Bruce Russell became a police officer to help people, and more than 50 years later, that’s what keeps him in the job.
Today, the investigator becomes an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the New Zealand Police and the community.
And while he was honoured, Russell told the Bay of Plenty Times it was something he was reluctant to agree to initially.
He first found out he was nominated about a month ago but waited until the last day to let officials know he would receive the honour.
“I’m not different to other people,” Russell said.
“My bosses are probably more deserving of an award like this because of the contribution they’ve made.
“This award is as much for the people I work with as it is for me because they’re all good people and all work hard.”
On January 28, 1970, a bright-eyed Russell was sworn in as a cadet, aged just 17.
The cadet training programme was introduced to capture school-leavers too young to become sworn officers but who were keen to join the force.
Russell said he wasn’t sure what attracted him towards police work but he “wanted to help people”.
He was only 18 when the cadet training finished and, at the time, the minimum age for police officers was 19, so he became a temporary constable.
Three months later, in 1971, Russell was officially sworn in as a constable and started on the frontline in Auckland before transferring to Dunedin in 1975.
He served in the Armed Offenders Squad for a short time and joined the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). After two and a half years, he was promoted to detective sergeant and moved to Invercargill.
In 1981, Russell moved to Hamilton, rejoined the AOS, and in 1988 he established the first child abuse/child sexual abuse investigation unit in Waikato.
He continued to work in the CIB until 1993 when new Proceeds of Crime legislation was introduced.
Russell joined the new Proceeds of Crime unit as a detective sergeant and since then has worked in financial crime, including for the United Nations between 2002 and 2006 during a leave of absence to work as an anti-money laundering advisor in the Pacific.
He also established the first Waikato-based Proceeds of Crime unit, leading ground-breaking investigation methodology and developing and delivering training to police in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
Since 2009, Russell has been a non-sworn specialist investigator, currently with the Tauranga-based unit of the Asset Recovery Unit.
He has led numerous successful operations tracking the proceeds of crime and has never lost a case.
“I think history will show that we have done a pretty damn good job,” Russell said.
Russell had only spoken to other media about becoming an officer, not his bosses or even his wife Marilyn.
Today would be a surprise for both, and it was them he wanted to pay tribute to for his successful career, saying he had been “really blessed” with great bosses but you “can never overlook family.”
“They are as much a part of the journey as you are because who’s there when I get dragged out of bed at 2am to pick up the pieces? Who’s there to take the kids to school, who’s there to carry on with the family birthday that you’re at when the phone rings and you have to go away?
“My wife has been a fantastic supporter in terms of her picking up the pieces and running the family when I’ve had to be away, you know, sometimes weeks at a time on investigations.
“She’s done a fantastic job.”
Even though his wife had been retired for about 10 years, and reminded Russell her life was “on hold” until he retired, it’s not something he was keen to do anytime soon.
“What I do challenges me all the time, challenges my mind, and there are still people to help.
“I reckon that I can contribute about another $20 million to the Proceeds of Crime Fund before I retire.
“I’ll probably retire in the next couple of years when my existing cases have all concluded.”
But Russell emphasised the success of his career wouldn’t be possible without the people that he has worked with.
In the 53 years since he first started as a cadet trainee, policing had changed in many ways, but Russell thought it was a great career for anyone.
“I’d encourage [people to join] because I think it’s a fantastic place to work and rewarding,” he said.
“We deal much more frequently with good people than we do with bad people, and lots of the bad people we deal with aren’t bad to the bone, they’re people who have had a rough life.
“I would encourage people to get into policing because you can make a difference in people’s lives and make their lives better.”