A defence lawyer from Tauranga is one of 45 police officers hoping to 'get better work stories' in their new career with Police.
Constable Scott Middlemiss, who topped his intake and will be posted to Auckland, will graduate with his colleagues from The Royal New Zealand Police College tomorrow, Thursday 2 November, at 2:00pm.
NZ Police has recently launched a recruiting campaign called 'Get better work stories' to highlight the diversity, excitement and personal fulfilment a job with NZ Police offers.
Before joining Police, Constable Middlemiss worked for two years representing clients at District Court hearings as well as being a Duty Solicitor and working on a number of high profile High Court cases in Tauranga.
However, he wanted more variety in his day. "I wanted a job that would get me outside and present new challenges and something different every day.
"So far the training has been good fun, but it's also hard work. The level of instruction at Police College is incredibly high. I'm looking forward to a couple of years on the frontline and then there are lots of specialist areas in Police. At the moment I'm thinking about becoming a detective in the CIB (Criminal Investigation Branch), but I'll see what avenues open up."
Other graduating recruits include a former travel agent, restaurant manager, scuba instructor, landscaper and hairdresser to name a few previous occupations.
Tomorrow's graduation will be followed by another graduation of nearly 50 recruits in two weeks' time.
* 45 recruits will graduate - 36 males and 9 females
* The average age of wing members is 27 (the youngest is 18 and the oldest is 46)
Postings:
Northland - Whangarei (2), Kaitaia (1)
North Shore/Waitakere/Rodney - Henderson (2), North Shore Policing Centre (2)
Auckland City - Auckland Central (2), Avondale (2), Mount Wellington (1)
Counties Manukau - Manurewa (2), Papakura (3), Howick (3), Otahuhu (1)
Waikato - Hamilton (2), Huntly (1)
Bay of Plenty - Rotorua (1), Tauranga (1)
Central - New Plymouth (1), Palmerston North (2), Stratford (1)
Eastern - Napier (1)
Wellington - Wellington (1), Lower Hutt (2), Porirua (3), Traffic Alcohol Group (2), Upper Hutt (2)
Tasman - Nelson (1)
Canterbury - Timaru (1)
Southern - Dunedin (2)
Wing 234 prize winners:
* Minister's Prize for First in Wing was awarded to Constable Scott MIDDLEMISS posted to Auckland Central.
Constable MIDDLEMISS was also awarded the Ericsson Practical Prize (overall winner for practical assessments, file preparation and fingerprinting).
* Commissioner's Prize for Second in Wing was awarded to Constable Louise GEORGE posted to the North Shore Policing Centre.
Constable GEORGE was also awarded the International Police Association Academic Prize.
* Patron's Prize for Third in Wing was awarded to Constable Geoffrey McGhie posted to Upper Hutt.
* The Holden Tactical Skills and Safety Prize (overall winner in defensive tactics, firearms and driving) was awarded to Constable Peter LAWLESS posted to Palmerston North.
Constable LAWLESS was also awarded a Section Prize (see below).
* The Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award was awarded to Constable Jeremy WESTON posted to Whangarei.
* The Meltzer Prize for Weapon Training was awarded to Constable Joseph WAUGH posted to Henderson.
* The Driver Training Award was awarded to Constable Andrew FRANKLIN posted to Lower Hutt.
Police Association prizes for section achievement:
This prize is awarded to an individual from each section who, in the collective view of the members of the section and the wing instructors, made the greatest contribution to the overall success of the team.
Section One, Constable William BLACK posted to Wellington Central
Section Two, Constable Peter LAWLESS posted to Palmerston North
Section Three, Constable Nicholas STARK posted to Hamilton
Wing Patron: Judge Andrew Becroft
Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft has been at the helm of youth justice for the past five years. During this time he has been a strong advocate for restorative justice and has supported many community-based programmes to prevent the rise of youth crime.
Judge Becroft has played an active role in the training of his wing of recruits. He has taken time to sit in and participate in both academic and practical classes, including driving and firearms training. He has spoken to recruits about the youth justice system and trends and myths about youth offending. He has also challenged the recruits to understand the complexities behind youth offending and to think about different and appropriate responses to dealing with it on the job.
Judge Becroft will attend the graduation.
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For more information or to attend graduation please contact:
Toni Barlow, Communications Adviser - 04 238 3413 / 0274 419 216