Behind the badge: Inspector Kevin O'Connell

When I left school, I started a university degree and very quickly realised it wasn’t the right path for me.

I began thinking about what I really wanted to do and decided to submit applications to both Victoria Police and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB), as it was known at the time (now Fire Rescue Victoria).

I was 18, so the excitement of both professions was certainly a big draw.

More importantly, from a very young age I was always drawn to work where you could genuinely help people.

Both policing and firefighting fall squarely into that category, so I applied to both.

Victoria Police got back to me first, although I actually received an offer from the MFB on the day I started at the Academy, so it was a very close call.

Nearly 38 years later, I’m still here, so I’m confident I made the right choice.

You’ve been with Victoria Police for almost four decades now. What’s kept you in the job?

I’ve loved the job from the very beginning, largely because of the variety.

Every few years, if you want to, you can completely change your career direction.

While I say I’ve been in policing for 37 years, it honestly feels like I’ve had several different careers within the one organisation.

Victoria Police offers such a broad range of roles, and you’re able to follow your interests as they evolve over time.

Can you give us an overview of the “multiple careers” you’ve had within Victoria Police?

I began my career at Broadmeadows Police Station after graduating, followed by a stint at Avondale Heights Police Station.

Wanting to strengthen my legal knowledge, I moved into prosecutions just a few years into the job.

At one stage, I believe I was the youngest prosecutor in Victoria, I was just 21 years old.

From there, I set my sights on becoming a detective.

I returned to general duties at Sunshine Police Station to build experience before eventually securing a detective position at Flemington Crime Investigation Unit (CIU).

I later moved into a detective role within the Sex Crimes Squad.

After being promoted to sergeant, I returned to Sunshine before becoming an instructor at the Detective Training School.

I then moved into a corporate role at the Victoria Police Centre as a senior sergeant.

A six‑week relieving role at Heidelberg CIU became nine and a half years as officer in charge, a particularly rewarding chapter of my career.

Once my children were grown, I decided to pursue further promotion and was appointed as an inspector within Legal Services, Specialist Prosecutions.

From there, I moved into my current role as Local Area Commander (LAC) for the Banyule‑Nillumbik Police Service Area (PSA).

Can you give us an overview of your current role?

As the name suggests, the Banyule‑Nillumbik PSA covers the Banyule and Nillumbik local government areas and serves a population of approximately 190,000 people.

It’s an incredibly diverse region, both socially and geographically.

The area stretches from inner‑metropolitan suburbs such as Alphington to regional and bushland communities like Kinglake.

Within a single PSA, our members deal with everything from inner‑city crime, youth offending, and family violence through to rural road policing and major emergency management responsibilities during bushfire season.

That diversity keeps the role intellectually stimulating, there is significant variation even from day to day.

As the LAC, I’m responsible for the management of all frontline police across the area, as well as engagement with community leaders and key stakeholders.

That engagement ensures we remain aware of the issues impacting the community and how we can best respond.

For me, that is the most rewarding aspect of the role, helping shape how policing is delivered locally while contributing to how safe the community feels.

It’s a great balance.

You remain connected to frontline policing, while also having the opportunity to influence policing direction, organisational culture, and community confidence.

Is there a career highlight that stands out most for you?

The Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 stand out without question.

At the time, I was working in a corporate role, but given the scale and severity of the fires, it was an all‑hands‑on‑deck response.

One day I was working at the Victoria Police Centre in the city; the next I was deployed to the frontline to lead a team as part of Operation Royals.

The team included Victoria Police members, Australian Federal Police personnel, and Defence Force members.

Our role was to support impacted communities and conduct searches in areas devastated by the fires, including Strathewen, St Andrews, Kinglake, and Marysville.

It remains the largest emergency management event I’ve ever been part of.

Victoria Police is an organisation that performs at its best in the worst of times.

Black Saturday was one of the darkest moments in Victoria’s history, and witnessing members from across the state drop everything to support devastated communities was incredibly inspiring.

The lessons learned from that tragedy fundamentally changed how Victoria Police, and all Victorian emergency services, approach emergency management.

I’m proud to have played a small role in that important transformation.

Did you have a clear policing path when you first joined?

Not really. Many people join Victoria Police with a very clear idea of what they want to do, but I think it’s difficult to know what you’ll truly enjoy until you’re immersed in the organisation.

Working in prosecutions early in my career wasn’t something I had planned, but it ultimately set me on the detective path.

Collaborating with detectives on the cross‑examination of serious criminals made me realise that investigative work was where I wanted to be.

That experience led me to spend much of my career in the investigation space.

You never truly know what will resonate with you until you’re doing the work.

That’s one of the great strengths of policing; it offers so many opportunities.

Some people thrive in detective roles, others are drawn to highway patrol, legal services, or teaching and training pathways.

The career options are virtually limitless, and if you focus too narrowly on one goal, you risk missing other opportunities you might grow to love.