Steven Sula is proud of his many achievements in life so far, the latest being to graduate today as a police constable.
His first job was in the G L Bowron factory, working “on the floor” of the sheepskin tannery, where he moved up through the ranks to become the youngest Pasifika foreman there. He then moved on to learn a trade, becoming a butcher at Silverfern Farms.
Seven years later saw him follow another dream – joining the New Zealand Police.
“I love interacting with people and I wanted to use those skills within the community. My aspirations in the police are to work with youth. I feel that coming from a hard background I could show them what you can achieve if you work hard and apply yourself to achieve your goals.”
Steven, a New Zealand-born Samoan, has represented Canterbury in rugby league and the South Island in volleyball. He is also on the Board of Trustees for St Teresa’s School in Christchurch.
The officer in charge of Steven at police college was Constable Bernie Boyle-Tiatia, who was herself new to being a recruit instructor. Constable Boyle-Tiatia says she’s proud of the achievements of her entire recruit section, but Steven stood out as a hard worker and someone motivated to succeed.
“Steven showed determination from day one. This is a challenging course and he gave his all to passing the assessments. He is a hard worker with a great attitude.”
Graduation will take place today at The Royal New Zealand Police College at 2:00pm. The ceremony will be attended by the Honourable Anne Tolley, Minister of Police, Commissioner Peter Marshall and Dame Susan Devoy.
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Released by: Penny Clevely
Communications Manager: RNZPC Tel: 04 238 3572 | Mobile: 021 326 922
Email: penelope.clevely@police.govt.nz
