Tasmania Police is often referred to as a family by those who work for the department, but for new recruits Constables Emilie Grincais and Ben Kirkby it truly is.
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Both joined the same force as their relatives, with Constable Kirkby now the fifth person in his family to become a Tasmania Police officer, following in the footsteps of his mother, father, uncle, and step-father.
"It is something that I have grown up with, and always had an interest in, so I decided I would just do it," he said.
After finishing school and taking some time off to travel, he enrolled at the Tasmania Police Academy where he completed seven months of intensive training alongside his fellow graduates.
The 20-year-old has since been stationed in his hometown of Launceston, and said he was excited to put his lessons at the academy into practice.
"I am just looking forward to getting out now and just beginning the career," Constable Kirkby said.
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For Constable Grincais, it was her father's 37 years on the job that inspired her career move.
"My Dad is a police officer, he is still currently in the job, and the career certainly wasn't ever pushed on me, but I think it's just always been somewhere I was going to end up," she said.
Originally from Hobart, the 24-year-old made the move up North for her first day on the job on Wednesday.
"It is a big change, as well as learning a new job, and meeting all new people, I am also learning a new city, so it's all very overwhelming, but I am looking forward to the opportunity, and everything the job is going to bring me," she said.
"There is quite a few areas I am interested in, like forensics, or Disaster Victim Identification, but I am looking forward to trying so many new things, that is the great thing about this job you can work in so many different areas, but you are still working in the same department."
The constables were two of six freshly-graduated recruits who started in the North this week, alongside two other recruits who previously worked as police officers interstate.
The two most recent graduate courses saw a total of 32 new officers stationed across the state, including six in Launceston, two at George Town, seven in Hobart, six in Burnie, and five in Devonport.
Melissa Mobbs
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
A journalist with more than a decade of experience, Melissa Mobbs currently works as the Deputy Editor for The Examiner Newspaper in Launceston, and has a strong background in reporting on crime and the justice system. Send tips to Melissa.Mobbs@examiner.com.au or on Twitter via @melissamobbs.
