Meet Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway, a former journalist and published writer who has spent 28 years in policing creating innovative solutions to forensic intelligence, post sentence management, womens’ barriers to success, and strategic planning in education.
Assistant Commissioner Callaway currently leads the family violence, sexual assault and child abuse responses for Victoria Police - Family Violence Command.
Video transcript
Over the 30 years of being in the police force, I’ve had the opportunity to do some amazing things, and ultimately develop my career in police solutions for our most vulnerable people in the community.
I always remember the first family violence incident I went to. Because I was the junior person, I was watching my senior colleague talk to the woman who had been assaulted.
I felt this little hand go against me, and I looked down and it was a three to four year old toddler. They decided to come out of the house in their pyjamas, and stand next to me, and hold on to me.
And I keep that memory at the front of my mind in everything that I do to advance family violence responses.
My inner purpose is driven by my values of respect, professionalism, and inclusion.
The next big challenge for me is I’ve come into the Assistant Commissioner role of Family Violence Command, and it's off the back of five years of intensive reform, in how we police family violence.
So I am really looking forward to developing the next five years and build this response to be even better than before.
When I joined Victoria Police, I wasn’t thinking about career development, I was just focusing on learning the trade craft of policing.
But as time when on, I quickly was offered opportunities to learn to be a supervisor, to then go on to be a middle manager, and then ultimately step into leadership roles.
Victoria Police has given me so many opportunities to build my skills as a leader, as a police officer and I feel really privileged at the formal and informal opportunities that have been afforded to me.
I can only say that Victoria Police offers you everything.
You can really make a difference.
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