From accountant to cop: Napier woman's leap of faith

Gabrielle Parsons, 38, worked in accounting before she became a police officer. Photo / Warren Buckland

For years Napier cop Gabrielle Parsons' life revolved around money. She was working her way up as an accountant, helping small and medium businesses succeed.

But she decided to give it up for a life on the front line. It turns out it was fate all along.

"A police officer role is something I've always wanted to do," Parsons said.

"My mum sent me my very first story book that I wrote as a 5-year-old and it was a story about how I was going to be a police officer when I grew up."

The mum of two sits in the office, with her children who offer her some of their afternoon tea - a lamington - at 3.30pm.

"I've just had breakfast, but thank you," she smiles to her son. She's on night-shift today.

The 38-year-old is still relatively fresh to the force, graduating in 2016 as a constable, and she loves her job.

"Money makes the world go round, but that's not where my core values were. When I looked into the police I saw we shared the same values," Parsons said.

"If you love helping your community, I'd highly recommend looking into the police as a career."

Parsons recommends the latest New Zealand police recruitment video, a short clip that can only be described as incredibly Kiwi.

It spans just three minutes and covers every topic and question that police officers face on a daily basis.

"The video is quirky and down to earth. All the questions you see in the video, well we get asked all of those everyday. It's great to see them answered in a light and humorous way."

The video also shows different directions officers can go down after they've joined the force, such as police negotiation.

"The video is quite in depth in terms of information and is incredibly accurate, I think it's just great."