New cop on Cambridge block
The Cambridge Police has four new officers and will introduce them all to the community.
A rural lifestyle and upbringing for his family is what brought Dale Colmore-Williams to Cambridge.
He has been living on Kaipaki Rd for the past two and a half years, but has been working in Hamilton.
His career as a police officer started 15 years ago, and he has also worked in Auckland, North Shore and Waikato districts.
‘‘Starting in Auckland was pretty daunting. It was insanely busy and you never had time to stop and absorb what was happening with a situation because the next one was already waiting for you,’’ he said.
He works on the frontline, but has a background in road policing.
So far he loves working in Cambridge because it’s so different to anywhere else he has worked. It is much quieter, and has more of a ‘‘community sense’’.
‘‘I’ve gone from working in Hamilton where there are 120,000 people to quite a communityoriented society,’’ he said.
In his 15 years, he has seen some horrific things and dealt with alcohol fuelled violence, car crashes, and recurring family violence.
But he has also had some rewarding cases, which make up for the negative moments he’s had to deal with all the bad moments worth it.
In one instance, he saved a man from committing suicide.
‘‘A week later he came to see me with his family members and was crying and thanking me, that pulled on my heart strings,’’ he said.
He also enjoys helping victims make the right connections with various agencies such as victim support.
‘‘The police are a bandaid. We can’t fix every problem but we are there to help, even if it’s just pointing people in the right direction.’’
Dale has been around some of the larger Cambridge business owners to introduce himself, and will meet other businesses as he finds time.
He will also go around the schools.
’’We need the community’s support, because we can’t achieve our goals with out it. If we work together we can keep Cambridge safe,’’ he said.
He joins Karl Harrison, Tim Sittauer, and Benjamin Coulter who will be introduced in upcoming issues of the Cambridge Edition.