General News
17 February, 2024
New boys in blue hit the beat
Seven new Constables will join the ranks of the Tableland Patrol Group, starting work for the first time last week. (Back left) Tim Minz, Aengus Dickson, Brad Whitmore, (front) Liam Taylor, Griffin Appleby, (right)Jacob Difelice and Joshua Bankes are all keen to improve community safety and are ready to hit the ground running after completing their 15 weeks of training at the Queensland Police Academy.
AN ex-tyre fitter, painter, and warehouse supervisor are among seven new constables who began their new jobs with the Tablelands Patrol Group last week.
Jacob Difelice, Liam Taylor, Tim Minz, Brad Whitmore, Griffin Appleby, Joshua Bankes and Aengus Dickson have all moved to the region, all with the goal of keeping the community safe.
For the past 15 weeks, all seven of the men have been training at the Queensland Police Academy, doing practical and physical exams to prepare for duty.
Now on the frontlines, former Napranum PCYC sporting rec officer Aengus will be policing in Mareeba and says he is keen to connect with the community – particularly the local Indigenous community.
“Being up in communities in the north, you learn how to talk and connect with Indigenous people, and you learn a lot about their way of life and how special it is,” he said.
Griffin, who was a refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic in St George before joining QPS, said he was looking for a change of scenery.
He said he was keen to bring his skills as a problem solver to the table and help make Mareeba a safer place.
“I feel like working up north is going to be a lot more different to anywhere else in Queensland,” he said.
“It will be a challenge for sure, but I am sure it will come with a lot of rewards.”
On his first day at the Atherton Station, Cairns local Brad was handed his first domestic violence case when he walked through the door.
He said his first job experience was everything he had expected, and he was glad to bring justice to the people who deserved it.
“I like making people accountable for their actions, and I have been watching on the news mainly youth offenders getting away, and it makes me angry on a personal level,” he said.
“That is mainly why I wanted to join the police. I want to help the community because no one deserves to have their homes broken into and personal items stolen from them.
“So that is my biggest thing, holding people accountable.”
For Toowoomba local Tim, working in warehouses was not fulfilling, and he longed for a career that would make a difference.
“I just wanted to do work for the community and do something important in my day to day,” he said.
Josh has already had a taste of working with criminals, working as a corrections officer in Brisbane for the Magistrate and Supreme courts.
“I’m a bit nervous because I suppose you have expectations of yourself and how you want to go about the job and how you want to be perceived by your colleagues and the community,” he said.
Ex-Cairns security guard Liam already has experience with people, particularly in situations where they are in vulnerable situations.
“I have some experience dealing with people and deescalating them when they are in bad states,” he said.
“It’s good to be a part of a team that can help them.”
After spending his whole life in Brisbane, ex-painter Jacob was keen to travel and create a difference.
“I didn’t want to be a painter - it was awful – and when I got back from overseas and had some life experience, I said it was time to get my life together,” he said.
“(The police) seemed like a good place to work … it will be a lot of fun.”
