Meet Waiouru's new policeman

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 561, 8 November 1994, Page 12

Meet Waiouru's new policeman

By

Michele

Monaghan

The arrival of Waiouru' s newest police constable means the Waiouru police station is now geared up to be the selfrelieving station it was meant to be. Constable Mike Martin said that it must have been tough with only two policemen in Waiouru. "These guys have been working really hard and doing a good job from what I've been told," said Constable Martin. Now there is a full complement of three, more time will be spent on the Safety and Administration Programme (SAP), or patrolling the dangerous central North Island roads. Constable Dale Jenkins, who has been in Waiouru for about a year, said now there will be a more evenly-spread workload and more time will be spent on rural support and community orientated policing as well as the SAP. Constable Jenkins said that with only two of them, patrolling the roads had been allocated about an hour a day instead of the three to four hours a day that is needed to do the job properly. Constable Martin has been in traffic for the last year and said he is looking forward to his role in the SAP, namely speed control, child restraints and alcohol enforcement. He said that traffic is enjoyable because you can see yourself making headway watching the road toll figures slowly dropping. "The people who get the tickets might not like it at the time, but it takes small steps to climb big mountains." Constable Martin went through the police cadet wing in 1980 and since then has spent time in New Plymouth, Wanganui and his last posting, Hastings. He said he transferred to Waiouru because he needed a change in lifestyle and was sick of city life. "We came over to have a look and were pleasantly

surprised with what's here. We thought it (Waiouru) was two gas stations and a pub. Once you are shown around the place you see what's going on for the family. You just don't get that in the Bay." Constable Martin has three children, Nick 9, Ryan 8 and baby Claire aged 2. His wife Jacqui is an ex policewoman. "So she's used to transferring around a bit." Constable Martin' s interests include water sports and motor sports. "I'm a great petrol head. I used to do motocross racing 'til I broke some bones. The police didn't like it when I started breaking myself up all the time." Consequently Constable Martin' s motor sport love is confined to the television, for the moment anyway.