Probationary constables (from left) Tom Read, Ethan Ang and John Walker are enjoying their new town. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
New police recruit Ethan Ang, 22, said he didn’t know how to spell Griffith when he found out he would be placed here. But he quickly did some research and found it was no sleepy backwater.
“When I told my family I was coming to Griffith, they said they all wanted to visit. But I don’t think it’s to visit me, it’s for the wineries, I’ll be the one doing the driving,” he said.
“Country towns like Griffith have a really good community bond, it’s so different from the city, where you don’t get to meet people. It’s fast paced there but here you feel you can really make a difference.”
Probationary constables Ang, John Walker, 27, and Tom Read, 28, have all moved from Sydney and had their first day at Murrumbidgee Police District on Monday.
“When I told my missus I got Griffith, she said, ‘Where is Griffith?’ but with a word of choice thrown in the middle of it,” Constable Walker said.
“I’ve travelled the state a lot but I’d never been here. I knew it was a decent-size town, [but] I didn’t expect it to have two Woolies and two Maccas, it’s bigger than I expected.
“There’s a lot of things to do outside work. The Murrumbidgee River is so close. My mate has messaged me about going fishing when I have a weekend off. I’ve been chasing cod for five years.”
District Inspector Glenn Smith said the difference between what new recruits thought they knew about Griffith and what they found out when they arrived was often stark.
“There was one woman who spent the weekend crying when she heard she was coming to Griffith,” Inspector Smith said. ”But she fitted in so well, she’s in the local football team, she’s in a church group, she saw how diverse the culture is here and loves it.”
The trio of recruits has moved to Griffith after finishing an intensive 16-week training stint at the Goulburn academy.
“I’m looking forward to putting all the things we learned into practice … doing the real experience and figuring out what’s actually the job,” Constable Read said.
Constable Ang, who was previously a suit tailor and army officer, said the police academy experience had been challenging.
“You have 16 weeks at the academy away from family and friends, which was tough, but it’s the sacrifice you need to make to do this job … you learn so much. It’s 10 per cent of your learning, but 90 per cent of it is as a probationary constable,” he said.
Constable Walker, whose parents were also in the force, said he found out that NSW Police takes in a diverse range of people.
“We had a father and daughter in our academy from Inverell. The father was 50 and his daughter was in her 20s,” he said.
He’s looking forward to the hands-on learning that starts this week.
“They get an induction with our education officer,” Inspector Smith said. ”They then go out in a truck and get allocated a field training officer.
”They’ll be with two cops for their first six weeks until they’re assessed as being suitable to go out with just one.”
The boss added they would enjoy their new lives in the town.
“I told them, you haven’t had a pizza until you’ve had one in Griffith,” he said.
