Making the leap from public servant to police officer

After spending 12 months as an administration and property officer at Traralgon Police Station, Constable Jemima Smith decided to try her hand at policing – but she didn’t make the move to Melbourne.

Instead, she chose to start her policing career in Mildura, nine hours away from her hometown of Fulham, near Sale in Victoria’s east.

Keen for a change in scenery and lifestyle, Const Smith headed north to start her next chapter as soon as she graduated from the Victoria Police Academy.

And she hasn’t looked back since

“I got a Victorian Public Service (VPS) admin job with Victoria Police when I was 19, about a year after I finished high school,” Const Smith said.

“At first, it was a six-month backfill position, then it got extended, and I took an ongoing admin position in Central Gippsland’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation team (SOCIT).”

But after just nine months in her VPS role, a career in policing started to call her.

“When I started, I swore I wasn’t going to join – and the members at Traralgon can attest to that,” Const Smith said.

“I liked my VPS job, but every time someone asked me if I was going to join, I thought about it a little more, and one day I woke up and decided to give it a go.”

That day, Const Smith had gotten up early and driven to Melbourne Airport.

She was about to head off on a trip to Adelaide with her mum, and was tossing it up as she waited to board to the plane.

“I was saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know if I’m capable’, and then I thought, ‘stop it – just apply and see what happens’,” Const Smith said.

“So that’s what I did, and I fell more and more in love with the job throughout the application process, to the point where I was absolutely sure I wanted it - and wanted it bad.”

After overcoming her own self-doubt and being accepted into the Academy, she proudly shared the news with her family and friends – including her dad, a former member of Victoria Police’s Air Wing.

Drawing on his own time with the force, he had told Const Smith that life experience, and a bit of professional experience, were key to being a successful applicant.

And having taken that advice on board as best she could, she was keen to tell him her big news.

“Dad’s such a big inspiration to me, and I really wanted to make him proud,” Const Smith said.

“So it was beautiful that he was able to hand me my Freddie when I graduated. I couldn’t have been happier.”

Now, having been in the job for five months, she’s more certain than ever about her decision to become a police officer – but also her choice to start her career in northern Victorian.

Prior to starting her training at the Academy, Const Smith elected to participate in Victoria Police’s direct-start recruitment process, where she was able to nominate three regional stations she would be happy to be deployed to after graduating – instead of participating in the standard ballot process.

“It just took so much stress out of applying, knowing that I didn’t need to wait on the ballot, and I could organise my life months in advance,” Const Smith said.

“And I absolutely love it in Mildura.

“I didn’t know anyone when I came up here, I hadn’t even stepped foot in the area before.

“My first day in northern Victorian was on day one of my watch-house training week, and I’ve loved it ever since.”

When asked about her favourite parts of working in Mildura, Const Smith spoke highly of her welcoming colleagues and supportive work environment.

But she says it’s the lifestyle that won her over.

“Country policing is definitely my style of policing,” Const Smith said.

“You get to spend time with the local community, there’s always opportunities to try something new, and the scenery is incredible.

“I mean, the Murray River is right outside my bedroom window. How can you beat that?”

Having made new friends, found love, and settled into her new home, Const Smith is in no rush to move anytime soon – but hasn’t ruled out going back to her roots later in her career.

“Central Gippsland SOCIT will always have a place in my heart, because I really enjoyed working in that space – so who knows what the future holds,” Const Smith said.

“There’s just so many opportunities.

“I could go to a single member station, somewhere else regionally, or try something totally new.

“That’s the thing with this job. Opportunities will come up, and you get to decide whether you take them.

“But from what I’ve learnt, you’d be mad not to.”