Polly learnt how Academy-life brought together people of all ages and backgrounds to support each other, learn together, and get the job done.
Video transcript
The thing I love about the Academy is being able to use my skills that I know I had there deep down. And also that everyone has different skills.
So just seeing that whole team comes together and it just works. And it's really satisfying to know that that's what a police force is.
All different ages and all different backgrounds work together as one and get the job done.
The Academy has been awesome, a little bit more than I expected.
Pretty much from day one, you’re backed. It's very daunting coming in knowing no one.
You know, I worked in an office job before this. I did work in hospo (hospitality) for a lot of my years, so obviously I am used to working with people.
But yeah, it's a very different environment being here. But you feel backed and like you’ve made the right decision from the very start.
Instructors and everyone, they’re bloody awesome. Like, they want you to pass, and you can genuinely see the excitement in their eyes when they’re instructing you, and when you do something right they're just over the moon.
It's the best feeling.
Working in the hospitality world gave me a little bit of an advantage because talking with people, reasoning with people, de-escalating situations, essentially it's the same. It's working with the community and how you kind of have to adapt.
A day in the life of the Academy, it's everything. It's from being in the classroom, to getting in the pool, to running around the track, keeping your fitness up, getting back in the classroom.
So you do get prepared, which is good.
Like on our first week, I remember coming into the village when they gave us our tour.
We were standing up on top of the bank and watching a squad do their active armed offender (training).
So today it felt really good to be down here and use the skills that we've learned in the past six weeks.
Today we learned that things can change very quickly in the click of a finger, so being able to back yourself work with a team, because going in with a plan, that’s great, but that plan could go straight out the window.
So you need to be flexible. And it's awesome, it keeps you on your toes, and yeah, it's exciting.
The most challenging thing so far would probably be the study. I haven't studied since 2008, so it's been a while for me, a lot of things have changed.
Being a mum, so my daughter's almost two now. That was freaking me out.
But my squad mates have been awesome, the staff have been awesome, and yeah, just leaning on the friends and family when you need to.
Maintaining my social life, work/life balance, and doing the things that I like doing keeps me afloat.
At the end of the day, nine months sounds like a lot, but it's absolutely flown by so far.
Advice that I would give for anyone thinking about joining the force is, basically just focus on whether it's one or two things (to work on).
So whether that be your communication, your physical. You do really need to be fit.
Give it a really good crack and go, ‘I'm ready for this.’ And just prove it to yourself.
Because at the end of the day, if that's what you really want to do, you'll make it work.
I'm really proud that I'm getting the scores that I am because I'm so passionate about it.
Just really goes to show that if you've got your heart set on something that you can definitely achieve it.
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