Police recruit hits the beat in Gore
He knows it sounds like a cliche but Lincoln Bradley really did join the police force to make a difference in the community.
Except now, that community is a brand new one.
New recruit constable Bradley has been posted to the Gore police station after graduating from police college, and he’s moved his family back to the south.
‘‘Gore’s not as full of bogans as it probably used to be.
‘‘There’s been no great surprises and it’s all been good so far.’’
The surprises, however, came at police college in Wellington, where he spent 16 weeks away from his young family.
‘‘ It was very, very different. It was a big adjustment after not studying in years to having your head in the books.
‘‘I’d been working in the automotive industry in Christchurch, so it was tough having to study again, but it was interesting learning how the law works.’’
His first deployment in Christchurch was ‘‘a bit of an eye opener’’.
‘‘It wasn’t a bad thing, it was just realising how much the police actually do and what they have to deal with on a daily basis – it’s real on the job training.
‘‘It’s good seeing the difference we can make in people’s lives. Whether they’ve done something wrong or not, they might just need some help and being able to do that is absolutely rewarding.
He’d wanted to join the police force for a long time, he said.
‘‘A relative joined and I went to their graduation and I’d been interested ever since, probably since I was 15 or 16.
‘‘I grew up in Invercargill so it’s good to be back down here and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads.’’
‘‘It’s good seeing the difference we can make in people’s lives.’’ Constable Lincoln Bradley