Loren Truter – CIRT

Rather than rack up a HECS debt, Loren Truter went straight into a career she loves.

“Being a police officer is something I always thought about as a child,” Senior Constable Truter said.

“For me it was a great alternative to having to study for another four years and maybe get a job at the end of it. Instead, I was paid to study and got an awesome job at the end of it.

“I’m not built for an office job, I can’t sit behind a desk all day, so to get out on the road in the sunlight, in the outdoors, being able to deal with a variety of different things every day, meet new people and deal with some fairly intense jobs every day is really cool.”

Sen Const Truter said while some people told her she needed more life experience, she knew Victoria Police accepted high school leavers.

“I was 18 so working with all sorts of different aged people at the Academy was really interesting,” she said.

“There’s a lot of valuable information out there for experienced people but at the same time you can gain experience from all different people.

“When you’re in the Academy you’ve got your squad, everyone’s mates and you’ve got them for support. Then at the stations, it’s like a family, everyone’s there for you and you’ve always got them to fall back on if you need help.”

Sen Const Truter said her eight-year career with Victoria Police had provided her so many opportunities she otherwise wouldn’t have had.

“I’ve been able to do a lot of training – I’ve done the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) course and I’m doing more courses within CIRT as well so all these things if I worked in retail, if I worked in anywhere else I would never have the opportunity to do,” she said.

“I’m always striving to make myself better and I’m always looking for what’s next. I think ‘What am I going to achieve tomorrow? What’s my plan for the next few weeks or months? Am I happy where I am or do I want to go further?’ and policing gives you those options.

“I’ve always worked shift work so I love it. It lets me I play hockey and I do jujitsu, it lets me take time off work and work my shifts around my personal life.

“I go on holidays with my family, we get minimum 9 weeks leave so it means I can store them all up, I went on an overseas trip for five weeks last year with my family and that was fantastic.”

As a CIRT member, Sen Const Truter is part of an elite squad which deals with high-pressure incidents such as armed offenders and siege situations.

“We bridge the gap between general duties and the Special Operations Group,” she said.

“I wanted to do it so I trained hard and got through and I’ve been there for 3.5 years now.”

Sen Const Truter said she was glad she made the decision to join Victoria Police.

“I’ve been in Victoria Police for eight years now, and I’ve been to countless jobs but the ones that stick out in my mind are the ones where I feel like I’ve really helped someone,” she said.

“I had a job when I worked at Dandenong Police Station where I managed to talk a girl down, she was 16 years old and wanting to jump off a bridge and kill herself and to be able to talk her down and try to find a solution, it makes a big difference.

“Once you do reflect on it, it’s an amazing feeling that you have saved someone’s life. I was able to catch up with her down the track and knowing that I really made a difference was really rewarding.”

Prepare for policing

• If you’re between 18-21 years old you will need your VCE, Senior level VCAL or equivalent
• Part time work in a customer service role, volunteering with a community group and/or having a leadership role in your local sporting club are all great ways to prepare
• You will need a Level 1 First Aid certificate by the time your start at the Academy but you can get this while you’re going through the process
• Download the POLICE FIT fitness app to help you train for the fitness entrance test
• Hit the books ahead of the entrance exam, you can access a free information booklet at policecareer.vic.gov.au

You’re more suited than you might think for a career with Victoria Police. Learn more at policecareer.vic.gov.au