Retired police officers met the new boss of the Northern Beaches Police Area Command.
The new Commander of Northern Beaches Police Area Command, Superintendent John Duncan, joined around 30 members of the Northern Beaches Retired and Former Police Association and Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins at a morning tea held on Thursday (05 September) at Mona Vale Police Station, Pittwater Road, Mona Vale, to celebrate Retired Police Day.
Taking over only six weeks ago from his predecessor, Superintendent Patrick Sharkey, Supt Duncan (image above, right) said Retired Police Day was an important opportunity to stay connected with the fraternity of police officers no longer serving.
“We take the opportunity to recognise our former colleagues. Many of them have given many decades of service to the NSW Police and the local community.
“It’s an opportunity once a year, where we invite them in and give them some morning tea and tell them a bit about what’s changed, the new systems, processes and technology that we’ve got, and also what stayed the same,” said Supt Duncan.
“We can recognise our former colleagues and also give them an opportunity to meet some of our current serving staff, and see some of the stuff we have got at the moment, such as the Public Order and Riot Squad with their equipment.
“They appreciate what the police currently do. They understand that policing is still a challenging career, and that we very much rely on the community to do our work,” said Supt Duncan.
Having come from the Surry Hills Police Area Command, Supt Duncan is looking forward to the different challenges posed by the Northern Beaches.
“Surry Hills was four square kilometres, this is 250 square kilometres. There is a lot more emergency management and rescues. It’s a big command with a bigger police contingent,” explained Supt Duncan.
He told the retired officers about the current state of policing on the Northern Beaches, describing trends in crimes statistics, and answering questions.
The retired officers were also informed about the Canine Court Companion Program, which is run by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT on behalf of the NSW Government.
The trial program, which operates at Manly Local Court, places companion dogs in the public area of the courthouse. Retired officers heard how it has been effective at helping people suffering anxiety about going to court and de-escalating otherwise difficult situations.
The evidence of the program to date is that behaviour of people in the court is better when the dogs are present.
The officers were also thanked for their decades of service to the community by Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins (image above, left). She paid tribute to the dedication of current and former police officers who act in service of the community, often in the most dangerous of ways.
Hosted by the Retired and Former Police Association of NSW, Retired Police Day is held on the first Thursday of September, to recognise the contribution of retired NSW police officers.
Images: Northern Beaches Advocate
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