Counties Manukau Police District is set to receive 27 new constables when Recruit Wing 325 graduates from the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) on Thursday 9 May. All other Police Districts will also receive a boost.
The 77 members of Wing 325 began their studies at RNZPC in January and come from varied backgrounds.
Constable Greta Young is one of the new constables heading to Counties Manukau. She studied law, politics and Mandarin at university, has lived in China to improve her language skills and has worked as a lawyer.
Her work in a community law centre and managing a home for high risk teenagers in the United Kingdom helped lead her to this new career.
“I am really excited about the diverse opportunities in the Police to work alongside and build relationships with individuals and communities, particularly at a time when the organisation is working towards a more empathetic and prevention-focused approach.”
Many of the Wing’s constables speak an array of languages fluently, such as te reo Māori, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Punjabi, Samoan and Afrikaans, reflecting the Wing’s ethnic and cultural diversity.
Constable Abhishek Nair is also off to Counties Manukau. He speaks Hindi, Urdu, Malayalum, Kannada, Tamil and Marathi, and in his previous role as a senior chef he says he has worked with some of New Zealand’s best chefs.
His motivation for cooking up a new career in Police was to help families and young people going through tough times.
Constable Tracey Lemon’s outstanding leadership skills have been at the fore throughout her recruit training. She will receive the Leadership Award during the graduation ceremony.
Tracey has been a volunteer fire fighter for the past six years and has worked as an airport crash rescue firefighter. She is also involved in women’s rugby for Bay of Plenty, playing in the Bay of Plenty Volcanix squad in 2018.
Tracey will be posted to Bay of Plenty District, and says joining Police has been a long-term goal as she wants to continue her focus on helping her community while having a variety of career options.
“I enjoy being involved in helping within my community, and Police offers many different avenues to be of service – this is what has sparked my interest in this career.”
Commissioner of Police Mike Bush, other members of the Police Executive, Police Minister Hon Stuart Nash and Wing Patron Paula Tesoriero MNZM will also be present at the ceremony on Thursday.
Paula is a world-champion athlete and a former senior public service manager, who is currently serving as the Disability Rights Commissioner.
Awards
Minister’s Award recognising top student – Constable Andrew Sawyer, Counties Manukau District
Patron’s Award, recognising second top student – Constable Connor Sorrell, Counties Manukau District
Commissioner’s Award for Leadership – Constable Tracey Lemon, Bay of Plenty District
Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award – Constable Jared Coulston, Central District
Driver Training and Road Policing Practice Award – Constable Samuel Blackwell, Canterbury District
Firearms Award – Constable Leo Eneliko, Wellington District
Deployment information
The new constables will have a one-week break before starting duties in their Districts. The Wing is being dispersed as follows:
Northland – 8
Waitemata – 1
Auckland – 5
Counties Manukau – 27
Waikato – 5
Bay of Plenty – 2
Eastern – 3
Central – 10
Wellington – 4
Tasman – 1
Canterbury – 7
Southern – 4
Media advisory
Media are welcome to attend the Graduation Parade which takes place at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua. The ceremony starts at 2.00pm on Thursday. Any media wishing to attend the graduation should contact the Police Media Centre by 5pm Wednesday at media@police.govt.nz.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre