Constable Jonathon Brady, 22, and Constable Gurvinder Singh, 24, are just starting in their policing careers. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER 071014AW04
Start a police career in the Bay of Plenty and you could go far. Three of New Zealand's top police officers have Bay of Plenty connections. Rotorua Daily Post police reporter Alison King finds out what drives our police to succeed.
Rotorua - the former station of New Zealand's top police officer.
Commissioner Mike Bush was area commander in Rotorua for a short time in 2003 before his career soared.
As Police Liaison Officer for South East Asia, Mr Bush was the first New Zealand official to reach Phuket in Thailand following the devastating 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and was awarded the MNZM for his work during the operation.
He was also responsible for planning and operations for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and led the roll-out of smartphones and tablets for frontline staff which have contributed to an additional half-a-million frontline crime prevention hours each year.
Mr Bush was Deputy Commissioner Operations from April 2011, and through Prevention First and Policing Excellence managed a change programme in police which has attributed to a 17.4 per cent drop in recorded crimes over the past three years.
As District Commander in Counties Manukau he pioneered the implementation of Neighbourhood Policing Teams, which have successfully been introduced across the country.
New police officers in the Bay of Plenty - and particularly Rotorua, can aspire to great things.
The most recent Bay of Plenty police district commander, Superintendent Glenn Dunbier, has been provisionally appointed the role of Deputy Commissioner Resource Management.
The position has been formed as part of a new-look management structure.
Deputy Commissioner Viv Rickard, a former Rotorua police officer, is taking a 12-month break from policing to take on a new role at the Ministry of Social Development. And Superintendent Wallace Haumaha, general manager of Maori, Pacific and Ethnic Services, is also ex-Rotorua.
Commissioner Mike Bush, another former Rotorua police officer, is reshuffling the police executive and has appointed two new deputies in a new-look management structure.
As well as Mr Dunbier, Superintendent Mike Clement, the former Western Bay area commander and current Auckland City district commander, has been provisionally appointed to the role of Deputy Commissioner National Operations.
"I have really enjoyed my time working within the Bay of Plenty," Mr Dunbier said.
"With its large geographical boundaries, you could be called to a job on the coast one day, meeting with iwi in town the next or attending a community event in the valley later in the week.
"Personally for my own career development, it was a fantastic learning environment. It's a busy district with lots of opportunity to develop your skills, work in the community, build partnerships and engage with a variety of people from all backgrounds.
"What I have enjoyed most as District Commander though are the people. Bay of Plenty has some great police staff and they go to work with the goal to make their individual communities safer. Leading them was by far the best bit."
He said his new role posed new challenges as it was a strategic role managing a range of portfolios from policy and training through to professional conduct and infrastructure.
"And while it may seem that I am not as close to the frontline as before, the goal is still about making a positive difference in policing for communities and our staff.
"The great thing about New Zealand Police is that it's an organisation with many different pathways into a diverse range of careers across the country.
"While I will miss working in the district, I look forward to playing my part in advancing key strategies to prevent crime and reduce victimisation which will see more communities throughout New Zealand feeling safe."
Constables Jonathon Brady, 22, and Gurvinder (Ginder) Singh, 24, are two of Rotorua's newer police officers. Mr Brady graduated in July 2012 while Mr Singh has been in the force just four months.
The pair are teamed up on the beat - you may have seen them in the CBD these school holidays.
They haven't yet set their ambitions as high as previous Rotorua officers, but they know the potential to rise through the ranks is there.
"I remember meeting Mike Bush before he was commissioner," says Jonathon.
"People say [of other top cops] he's ex-Rotorua and he's ex-Rotorua. You see Rotorua has more than its fair share. Mr Dunbier moving up is a loss for us but a gain for everyone in the police in the country. He was an influential leader and always seemed to have everyone's back, looking after everyone at the bottom."
He's a former Rotorua Lakes High School student who has lived in the city since he was 10. The dream to be a police officer was sparked as a child and thanks to a sudden desire for the New Zealand Police to feature younger faces, he was called up to police college sooner than he expected. When you're a kid you think it would be pretty cool but when you get older you see the adult benefits of it.
"I like the variety, we come to work and anything can happen at any time. Even if it's not desirable it's still interesting. They're a good bunch to work with, we're a good team."
Jonathon was one of the motivators for Ginder to follow his dream.
Both are alumni of the Te Wananga O Aotearoa police preparation course. As former students they regularly return to the classroom to inspire and motivate potential new recruits - Jonathon would visit while Ginder was studying.
"Before joining the police I worked in a kiwifruit packhouse," Ginder says.
He has lived in Rotorua for four years, moving here from Te Puke.
"Two years in I realised there wasn't much more to kiwifruit that I wanted to do. I went on the wananga course and thought 'yes, I could do it'. I enjoy the team work and diversity of the job. It's a people job and I'm a people person.
"Everyone I see doing a different job at the station I always ask what their job is about. There is so much choice."
As for following in the footsteps of their predecessors?
Both say it's a bit too early in their careers, but they acknowledge that they are in the right place.
"I enjoy the frontline and I want to get that experience while I'm young and then maybe CIB. When I'm a bit older a leadership role if I fit the criteria," Jonathon says.
He's been on our screens chasing down criminals for 13 years but retired Detective
Inspector Graeme Bell can also be added to Rotorua's hall of fame.
Mr Bell had a simple explanation of why Rotorua and Bay of Plenty police officers excel.
"In the Bay of Plenty district officers have a more varied set of communities to deal with. There's metropolitan communities, rural communities, largish towns, small towns, everything is there. You have to be a well-rounded and adaptable sort of person to succeed."