Posting delights new Kwinana cop boss
Senior Sergeant Stephen Thompson has taken the reins at Kwinana Police Station and is ready to make his mark.
Sen. Sgt Thompson, who took over from former officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Glen Willers, started his new position last week.
A police officer in Northern Ireland for about 13 years, Sen. Sgt Thompson said he moved to Perth in 2001 with his family and had been working in the metropolitan region ever since.
"When I came to Australia and I was continuing my career development I wanted to do different things I hadn't done before," he said.
"I was in prosecuting division, I even ended up in forensic division as an accident … but during the past 12 months I found myself wanting to go back to frontline policing, which is the role I had always done and always enjoyed."
Sen. Sgt Thompson said the position at the Kwinana station had ticked all the boxes.
"Kwinana has everything - it still has that town identity, even though the suburbs of Perth are extending out," he said.
Sen. Sgt Thompson said he was looking forward to focusing on core policing and working with community bodies, organisations, local government and residents.
"We have our priorities with antisocial behaviour, violence, property crime, and alcohol and drug issues, but we also need to hear what the community want," he said.
He said local policing teams would be focused on problem-solving policing - prevention, intelligence and enforcement, reassurance and support.
"I've been very fortunate to come to a station with very motivated people, and many of which live in the policing district," he said.
"There will be challenges ahead but I'm excited to be involved and I'm sure we can all work together to sort them out."
Sen. Sgt Thompson said he hoped residents would engage with him and his team through social media avenues.
He encouraged residents to tweet him at @Kwinanapol.
