A Reporoa-raised police constable in Tauranga says a need for constant new challenges in his work led him to join the force - and there hasn't been a dull day since.
Constable Mike Fitzgerald is among just over 770 full-time police officers in the Bay of Plenty, a number up15 per cent in the past five years according to figures revealed through the Official Information Act.
He joined the police force in 2019, the year after the Government announced new investment in growing police ranks.
Constable Mike Fitzgerald joined the police force three years ago. Photo / Andrew Warner
Most of the officers coming to the region since the announcement went into frontline policing, investigations, and youth services.
Fitzgerald, 27, went to university but found it wasn't for him. In other jobs, he found he would get to a point where he was comfortable and there was no challenge.
Fitzgerald worked as a landscaper with his uncle who asked him if he had ever considered joining the police.
His uncle had a police friend in Hawke's Bay who let Fitzgerald join him for a few ride-alongs. He fell in love with the job.
He saw a bit of everything, from the "exciting stuff" to the sad side of the profession that not everyone knew police dealt with.
"From that moment I thought, 'sweet, this is what I want to do'."
Reporoa born and bred, he had hoped he would land in Tauranga, close enough to family while not needing to work in the small town he grew up in.
The first year involved a lot of learning on the job and getting the hang of ever-changing scenarios.
"Just building that confidence ... initially, you're the junior person in the car and all of a sudden you're the senior person in the car. It's cool knowing that they trust you to be that person."
Fitzgerald is on the public safety team and responds to 111 calls - fast-paced work he likens to hospital triage.
"No day is going to be the same. You're constantly met with new challenges and issues that you have to solve, and sometimes they're time-sensitive.
"Boredom's not a thing because your brain's always working."
He said police college taught him what it would be like in the field, but it wasn't until he was working that the lessons began to click.
Constable Mike Fitzgerald joined the police force three years ago. Photo / Andrew Warner
"When you're at a job in the real world, all of a sudden you have that realisation that there's not really room for mistakes sometimes."
As time went on, his confidence grew, as did his decision-making, problem-solving and ability to act under pressure.
As well as the daily challenges and problem solving keeping him there, it was also about helping the community and good work culture.
"[Police] seems to draw really good people to the job ... people that want to help ... and the people you work with are all in it together."
He said positive feedback from people at jobs he was called to "doesn't happen very often," but he enjoyed hearing that someone appreciated time he spent talking to them or that he listened to their side and did not make immediate assumptions.
"Stuff like that, actually getting feedback, it gives you so much energy."
Police numbers in Tauranga continue to grow, and a police media spokeswoman said recruiting anticipated the region's recent population growth.
Recruit wings at the Royal NZ Police College are planned for consecutive months for the majority of this year and all the wings will have positions in them for recruit allocations to the region.
Applications are open for the entire region; Western Bay of Plenty, Eastern Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupō.
