Constable (FYC) Brianna Henwood thought joining the force was her best bet.

She joined 11 others from around the state who began their first day as police officers with eight of them being stationed in Mackay and the Northern Beachers.

The rest of the first year constables will be spread across Proserpine, Whitsunday and Moranbah.

Reigning from Logan, First Year Constable Henwood says her history and passion for working in domestic violence gave her the experience and understanding she needed for the job ahead.

“If my family was to call the police, I wanted to be the officer that would come to their door,” she said.

“Domestic and family violence is one of the primary jobs that we’re going to have, so I think having that background knowledge and passion for it will definitely help navigate it all.

“Obviously, I’m doing it for the right reasons, I think, and just hoping that I can have some positive influence on the community.”

Before First Year Constable Seth Bateman joined the local police force, he was a coles cashier in the Gold Coast where he had been living his whole life, volunteering as a gymnastics teacher on the side.

First Year Constable Brianna Henwood and First Year Constable Seth Bateman were both stationed at Mackay.

Early last year, a phone call turned a dream come true for First Year Constable Bateman prompting a 15 hour drive north to Townsville to join their police academy.

“It was a bit of a shock. I didn’t think that was going to happen but we packed up everything and had a really long drive,” he said.

“Ever since I was a kid, to see cops and they were always my heroes. I wanted to be like that myself.”

Superintendent Glenn Cameron says the fresh faces will spend the next 12 months in their first year roles to “solidify their training” by finally putting “years of theory into action”.

Just last month, Mackay welcomed nine other new constables to the district amongst a backdrop of soaring recruitment numbers across Queensland thanks to a major marketing campaign aimed at international and domestic audiences.

Eight of the First Year Constables will be stationed in the Mackay and Northern Beaches zones.

Ex-cop and local MP Nigel Dalton said it was a sign for “police officers under the pump”.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a higher number of people wanting to join the police, so that is a really good sign that we can continue to support those that are already out on the front line,” he said.

Originally published as Mackay police force welcomes 12 new First Year Constables