Assistant Commissioner with energy to burn

Commissioner Millen’s resume is as long as it is impressive.

In giving the Geelong Advertiser a brief overview of her career, she touches on 17 different positions.

The regular higher postings speak to her ability, determination and unrelenting work ethic.

But while the experienced police boss admits she loves a chat, her humble nature means she will rarely speak about new jobs unless pressed.

“I don’t like talking about myself. I’m someone who just likes to get on with the job.

“For me to go and get promoted, all the promotions I’ve had, my family will read about it in the paper or something,” she laughs.

Announcing her appointment last month, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton praised the new Western Victoria boss as “a proven, effective and experienced senior leader”.

“Cindy’s authentic and honest style will add value to her region and to the Command team as a whole.”

He also cited her work an investigator, frontline supervisor, chief of staff and various senior leadership roles.

It all began in Footscray, when as a teenager she was provided with her first reminder of how she would be viewed.

At the western suburbs branch, male trainees were fast-tracked into temporary duties as detectives in the Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU).

The young women, however, were only assigned to work in community policing.

But she was not falling prey to the blatant discrimination.

“As a young 19-year-old out of the academy, you never challenged your superiors ... you just did what you were told,” she said.

“But I’ve always said that’s not right. I said ‘no, that’s not going to happen. I want to go to the detective stream ... I want to go where the men go.”

The determined rookie wore down her bosses, got her way and effected change for women who would follow.

She had a similar impact at her next posting at St Kilda, where they had notoriously refused to place a woman permanently in the CIU.

Not only did she secure the job, she received a commendation for her work.

“I took it as a challenge,” Assistant Commissioner Millen said. “That’s been my whole career. You know what, I’m just going to dig in harder and work harder and prove you wrong.”

The strong-willed officer would later become one of the first women to work in the Homicide squad.

She was able to rise to Sergeant and then Senior Sergeant in Geelong, before she focused her energies on raising her two daughters.

Work in staffing roles followed, which saw her move to the brutaliststyle ‘upside down building’ in Little Malop St.

A quality stint as Chief Commissioner Ken Lay’s chief of staff saw her promoted to superintendent. Postings in Footscray and the city led to her last role, as Crime Commander.

Now she’s taken over her former boss’s corner office in the upside down building, she admits it has given her pause for reflection.

“It was really quite a weird feeling; instead of walking through that (other) door, which I was so used to years ago for a staff office role, I’m like ‘oh, how did I get here?’ ” another major statistic will go the same way.

“My concern for Geelong is the road trauma and the serious injuries, because they are quite high compared to the rest of the state.”

As the region’s social calendar grows to include 130 police-managed events, providing effective emergency management is also on her agenda.

This will include more regular use of the concrete bollards that have become widespread in Melbourne since the fatal vehicle attack in Bourke St.

is one area that Assistant Commissioner Millen’s competitiveness gets the better of her.

She likes to keep fit, running and visiting the gym regularly.

But while she’s completed the odd half-marathon, you’re unlikely to see her at the starting line of another one any time soon.

“I don’t like entering into the fun runs; I don’t think they’re fun for me because I get white line fever,” she laughs.

“It is not something I need to test myself with. I like to run just to clear my head, to de-stress. I don’t run to a time; if I need to run for an hour I’ll run for an hour.”

The determination and endurance has come in handy when combining her work and personal pursuits for the Kokoda Project.

On four occasions, she has led disengaged youth on a trek of a lifetime down the single-file track in New Guinea.

Talking to her, you learn she has gained as much from the experiences as the impressionable kids who followed her down the World War II battle track.

But that exercise, and that time testing herself physically, provides many mental benefits.

“You certainly remember different cases along the way, but that’s why I run as well, so that I can also forget,” she said. “So that when I’m home from work I’m not consumed by it.”