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After graduating from the Victoria Police Academy in 1983, she worked at various police stations before joining the Russell Street Crime Investigation Unit and then the Sexual Offences Squad. For the first few years at the Crime Department, DC Nolan was the only woman working there. “Being a woman hasn’t been an issue for me, although back then there were so few of us that being female probably made me stand out,” DC Nolan said. After she married and had children, DC Nolan had to weigh up her career options. “At that time, there were no flexible work conditions and no such thing as part-time policing. I started looking for positions where I could have control over my roster and ended up in the corporate side of the organisation,” she said. In her role as deputy commissioner, she is in charge of various departments and successful projects such as the UpFront project to help reduce members’ paperwork and the roll-out of the new uniform. DC Nolan has always enjoyed being a policewoman. “In the past we’ve had to try harder to prove ourselves in a fairly male dominated organisation however, on the whole you have women who have fantastic interpersonal skills and ability,” DC Nolan said. Defining moments in her career include the impact of some incredibly violent incidents involving police, such as the murders of her Prahran colleagues, Steve Tynan and Damian Erye, at Walsh Street.
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LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE CATHERINE BARRETT – AT THE STATION
SENIOR CONSTABLE HELENA MACKIE – SPECIALIST UNIT
SENIOR CONSTABLE IRENE GUEST – ONE-PERSON STATION
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ooking for a life change led Northcote Police Station’s Leading Senior Constable Catherine Barrett to join Victoria Police. Graduating in 2000, she has since worked at Sunshine, Coburg and Northcote police stations and the District Intelligence Unit in the North West Metro area, before returning to general duties at Northcote three years ago. Her current role involves mostly working the van and watchhouse. “I’m fortunate to have a role in mentoring junior members and to be given opportunities to proactively engage with the community,” Ldg Sen Const Barrett said. One of her most memorable moments in policing was her first Breavington Day – an event unique to Northcote which honours Rodney Edward Breavington, a First Constable at Northcote Police Station who was executed as a Prisoner of War in 1942. “It reminded me that we are part of something great – protecting the community, and also to celebrate men and women, past and present that have fought to make our country safe.” Ldg Sen Const Barrett said the hardest thing about her job is seeing the worst in people. “Sometimes I see people whose ability to cope with tragedy is inspirational, but its dealing with the ugly side of humanity that I find most challenging and keeping the best of yourself, when you are faced with the worst in others,” she said. She loves the challenge of her every day duties and is continually pushed out of her comfort zone. “There is no other job like it. There is an element of excitement that is addictive.”
aptivated with a love for adrenaline and action, living on the edge of her seat is just another day on the job for Senior Constable Helena Mackie. A member of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), she insists the male-dominated unit is not just a boy’s club. “People usually stereotype. I remember when I first wanted to join, I saw a female CIRT member who was just as little as me – I said to myself I can do it too,” Sen Const Mackie said. Previously stationed at the Transit Unit, and Werribee and Colac police stations, Sen Const Mackie decided to join CIRT because she craved more of a challenge in her day-to-day role. “It took me a year of training to become physically fit just to pass the profile of getting into CIRT,” she said. Sen Const Mackie attends high-risk incidents where there is a possibility of a violent confrontation with a person, or it is suspected that someone is armed with a weapon. She also negotiates the safe arrest of offenders, or where a person threatens to commit suicide. “As a negotiator turning a negative scenario into something positive can be quite the challenge,” Sen Const Mackie said. “One time, I attended a siege where a male lit his house on fire and was using his toddler as a shield. We resolved the incident by using minimal force and ended up getting them both out of the house, safe and well – who knows what could’ve happened.”
ut of 103 one-person police stations in Victoria, only three are run by women. Speed Police Station’s Senior Constable Irene Guest is one of them. After raising a family, Sen Const Guest joined Victoria Police at a later stage in life, after being encouraged by her sister who is also a member. “Getting into policing hasn’t been the easiest thing I’ve done, but I was determined to get there and I did,” Sen Const Guest said. Following her graduation in 2005, she worked at Stawell and Hopetoun police stations before starting her role in the tiny town of Speed. “I worked over six years at Hopetoun with only two members, myself and the sergeant, so I don’t find working in Speed too much of a difference. The main thing I’ve had to learn is how to run the station,” Sen Const Guest said. She has found it challenging running the station and knowing there is no back-up for at least 30 minutes. But, she would not have it any other way. “I love having the opportunity to help people and seeing kids grow up, that I have helped along the way – to know I’ve made a difference in their lives,” Sen Const Guest said.
MODERN POLICEWOMEN .01 Sen Const Mackie, DC Nolan and Ldg Sen Const Barrett represent Victoria Police. .02 DC Nolan is the highest ranked female member. .03 Sen Const Mackie and Ldg Sen Const Barrett love their jobs. .04 Sen Const Irene Guest is in charge of Speed Police Station.
POLICELIFE AUTUMN 2014
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