Behind the badge

Alexander Gettens

Rank: Acting Sergeant

Graduated: May 2015

Station: Hamilton Police Station

Why did you join Victoria Police?

When I was 18, I started a Bachelor of Policing in New South Wales, but due to various family issues had to cease my studies. Six years, one wife and a child later, I was questioning what I wanted out of life and what my legacy was going to be. I thought back to my interest in crime statistics, criminology and law enforcement and decided to throw caution to the wind and apply to join Victoria Police.

Tell us about your career history.

After completing my training and doing stints at Nunawading and Forest Hill, my squad was placed in the Transit area, working out of the Victoria Police Centre in Melbourne. While there I was able to hone my skills in talking to people and walking the beat, however I wanted to experience something different. After a long discussion with my wife, I decided to again throw caution to the wind and give Portland a try. I spent six years in Portland and moving there was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Working here I was able to fully grasp policing holistically from report to court. After making senior constable rank, I was recognised by my peers as someone who may have a knack for sergeant work. So, to help further my career, I took another punt 100km from home to work at Hamilton Police Station, where I’ve been for about a year now.

What is it like working at Hamilton Police Station?

Different, but in a good way. Being in the heart of sheep country, we’re faced with crime and enforcement surrounding seasonal workers, farm crime and your general mishmash of local clientele. The big difference is that you get to know and understand the characters of your area. For instance, I can just say a name and everyone at the station instantly knows who I’m talking about. Another great part of the station is just how close everyone is. Even in my time here, I’ve got to know pretty much everyone at the station. From a light-hearted social atmosphere to knowing the guy next to you will have your back at the next job, there is something refreshing and calming about working rurally.

What is a career highlight that stands out for you?

A real stand-out for me was back in October 2022. Hamilton had missed the brunt of the soggy weather until one fateful Friday night when the heavens opened and down came what seemed like a year's worth of rain in just a matter of minutes. Suddenly we had about 40 jobs dropping onto our plate across every inch of Hamilton. With some quick and artful thinking, the crews involved were all able to rapidly triage the situation and drive out to the most important sounding jobs first, working their way through them all and supporting each other brilliantly. Just a few hours later we were able to return to the station, boots and clothes soaked, but all satisfied that we did a damn fine job to keep our community safe. What is the biggest difference between policing in a regional area to policing in a metro area?

Rural policing has some challenges which I don’t think people in the more metro areas can truly appreciate. One of the biggest is resourcing. Most of the time it’s you as the sergeant, the van and the watch-house – that’s it for 100km. You can’t just wait for backup and sometimes it’s even a struggle to get onto anyone else because of how rural it is. One of the other things as a patrol supervisor is realising just how magnificently gigantic the area is – 12,871 square kilometres to be precise. This keeps you on your toes and you have to become somewhat of a magician to be able to solve all the issues in your area. That being said, the support of the 16-hour and one-member stations is absolutely fantastic – they are the lifeblood of those areas where we otherwise struggle to get to.