Today marks a special day for the 23 police graduates of Course 51 who graduated this afternoon at the South Australia Police Academy.
The Course is a diverse group with members identifying with cultures representing Kenya, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and First Nations Australian and ages ranging from 23 and 45 years. The recruits will be posted to a range of areas including 12 members who will be going to country areas including Port Augusta, Whyalla, Mt Gambier, Port Pirie and Port Lincoln.
One of the graduates is Katie who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Katie completed all her schooling in Northern Ireland, going on to complete a bachelor degree in criminology at Queens University. Katie then decided it was time to start a new adventure in Australia.
Prior to joining SAPOL, Katie worked in event management at various Adelaide Hills venues for eight years.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2019, Katie realised she needed to chase after her dreams of becoming a police officer and that she should step out of her comfort zone, learning “how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Reflecting on the training experience at the Police Academy, Katie feels that the course presented many ups and downs but made her more resilient and connected her with lifelong friends.
Katie is being posted to the Eastern District at Norwood Police Station. Her aspirations are to be the officer “that in some way can help people in a situation that may be the worst day of their lives” and to one day look to work in the area of prosecution.
Another graduate from today was Harrison who has had a diverse range of experiences. After graduating from high school in 2018, Harrison studied health and medical science and worked as an orderly/theatre assistant for two years. An avid traveller, Harrison spent three months travelling around Australia and one month travelling throughout the United States of America. He also participated in a school immersion program travelling to the Tiwi Islands.
Sports has been a big part of Harrison’s life with Harrison playing and coaching district basketball for North Adelaide Rockets and Central District Lions. Harrison also participated and coached at national basketball tournaments.
Similar to Katie, Harrison has wanted to be a police officer from a young age, being inspired to be in a role where he could positively contribute and be a leader in the community while also developing as an individual.
The training experience was challenging for Harrison and something he had to make many sacrifices for, however he also found it extremely rewarding and has made him feel confident in himself.
Harrison will be posted to Port Augusta where he aims to continue to learn in a dynamic environment.
SAPOL has recently launched a bold new recruitment campaign promoting that people from all walks of life could find themselves with a rewarding career at SAPOL. Positioning us an employer of choice, SAPOL is calling for people who see themselves as community leaders, confident problem solvers, champions of change, high flyers, adventurer, fitness fans and champions of change to consider joining the 6500 strong workforce at SAPOL.
To find out more about the new recruitment campaign and the career options at SAPOL, please visit
https://www.police.sa.gov.au/join-us
Image above: Katie and Harrison
