Australia is set to recognise the sacrifice and service of our police force on Monday 29 September for National Police Remembrance Day.
The Star Mail had a chat with Yarra Valley station cluster acting senior sergeant Andrew Coulson, to find out more about the ins and outs of police work, what it entails and what it means to him.
The Yarra Valley station cluster consists of Yarra Junction, Warburton, Healesville and Yarra Glen police stations, though Mr Coulson is normally the officer in charge for Yarra Junction.
“As the officer in charge my role usually revolves around the general running of the police station, supervising the officers on duty and ensuring we are doing the best we can to meet the community’s needs,” Mr Coulson said.
Having served for 16 years in the police force, Mr Coulson has experienced a variety of roles and locations, having worked in the Melbourne CBD before returning to the Yarra Valley.
“Working at Yarra Junction is very different to working in the Melbourne CBD where I was previously.
“There are days where we can just go back to community policing and spend time speaking to our local traders, school groups and community members and then there are days when we are just going from job to job,” Mr Coulson said.
As opposed to the chaotic nature of the Melbourne CBD, Mr Coulson said he and the other officers loved working at Yarra Junction because of the community.
“All of my officers want to work at Yarra Junction because they have a similar passion to me and really enjoy working in the community that we live in. They get to know a lot of people and generally don’t forget a face which can be very handy.”
Mr Coulson took pride in leaving a positive impact on people in the community, regardless of whether he dealt with them when “they’re having a good day… or one of their worst days”.
“I enjoy the opportunity to meet new people either when they come into the police station, or when we are just down the street and they come up and say hello.”
But, working within a small community means when tragedy strikes, it rocks the whole town – including Mr Coulson and his fellow officers.
This couldn’t be more evident than when two officers were forced to shoot Yarra Junction man Justin Filardo while he was attempting to kill his sister in August.
Upon arrival at the Warburton Highway property, the police officers were briefed by the mother outside the home before entering to find the brother strangling his sister, who appeared unconscious and had a partially severed arm.
Police tasered the man multiple times, but were forced to shoot him eight times to stop the assault and save the woman.
Victoria Police Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner Russell Barrett said the officers were highly distressed after the event.
“It’s a tragic circumstance for a family and for a relatively small rural community who know their community and know their police,” Mr Barrett said.
“These police officers have come to work doing what they do every day in a relatively small community, had been confronted with a situation where they’ve had to take life-taking action.
“It’s what they’re trained to do and they’re trained very, very well. But no police officer wants to take these actions.”
Mr Coulson working in a small town meant police experienced the same feelings as the rest of the community.
“We genuinely feel the loss when there is a death in the community or seeing the destruction to our area caused by natural occurrences such as bushfires, floods and high winds,” Mr Coulson said.
Days like National Police Remembrance Day (and Victoria’s Blue Ribbon Day, observed alongside National Police Remembrance Day) are important as they raise awareness of the challenging, confronting and life changing situations police officers deal with for the greater good of the community.
Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said alleged shooting of detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson and senior constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart in Porepunkah meant this year’s National Police Remembrance Day had added significance.
“The loss of detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson and senior constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart remains raw and overwhelming.
“It reminds us of the spectre of self-sacrifice that shadows every police officer and every police family, whenever a member puts on the uniform, sets foot into the unknown in pursuit of justice or puts themselves between good and evil in the protection of those who rely on them.”
But, it’s not all “catching criminals”, Mr Coulson said – being a smaller sized station, Yarra Junction has no public servants.
Or, as he jokingly put it – no “unsworn members assisting us with our admin and other non-policing functions”.
Therefore, Mr Coulson is required to have an array of skills to undertake niche and highly specialised tasks to ensure operations run smoothly.
“I have to know how to do everything from checking the mail to putting the bins in and out,” he joked.
In the end, he loves his job and the variety it brings.
“I love it all, no two days are rarely the same. You might be coming into work thinking of what you plan to do for the day and as soon as you arrive you are kitting up and driving out to a serious collision, critical incident or some other sort of natural emergency.
Having a great team to work with and being able to have faith and trust in them that they know what they are doing is such a great feeling,” Mr Coulson said.
