New local top cop ready to strengthen ties

ACTING Sergeant Holly Lembke is keen to connect with the wider Heathcote community.

She has now been based in the town for five weeks and said she wanted to build on existing positive links between local police and residents.

“My passion is community policing,” she said. “As corny as it sounds, I love helping people.”

Acting Sergeant Lembke said she wanted people to contact her with their safety concerns so she could gain a better understanding of what issues there were around town.

“Then I can work with the community and listen to them, listen to what they say and build that relationship,” she said.

“I can see a lot of potential for getting into the community here, it’s nice because it’s a smaller town.”

Originally hailing from Mount Beauty, she said she preferred working in a country environment.

“I did a year in Melbourne when I first graduated from the academy,” she said. “But the traffic was horrible, so I went to Shepparton.

“I’ve been in Bendigo for nearly nine years, and I’ve been asked to come out here to fill the gap until permanent sergeant is appointed.

“This is the smallest station I’ve worked in though, and it’s nice to be able to have the time and capacity to actually get to know the locals.

“There are just so many ways you can help people in this role.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do that the general public can’t do so I feel honoured to be in people’s lives when it’s often such a bad time for them and to be able to make it a bit better.”

Acting Sergeant Lembke said being a member of Victoria Police is was something she always wanted to do.

“I did think about joining the police when I was 18,” she said. “But instead, I travelled.

“I highly recommend it. The police have to deal with difficult people and life experience helps with that.

“So I joined when I was 25, I thought it was probably time to stop travelling and get into something with a bit of meaning.”

Acting Sergeant Lembke can be reached at [email protected].