There’s more to being a police officer than chasing and catching “bad guys”.
That’s what Pomona Police Officer Daniel McNamara told local students during a speech that enhanced the students’ understanding of the law in Australia.
The Year 12 Noosa District State High School Social and Community Studies students were surprised to hear Mr McNamara’s day-to-day life as a police officer is far removed from the action-packed, high risk representations of the police often seen on crime television.
Sgt McNamara told the students that he was initially drawn to the excitement and drama of working for the police, but he has since realised there is so much more to the job than just police chases and catching “bad guys“.
“It is a noble profession and it is good knowing that you are out there in the community, making a positive difference,“ Sgt McNamara said.
The students were surprised to find that the majority of the police call outs in the local community are related to domestic violence, usually fuelled by alcohol.
“Generally speaking, Pomona is considered a relatively safe place to live. Compared to other parts of Australia, crime is very low, but domestic violence is very high,“ Mr McNamara said.
The class enjoyed inspecting Sgt McNamara’s baton and utility belt (minus the taser and gun) while breathalysing their friends.
Sgt McNamara taught the students about how breath tests are conducted and the rules around road safety for their upcoming provisional drivers license exams.
The students found Mr McNamara’s presentation insightful and very useful for their upcoming Social and Community Studies assessment and for their own personal understanding of their rights and responsibilities as Australian citizens.
