19
relative Whether blue runs in your blood or you’re the first with a Freddie, Victoria Police has your back. F I R ST O F F I C E R Branching out with a career in policing is new to Constable Katie Keating’s family tree. Const Keating – who is the first in her family to wear the badge – said she’d always been drawn to the job but first studied a Bachelor of Criminology and worked as a parole officer. “I’d always been interested in Victoria Police and I wanted to help the community,” she said. “Working at Corrections Victoria was a good starting point where I was dealing with offenders on a daily basis.” Const Keating said not having a background in blue was definitely no obstacle to succeeding. “Everyone is glad to help out, no matter how busy they are – there’s definitely a feeling of having a second family at work,” she said. While Const Keating learns about the working life of a police member, from shifts to confronting situations, she’s explaining it to her family too. “They love telling everyone I am a police officer and they pay more attention to what’s going on in the community and Victoria Police; they’re a bit more aware now that I’m a member,” she said. She has also potentially started her own legacy as her brother is going through the application process. “Since I’ve applied, he’s taken an interest in policing and he may not have considered it if he hadn’t heard about my experience.”
02