Recruits ready for action
The latest group of police recruits in the south includes a former Southland rowing representative.
Julie Russell left her mark on rowing by winning two national titles during her time on the water. She is now concentrating on a career in the New Zealand Police and, along with Lida Whitmore, Jessica Double and Tim Risstrom, is a new recruit in the southern region.
Russell said she liked helping people and the being a police officer offered many career paths.
Police work has always interested Whitmore, who left the Czech Republic six years ago to travel the world. She lived in Queenstown for four years and worked in aviation security at the town’s airport before going to Police College at Porirua.
Risstrom joined the police after working as a retail salesman.
‘‘I wanted a new challenge,’’ he said. Russell and Double will be based in Invercargill after completing four weeks of field training in the city, while Whitmore and Risstrom are bound for Queenstown.
Detective Constable Mel Robertson said the training would give the recruits more knowledge and skills following on from what they learned at the Police College.
‘‘The field training is an introduction into day-to-day policing before going into the front line.’’
Robertson said she had gained a lot of satisfaction from eight years in the police.
‘‘It’s a long term career, no two days are the same and everyday we’re dealing with different situations, good and bad.’’