Meet Marmor’s new police officer Senior Constable Chris Hunter

A police officer has swapped the hustle and bustle of the big city for a quiet country town, with the hopes of making the roads a safer place for the community.

Marmor's new police officer Senior Constable Chris Hunter.

A police officer has swapped the hustle and bustle of the city to become the sole police officer in a quiet country town and he’s already been embraced by its community.

Senior Constable Chris Hunter is the new officer on the beat at Marmor after transferring to the single-officer station from Logan in the southeast.

Sen Const Hunter joined the Queensland Police Service 15 years ago after moving back to the Sunshine State from New South Wales where he was also a police officer.

“I left the army and wanted a change in my life. I saw the police as a change. I always had an interest in policing and speaking with my sister and brother who are both in the Queensland Police Service, it always kept that spark of interest alive,” he said.

“I first went to the NSW Police Force. I enjoyed my work in the NSW Police Force working mostly in Kempsey and Nambucca areas.

Marmor's new police officer Senior Constable Chris Hunter.

“After a few years serving in NSW Police Force, I wanted to be around my family again. I then changed to Queensland Police and went to Townsville where they both work.”

Sen Const Hunter has been a general duties officer ever since coming to Queensland.

He spent 10 years in Townsville before moving to country areas, including Childers and spent the last two years at the Crestmead Station in Logan.

“I like general duties as it allows me to do a variety of roles without being lumbered with one specific role,” he said.

“I’ve also worked in two amazing areas: Childers had a crew that were fantastic to work with and to be around, and Crestmead had some very hardworking members.

“Both stations had Officers in Charge who were a great example to me and really helped me. I’ve been exposed to a variety of incidents in my service as a general duties officer.”

Sen Const Hunter said one of his main priorities for the Marmor area was road safety, with many in the area driving on the Bruce Highway daily to get to and from work.

“The community of Marmor travels onto the highway daily, they’re required to travel on the highway back and forth for work and life, often with their children in the car and they want to be safe and feel safe on the highway,” he said.

“We look at enforcing the road laws, making motorists slow down, driving to the road conditions and preventing as many crashes as possible.

Marmor's new police officer Senior Constable Chris Hunter.

“The community likes to feel safe, they like to feel that their property is protected, and patrols of the townships helps this. If they see me out and about, they’ll wave me down and tell me any concerns or simply have a chat. It’s the community engagement that aids me in getting information that I need which better allows me to do my job.”

Sen Const Hunter said since moving to Marmor in April he’d already met many of the locals and felt welcomed by the community.

“This town is very community orientated; a neighbour even mowed the police grounds,” he said.

“Others stop to offer help if I’m fixing the fence. People here like to offer help and they help each other out. I’ve only been in Marmor since April 2024, but I’ve gotten to know a lot of the townspeople and they’re very open and friendly and very supportive.”

In his spare time Sen Const Hunter enjoys taking his boat out for fishing and spending time with his two dogs.

Originally published as Meet Marmor’s new police officer Senior Constable Chris Hunter