New Police Constable follows in footsteps of father and stepmother
After working as a senior builder, Gabriella Anderson has hung up her tools and is now following in the footsteps of her father and stepmother, who are both in the police.
The 22-year-old, who attended Havelock North High School, will return to the district this month when she officially begins her new role as a Constable.
“The whole process from start to graduation has been so worthwhile as I have had great support through every step," Anderson says.
She was one of 51 new officers new officers, from Wing 373, to graduate last month in front of whānau and friends.
In attendance was Commissioner of Police Andrew Coster with members of the Police Executive, Nicole McKee, Minister for Courts and the Associate Minister of Justice, along with patron Caroline Flora.
Flora, Chief Censor - Kairāhui Whakaaturanga Poumatua said: "Every recruit’s choice to join New Zealand Police is a testament to their character and commitment to a brighter future. We, your fellow public servants, and the communities you serve, are proud of you".
Anderson was a senior builder and team leader at Total Span with her own crew before joining police.
Her father and stepmother are both police officers based in Waikato, so it’s no surprise that she decided to join police.
"It's always been in the back of my mind to join and my dad's a police officer, so I've been raised around him being in the police. So I thought, 'I'm young, it's easy to get the fitness side of it done now'. I wasn't going any further in my career that I was in, so I thought might as well bite the bullet and apply and get into it."
Given Gabriella once played high-performance football for Hawke’s Bay, the fitness aside was relatively easy, and she recommends that people stay fit or get fit to apply to join police.
She says the sense of family was carried through her entire journey as she found she had great support throughout the whole process from start to graduation.
Constable Gabriella Anderson graduated last week and will begin working in Hastings this month. Photo/Supplied.
When asked Gabriella about her time at police college, she said "What I found challenging at college was initially the information overload, however when things start to make sense through time and revision it becomes easier."
"You can always find fun ways to learn and study material. Our go-to was the fun app ‘Kahoots’ - you would find our study group down in the library every evening having fun with quizzes during our study breaks."
Despite the challenges, she could always count on her wing mates for support.
"What I liked the most about my time at police college was the lifelong friends I have made. There were times when we were struggling individually but since we all knew what situation we were in it was easier to support one another. There is a sense of family within the Police community, and I know it will be the same when I get back to district.”
